Luke 22:1-6: “Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover. 2 And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people. 3 Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. 4 So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. 5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6 So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.”
The Passover is one of the holiest feasts in the life of the Jew. It is a time of reflection and a celebration. This time is a chance for the Jew to think about the hardships their ancestors went through in Egypt. Bondage and oppression was what the sons and daughters of the great Patriarch Father Abraham had to endure, until God raised up a leader, Moses, to lead God’s people out of their Slavery. This feast was recognition of the mercy and love of Almighty God to His hurting people. Nevertheless, while the rest of Israel was preparing their hearts to recognize God’s mercy, the religious leaders and scribes were plotting a murder.
The natural order of things was disturbed when Jesus came on the scene. The Messiah could not have come at the worst time for the Chief priests and Pharisees. They enjoyed their prestige and affluence. Yes, their people were oppressed by the Romans, but so what? They still had their control and they were not going to give it up without a fight. Jesus exposed them for who they really were and made them lose a little of their credibility with the masses. These religious leaders were to be the shepherds to which to people looked to for guidance, but they turned out to be wolves, in shepherd’s clothing.
In our walk, we are tempted from time to time, to plot murder ourselves. No, it is not literal murder; it is murder with our minds and tongues. Do we day dream about those people who we do not get along with, or maybe cannot see eye to eye with? For the Christ follower this should not be. We must rise above the plotting and scheming that we see here in the scriptures. Is our witnessed tarnished because of what others overhear us say? Would Jesus approve of our thought life about others? We all can be better examples of the true mercy of God.
Tomorrows Readings:
Old Testament: 11 Sam 23-24 New Testament Luke 22:31-53
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