Whose Agenda

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

 WHOSE AGENDA

Matt 26:1-5

26:1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 "As you know, the Passover is two days away — and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."  3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him. 5 "But not during the Feast," they said, "or there may be a riot among the people."

NIV

The first thing we have to come to grips with is the absolute authority of Jesus, as well as his knowledge of all things that happened and, is happening and will happen. He knew that he would be handed over to be crucified. He knew that Judas would betray him. This may be the reason he chose Judas in the first place. It was not possible that Jesus would go to the cross of his own power, although he could, the whole truth is that Jesus needed to be handed over to the Romans in order that he would be crucified, for had he not gone to the cross we would not be reconciled to God, nor would we be redeemed by his blood, or would we have any way to inherit eternal life. Jesus had to be handed over to those who had the power to perform the act of crucifixion and only the Romans had that right. It is also interesting that religious men, the chief priests, and the elders who assembled in the palace and the presence of the high priest, plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him. Religious men's thinking in sly terms, deceptive, crafty, cunning, and clever ways to accomplish their devious plan to rid themselves of this Jesus who is attracting too many people, and thus they are losing their grip upon the masses. It is all self-serving and self-interests that drive them to find some sleek way to have Jesus condemned to death. It is sad that they did not know they were fulfilling the will of God. Paul makes the point that if they had known the secret wisdom of God they would not have proceeded with their plans to have Jesus killed. If they had known by having Jesus killed, that mankind would have a way to eternal life and that all scripture, all the curse of the law would be gone, they would not have done it. But because of their ignorance of the truth, they only saw their own agenda. This should serve as a lesson for us. We should not be about trying to fulfill our own agenda, but by looking at what God has for us to do and being the person he intended us to be.