The Plot

ByJim Stephens

Scripture:  Luke 22:1-2

1 The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is also called Passover, was approaching. 2 The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the people’s reaction. (Luke 22:1-2 NLT)

Jesus’ primary adversaries had been teachers of the law and Pharisees up to this point. As long as Jesus stayed in Galilee and Jericho and the Jordan Valley, the conflict could focus on doctrine and teachings. But now Jesus is in Judea and Jerusalem and it’s Passover Week. A few days earlier, Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey to the cheers of crowds. Jesus overturned the tables of money changers and kicked open the animal stalls of sacrifice sellers in the Temple. Jesus confronted and condemned the religious leaders publicly, in the Temple, warning the people not to trust them. So that took things to another level!

Now the teachers of religious law, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the leading priests and elders are in agreement. Jesus has crossed the line and there’s no going back. He’s been mostly an irritation for three years, but now he is a threat that can no longer be tolerated. So the moral and spiritual leaders of the nation met in a secret, illegal meeting at the high priest’s house to plot how to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. If you ever wondered how far religious people (the good guys?) will go to suppress the truth, to maintain their grip on power, to preserve their traditions and system, this is it! They put their moral convictions aside, they violated the laws they supposedly lived to uphold, and they cooperated with a corrupt political regime, all because of greed and fear, to try and keep their power, position, and privilege! Can you imagine religious leaders doing thing like this?

Friends, before we start feeling too “self-righteous” here, we have to examine our own hearts and ask God to show us if we have the seeds of the same attitudes in us:

  • How do we react when we think our rights and privileges, our position and power are threatened?
  • Are our values and priorities more like the “leading priests and elders” or more like those of Jesus?
  • Is there room in our hearts and our world for people who are different from us?

Prayer:

Father, May we be motivated by love, not hate, and by faith, not fear! May Jesus’ values and priorities become our values and priorities. For the Kingdom’s sake!