Holy Week Guide | Wednesday
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Wednesday
MATTHEW 26:1-5
When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
Jesus’ life is swiftly moving to its climax. The time of the Passover feast is a couple of days away. The significance of the timing could not be greater. The Passover was an annual Jewish feast which commemorated their deliverance from Egyptian bondage. The original Passover involved the sacrifice of a lamb without spot or blemish. The blood of the lamb was placed on the doorposts and lintels of the house so that the angel of death (the final plague sent by God on the firstborn of Egypt) would “pass over” the house. It is at this current feast of Passover that Matthew tells us of the chief priests and scribes seeking to kill Jesus, the Lamb of God. These were the men who formed the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the Jewish people. They were men of education in the Law, respected and revered by the people. Yet this is the very body plotting to kill Jesus. From near the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, they had determined He must be done away with. Their plotting was done in stealth the Scriptures tell us. Evil always seeks to operate behind the scenes, in the darkness. These men were fearful of how the people would respond since the crowds flocked to Jesus. Jerusalem was filled with crowds during Passover, almost five times its normal population. No, this had to be accomplished in secret. It must be done after the festival.
It is interesting to note that at the same time these men were plotting to take His life, Jesus was telling His disciples that He would be handed over for crucifixion. This reveals the sovereign control of God. Jesus’ life would not be taken. He would willingly lay it down. It WOULD be during the Passover. Jesus, the Lamb of God, would be dying in our place just as the Passover lamb would be sacrificed. Despite the plans and intentions of man, God moves all things according to the counsel of His will. Matthew also tells us that the means to accomplish this would be made possible by Judas, one of Jesus’ own disciples.
APPLICATION
What does this mean for us? We are given reassurance that God is in control of all circumstances – even when what we see indicates the contrary. Even more, it should give us pause to examine ourselves. How often are we, like these men, reacting based on our selfishness and our preconceived ideas and expectations? How often are we sure that our understanding and our plans are better? How often do we reject and oppose what we fear or do not understand? How often do our attitudes blind us to what God wants to do in us and through us? Although we are quick to point a finger at these men, we are often pointing at ourselves.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we give thanks that You are sovereign and that Jesus willingly gave His life for us. May we never grow complacent or apathetic to His sacrifice, forgetting how great the cost was to You. Help us examine ourselves and surrender our preconceived ideas of You and how You will work, relinquishing all of our very selves to You. Amen.
FAMILY DEVOTIONAL
THINK
Jesus was God’s perfect Son. He never did anything wrong. He never disobeyed His mom or dad. He never told a lie. He never said mean words or acted unkind to His friends. When He grew to be a man, Jesus did things only God could do. He made blind people see again. He healed sick and crippled people. Jesus cared for all men, women, and children, and He spent His days teach- ing them about God’s love. Why then, would Jesus, a perfect man, have enemies?
READ
MATTHEW 26:1-5
When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
Here we read that the priests and temple leaders were making plans to have Jesus arrested and killed. The more that people listened to Jesus teaching God’s words, the more the priests became afraid. They feared that if people began to follow Jesus and His teachings more, then they wouldn’t be following the laws that the priests were teaching. Regardless of their wicked plans, God’s plan was greater. His plan included Jesus loving His enemies enough to die for them. That’s a lot of love!
SAY
“Dear God, thank you for sending your perfect Son to die for all people. Help me to love others as you love them. Amen”
DO
With your family, make a list of things to say and do when someone is unkind to you.