When Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be handed over for crucifixion.” Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, named Caiaphas; and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him. But they were saying, “Not during the festival, otherwise a riot might occur among the people.” [Matthew 26:1-5 NASB]
This was the heart of the religious leaders that they would meet in secret and plot to commit murder. At the time, they justified their actions in the name of religion - although it is notable that Caiaphas committed suicide two years later. Although his motivations will never be known, perhaps he came to understand who it was that he killed.
I also find it interesting that they chose to kill Jesus "Not during the festival..." This wasn't because the Passover was a holy day, and they feared dishonoring God. Not because they would be home with their families celebrating the Passover. But because they feared the people.
If they feared God, they wouldn't have been plotting against Jesus in the first place. Fear of the people didn't motivate them to act righteously. It only drove them to be more crafty in their approach. They came to Jesus in the dark of night, tried and convicted Him. The crowds were blind-sided. The deed was done before they had time to react.
The fear of men will never lead to righteousness. It leads instead to secrecy and manipulation. Even if fear of being caught causes you not to act on a sinful impulse, it will not change your heart. And in the end, you will probably find a way to do what you want.
How many young men have given the appearance of avoiding pornographic web sites out of fear of what a wife, girlfriend or parents might thinks? But when no one is looking, they take their opportunity. They protect themselves by password protecting their phones and computers, and/or deleting their browsing history. They behave themselves in public, but their heart is unchanged.
That change of heart comes from totally submitting to God. You must recognize that you have no power in yourself to overcome your flesh. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. If you want to see a change in your heart, then you need to draw near to God.
I don't mean this in a abstract sense. I mean spend time talking to God. Spend time listening. Christianity was never meant to be a religion. It is a relationship between us and Jesus. And you can't have a relationship without spending time together.
Bring your petitions to God in prayer, but don't let that be the extent of your prayer life. Perhaps you, like I, have a relative who only calls when he needs something. Do you ever wish he would call just to check in and see how you are doing? You may be related, but it's impossible to have a close relationship with a person like that.
And don't just recite the Lord's prayer back to Him. That's just a primer. It's the beginning of learning to pray when you have never prayed before. It's like reading "See Spot. See Spot run. Run Spot, Run," and thinking yourself to be well-read.
The best relationships involve spending a lot of time together. Talking one to another and listening one to another. And there are the quiet times. Those comfortable silences where it's enough to simply enjoy being in one other's company.
It's not enough to simply do your daily devotions in the morning, and not think about it for the rest of the day. The Holy Spirit should be your constant companion through the day, as you remain consciously aware of His presence.
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." [Galatians 5:16 NASB]Walk in the Spirit and allow God to transform your hear and mind into His image.
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