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Matthew 26:1-5
The Plot to Kill Jesus 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.” |
In the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the White Witch thought she had won a great victory by putting Aslan to death. But she didn’t realise there was a greater power at work. He was, in fact, the saviour and not the victim.
It was the same with Jesus’ death. The religious leaders thought it was their plan, their victory. As they got together and plotted to capture Jesus, they thought that they were in charge of the situation. They hoped to get rid of the Messiah they didn’t want, claiming their own victory.
But even as they met in secret, Jesus was explaining to His disciples exactly what was going to happen. He would be seized and crucified. The reality was, His death had been planned long before - in eternity. His crucifixion was actually God’s eternal plan to bring salvation. Jesus therefore knew exactly what was coming.
Even the timing of Jesus’ death was significant. The Israelites remembered their salvation through the shedding of a lamb’s blood, but the blood of a greater Lamb, Jesus Himself, was about to be shed for our salvation.
Let’s remember that when it seems like evil is winning in our world, that it isn’t. When everything seems to be against God’s people, He is still in charge. Even the most terrible attacks on God’s people will in the end achieve God’s good purposes. And let’s rejoice in the most wonderful example of this, the cross of Christ.
Alex and Frances W