Plan Be
After Jesus performed many miracles, as well as the amazing miracle of raising his friend named, Lazarus, from the dead, religious leaders felt threatened by his power and
who Jesus claimed to be - the Messiah. They grew a hatred toward Jesus. Apostle John writes, "Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did [raising Lazarus from the dead], [those particular Jews] put their faith in him. But some of them went to the *Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the ***Sanhedrin." “What are we accomplishing? they asked. “Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” "Then one of them, named Caiaphas [a **Sadducee], who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” "He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish Nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one." "So from that day on they plotted to take his life." [ John 11:45-51 ] Notes John 11:48 The Jewish leaders knew that if they didn’t stop Jesus, the Romans would discipline them. Rome gave partial freedom to the Jews as long as they were quiet and obedient. Jesus’ miracles often caused a disturbance. The leaders feared that Rome’s displeasure would bring additional hardship to their nation. Digging Deeper *Pharisee [1 of 2 major religious groups in Israel during the time of Christ] Positive Characteristics + Were committed to obeying all of God’s commands + Were admired by the common people for their apparent piety + Believed in a bodily resurrection and eternal life + Believed in angels and demons Negative Characteristics - Behaved as though their own religious rules were just as important as God’s rules for living. - Their piety was often hypocritical and their efforts often forced others to try to live up to standard they themselves could not live up to - Believed that salvation came from perfect obedience to the law and was not based on forgiveness of sins - Became so obsessed with obeying their legal interpretations in every detail that they completely ignored God’s message of mercy and grace. - Were more concerned with appearing to be good than obeying God - Disliked and distrusted the Sadducees, but became allies in their common hatred for Jesus. **Sadducees [2 of 2 major religious groups in Israel during the time of Christ] Positive Characteristics + Believed strongly in the Mosaic law and in Levitical purity + Were more practically minded than the Pharisees Negative Characteristics - Relied on logic and politics while placing little importance on faith - Did not believe all the Old Testament was God’s Word - Did not believe in a bodily resurrection or eternal life - Did not believe in angels or demons - Were often willing to compromise their values with the Romans and others in order to maintain their status and influential positions - Disliked and distrusted the Pharisees, but became allies in their common hatred for Jesus. ***Sanhedrin The Sanhedrin was the most powerful religious and political body of the Jewish people. Although the Romans controlled Israel’s government, they gave the people power to handle religious disputes and some civil disputes, so the Sanhedrin made many of the local decisions affecting daily life. But a death sentence had to be approved by the Romans (John 18:31) Who was Caiaphas? Caiaphas was the leader of the religious group called the **Sadducees. Educated and wealthy, they were politically influential in the nation. As the elite group, they were on fairly good terms with Rome. They hated Jesus because he endangered their secure life-styles and taught a message they could not accept. A kingdom in which leaders served had no appeal to them. Caiaphas’s usual policy was to remove any threats to his power by whatever means necessary. For Caiaphas, whether Jesus should die was not in question; the only point to be settled was when his death should take place. Not only did Jesus have to be captured and tried; the Jewish council also needs Roman approval before they could carry out the death sentences. Caiaphas’s plans were unexpectedly helped by Judas’s offer to betray Christ. Caiaphas did not realize that his schemes were actually part of a wonderful plan God was carrying out. Caiaphas’s willingness to sacrifice another man to preserve his own security was clearly selfish. By contrast, Jesus’ willingness to die for us was a clear example of loving self-sacrifice. Caiaphas thought he had won the battle as Jesus hung on the cross, but he did not count on the resurrection! Caiaphas’s mind was closed. He couldn’t accept the resurrection even when the evidence was overwhelming, and he attempted to silence those whose lives had been forever changed by the risen Christ (Matthew 28:12,13). Caiaphas represents those people who will not believe because they think it will cost them too much to accept Jesus as Lord. They choose the fleeting power, prestige, and pleasures of this life instead of the eternal life God offers those who receive his Son. ----------------------- Journal Prompts Q: What is your choice? Q: Imagine you are a Jew living among the days Jesus walked Israel with his disciples, do you think you were a Pharisee? Sadducee? Gentile (non-Jew)? Q: Based on what you’ve read, would you believe Jesus is one to be threatening? Q: Do you tend to believe whatever the crowd tells you to believe or do? Q: Do you believe that Jesus is worth believing in even if it’s not popular in your community? Q: Do you believe Jesus' purpose on this earth was to represent all people, no matter what religious affiliation? ----------------------- "40-Days of Excellence" Journal CHALLENGE We invite you on a quest to dig deeper and learn about the meaning of the death and resurrection of Friend Jesus. Over the next 40 days (of this Lenten season), join us in this Journal Challenge. You may want to "give something up" (we recommend noise in your life: social media, limited news time, etc.). Instead of focusing on what you can't have, let's focus on what we CAN HAVE walking with Jesus through the prophets and disciples through the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Here is What To Do 1) Start by scheduling quiet time into your schedule every day for 40 days. 2) Get a Journal and entitle it: "40 Days of Excellence" 3) Get your Bible out (or use the YouVersion Bible app) and write out the questions and scripture mentioned in the our blogs, (you can go back and review the blog posts) 4) Around Day 30, journal what the characteristics of BEcoming an EXCELLENT Christian can look like in your life. We promise you, this will be one of the most enriching studies you can do. BE dedicated, set boundaries, and you will discover EXCELLENCE in Jesus, Others and Yourself. JOY!! Please Note: If you are joining us well into the 40 Day Challenge, like God, we will meet you where you are at! No stress. No worries. We're just happy you are coming along for the journey. xo Christie and Sandi ---------------------- References Life Application Study Bible - pages 2254-2255 Assembled by: Christie Lynch Be Designed to Be
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