Matthew 27-28

Killing Jesus turned into an expensive proposition for the Jewish leaders. They paid Judas a months worth of pay to betray him. Then they greased the palms of that group of Roman soldiers to sacrifice their integrity. Finally they had to prepare a sizable bribe in case Pilate wanted to execute these soldiers for their fabricated crime.  Maybe the felt the threat of Jesus' following was worth the cost. Maybe they felt they had no choice. Whatever their justification they were surely disappointed by the end of the week.
Stuart