After the resurrection the priests and rulers circulated the report that Christ did not die upon the cross, that He merely fainted, and was afterward revived. Another report affirmed that it was not a real body of flesh and bone, but the likeness of a body, that was laid in the tomb. The action of the Roman soldiers disproves these falsehoods. They broke not His legs, because He was already dead. To satisfy the priests, they pierced His side. Had not life been already extinct, this wound would have caused instant death.

Dog følte præsterne og rådsherrerne sig ikke rolige. De havde fuldført deres planer om at få Kristus henrettet; men de havde ikke den følelse af at have sejret, som de havde ventet. Selv i den time, hvor de tilsyneladende triumferede, var de plagede af tvivl om, hvad der nu ville ske. De havde hørt råbet: "Det er fuldbragt!" "Fader! i dine hænder betror jeg min ånd." Joh. 19,30; Luk. 23,46. De havde set klipperne revne og havde mærket det stærke jordskælv, og de var urolige og bekymrede.