Moderator
Staff Member
28 October 2007
John 11 v 53-57
That day they started planning to kill Jesus. So Jesus no longer travelled openly among the Jews. He left there and went to a place near the desert, to a town called Ephraim and stayed there with his followers.
It was almost time for the Jewish Passover Feast. Many from the country went up to Jerusalem before the Passover to do the special things to make themselves pure. The people looked for Jesus and stood in the Temple asking each other, "Is he coming to the Feast? What do you think?" But the leading priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where Jesus was, he must tell them. Then they could arrest him.
In verse 4, Jesus said the sickness would not end in death. It's probably fair to say when he said that, he knew that performing this miracle would end in his own death, as when the Pharisees heard about it, they started planning to kill him. Their hearts were so hard and proud, and their motives so selfish, that they did not want to repent and acknowledge him. So they plotted to kill him, to silence his life, his challenge to their authority, and the fact that their worship was not genuine.
I like to think that if I were in their position, I would never have planned to kill Jesus. But I know I try and silence him far too frequently. Every time I see a story of suffering on the news and I turn away because I don't want to be convicted by it, or I hear him ask to spend some time with me but I turn on the TV to drown out his voice, or when I get paid and think how I'm going to spend my money, while throwing away charity appeals in the post, then in some way I'm trying to kill him off.
Are there any areas where you know your heart is proud, or where you try and silence his voice? Ask for his forgiveness, and commit yourself to walking humbly before him.
Written by Dan Cooper
John 11 v 53-57
That day they started planning to kill Jesus. So Jesus no longer travelled openly among the Jews. He left there and went to a place near the desert, to a town called Ephraim and stayed there with his followers.
It was almost time for the Jewish Passover Feast. Many from the country went up to Jerusalem before the Passover to do the special things to make themselves pure. The people looked for Jesus and stood in the Temple asking each other, "Is he coming to the Feast? What do you think?" But the leading priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where Jesus was, he must tell them. Then they could arrest him.
In verse 4, Jesus said the sickness would not end in death. It's probably fair to say when he said that, he knew that performing this miracle would end in his own death, as when the Pharisees heard about it, they started planning to kill him. Their hearts were so hard and proud, and their motives so selfish, that they did not want to repent and acknowledge him. So they plotted to kill him, to silence his life, his challenge to their authority, and the fact that their worship was not genuine.
I like to think that if I were in their position, I would never have planned to kill Jesus. But I know I try and silence him far too frequently. Every time I see a story of suffering on the news and I turn away because I don't want to be convicted by it, or I hear him ask to spend some time with me but I turn on the TV to drown out his voice, or when I get paid and think how I'm going to spend my money, while throwing away charity appeals in the post, then in some way I'm trying to kill him off.
Are there any areas where you know your heart is proud, or where you try and silence his voice? Ask for his forgiveness, and commit yourself to walking humbly before him.
Written by Dan Cooper