Matthew 26:3-5 "Then assembled together the chief
priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the
high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and consulted that they might take Jesus
by subtilty, and kill him. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be
an uproar among the people."
Here are the chief priests, the highest-ranking priests in the land -- men who
have more right to the ceremonies of God than anyone. Here are the scribes,
men who were the most knowledgeable in the law --those that we, in our day,
would call lawyers. Here are the elders of the people; those who knew firsthand
the frailty of perishing flesh. Those who had broken the law time-and-time again,
who by years of experience should have known beyond all the others the impossibility
of fulfilling all that the law demands.
Nevertheless, this religious host is gathered at the chief priest's palace
for one purpose. In his own deceived heart each one came to the table in the
name of God. Each one came as a son of Abraham. Each one came as a defender
of the law of God. Each one came for the purpose of determining how they could
take this man Jesus subtly and kill him. Yet, in doing so, they had no idea
that they had purposed to kill Emanuel, God with us. They purposed to kill the
seed of Abraham in whom all the nations would be blessed. In seeking to keep
the law of God they would break the law of God Thou shalt not kill. And
to further show the hypocrisy of their godless religion, they purposed to do
this at a time other than the feast day so that their outward appearance would
remain holy before the people.
These are the very acts of every religious law-worshipping person in our day.
There is a crucifying of Christ again and again. The promise of God to Abraham
is counted as worthless. There is a constant breaking of God's law in an attempt
to keep God's law. And all is done in total hypocrisy while attempting to appear
holy before men.
How utterly defiled is the thinking of the natural heart!
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