Schemes of Satan-14

How much does Satan hate Jesus? You can get a small glimpse of this through his servants, the ‘Jews’. By saying the ‘Jews’ I don’t mean all the Jewish people, but the leaders, the elders, the priests. We will see in this passage.

John 11:38  So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, *came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 1:39  Jesus *said, "Remove the stone." Martha, the sister of the deceased, *said to Him, "Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days." 11:40  Jesus *said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" 

What caused Jesus to be deeply moved? He had known that Lazarus had been sick and died. No mention of His being moved as He tarried 4 days. No real expressed sorrow to either Mary of Martha. I believe He was moved as He knew the hearts of everyone there and just how few would truly believe in Him fully.

11:41  So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 11:42  "I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me." 11:43  When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth." 

Jesus wanted His Father to be glorified. He wanted everyone to finally and fully believe that He had been sent by God the Father.

11:44  The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus *said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."

He called Lazarus by name, just as He will call us individually by name in the final resurrection. Imagine, four days and out walked Lazarus bound in grave linens, linens similar to what would soon by wrapped around Jesus.  

11:45  Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him. 11:46  But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done. 11:47  Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, "What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. 11:48  "If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." 

Their place means their positions of power and money. It wasn’t their nation, it wasn’t their people, and it wasn’t their Temple.

11:49  But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, 11:50  nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish." 11:51  Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, 11:52  and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 

If God can make a donkey talk truth, He can make an evil high priest talk or foretell the truth as well. All priests must come from the family of Aaron. From within these men, one will be the high priest. All that had been lost as now it was an appointment by Herod. How do you get his favor?

11:53  So from that day on they planned together to kill Him. 11:54  Therefore Jesus no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews, but went away from there to the country near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples. 

It wasn’t His time. They were not in charge of His death, even as they continued to plan for His death. Satan is not omnitient, that is he does not know all things. He wanted Jesus dead that would in his mind, make him the king of the world.

11:55  Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover to purify themselves. 11:56  So they were seeking for Jesus, and were saying to one another as they stood in the temple, "What do you think; that He will not come to the feast at all?" 11:57  Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it, so that they might seize Him. 

The chief priests and the Pharisees were feared by the people. It was their power and threats that kept them in fear. However, they had lost all fear of God. By denying that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the Christ, they thought they would just kill Him and get back to business as usual. Not once did they deny His miracles, which only made them more angry and envious.

Intimidating truth tellers, seizing truth tellers, and even killing truth tellers is just a few of their evil schemes. It has gone on for two thousand years and continues to this day. Religion and religous people hate GOD and all who believe in Jesus.

More next Saturday.