1When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples,2“As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
3At that same time the leading priests and elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest,4plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill him.5“But not during the Passover celebration,” they agreed, “or the people may riot.”
Jesus makes it clear to his disciples what is going to happen. No questions, no ambiguity. He was called to endure a horrible death, and he would not miss that calling. It would have been so easy for Jesus to simply leave Jerusalem. If he leaves, he doesn’t die, it is that simple. He could have justified it by saying he would be able to help people for a long time to come, and he could have. But he was called to endure a great hardship and he would not fail in that calling.
In the mean time, the religious leaders plot to kill him. The part that amazes me is that they specifically plan NOT to kill Jesus during Passover, yet that is exactly when it actually happens. To fulfill prophecy, Jesus had to be crucified during the Passover. What can we learn? While God is not in any form evil, He can, and does control evil so that in the end it will bring about his good desires.
God truly is in control. In our lives, bad things will happen. Sometimes we will even know it is going to happen, whether by divine revelation, divine calling, or simple wisdom as we watch events unfold. When this happens we are called to trust that God is in control and it is all for good in the long run.
Lord, I am sorry for my sins and my faithlessness. I am sorry for the times I tried to avoid the hardships that you wanted me to endure. Open my eyes and heart to your Holy Spirit. Let me follow where you lead, even to misery and hardship. Help me to fulfill Your plans for me in faith. Beginner’s Online Bible Study *obbs*
