Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” (Matthew 26:1-2; see THE GOSPEL: Jesus Came for This Hour, for a Specific Purpose; THE GOSPEL: Life Through Death; THE GOSPEL: Stay Focused on Eternal Destination)
Jesus clearly knew what was going to happen to Him when they returned to Jerusalem for the Passover. Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. But they said, “Not during the feast, [*the Feast of Unleavened Bread] lest there be an uproar among the people.” (Matthew 26:1-5; Mark 14:1-2; *Luke 22:1-2) In a future study, we will read were Jesus tells the twelve disciples, “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour." (John 12:27) No matter what kind of plotting and planning they did, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people were only doing what was already in God's plan.
God's plan for salvation was from the very beginning of creation, but this plan was not just to save the Jews; just as He [God] chose us in Him [Christ Jesus] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:4-6; see Predestined, not Predetermined) God predestined that by Jesus Christ, His Beloved Son, we would be saved. He did not predetermine who would be saved. Each of us individually has a choice to make. Jesus knew He would be crucified, (see THE GOSPEL: Jesus Endured Our Same Struggles) God knew it would be the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the Jews who would carry it out; but each of them had an individual choice to make, whether to go along with the group, or to say it was wrong and stand with the Truth.
We have to be careful of the groups we choose to become a part of. Some groups we can't control being a part of because we may be born into them, but Jesus even said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life." (Mark 10:29-30) Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (I Corinthians 15:33) There was nothing wrong with being a chief priests, scribes, or elders; nor is there anything wrong with being part of a family or group of friends. But when those groups or people are outside of the Will of God and attempt to lead us the same way, sometimes it becomes necessary to let them go. (see THE GOSPEL: Family, More Than Blood; THE GOSPEL: Who and What We Should Love the Most)
Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, [*in the house of Simon the leper] where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. (John 12:1-3; *Matthew 26:6-7; *Mark 14:3; see THE GOSPEL: Don't Take the Blessings for Granted, but Give Thanks; THE GOSPEL: Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life - 3) Matthew and Mark didn't, but John specifically named who was at this supper. This is the second time recorded in scripture that Mary used very costly oil, anointed the feet of Jesus, wiped His feet with her hair. (see THE GOSPEL: Don't Care What Others Think) But this time, whether she realized it or not, it was also a part of God's Will, because this was a Jewish burial tradition.
But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.” (John 12:4-8; Matthew 26:8-12; Mark 14:4-8) Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” (Matthew 26:13; Mark 14:9)
Jesus clearly knew what was going to happen to Him when they returned to Jerusalem for the Passover. Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. But they said, “Not during the feast, [*the Feast of Unleavened Bread] lest there be an uproar among the people.” (Matthew 26:1-5; Mark 14:1-2; *Luke 22:1-2) In a future study, we will read were Jesus tells the twelve disciples, “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour." (John 12:27) No matter what kind of plotting and planning they did, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people were only doing what was already in God's plan.
God's plan for salvation was from the very beginning of creation, but this plan was not just to save the Jews; just as He [God] chose us in Him [Christ Jesus] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:4-6; see Predestined, not Predetermined) God predestined that by Jesus Christ, His Beloved Son, we would be saved. He did not predetermine who would be saved. Each of us individually has a choice to make. Jesus knew He would be crucified, (see THE GOSPEL: Jesus Endured Our Same Struggles) God knew it would be the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the Jews who would carry it out; but each of them had an individual choice to make, whether to go along with the group, or to say it was wrong and stand with the Truth.
We have to be careful of the groups we choose to become a part of. Some groups we can't control being a part of because we may be born into them, but Jesus even said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life." (Mark 10:29-30) Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (I Corinthians 15:33) There was nothing wrong with being a chief priests, scribes, or elders; nor is there anything wrong with being part of a family or group of friends. But when those groups or people are outside of the Will of God and attempt to lead us the same way, sometimes it becomes necessary to let them go. (see THE GOSPEL: Family, More Than Blood; THE GOSPEL: Who and What We Should Love the Most)
Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, [*in the house of Simon the leper] where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. (John 12:1-3; *Matthew 26:6-7; *Mark 14:3; see THE GOSPEL: Don't Take the Blessings for Granted, but Give Thanks; THE GOSPEL: Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life - 3) Matthew and Mark didn't, but John specifically named who was at this supper. This is the second time recorded in scripture that Mary used very costly oil, anointed the feet of Jesus, wiped His feet with her hair. (see THE GOSPEL: Don't Care What Others Think) But this time, whether she realized it or not, it was also a part of God's Will, because this was a Jewish burial tradition.
But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.” (John 12:4-8; Matthew 26:8-12; Mark 14:4-8) Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” (Matthew 26:13; Mark 14:9)
Again, Matthew and Mark didn't, but John specified Judas Iscariot as the disciple who had a problem with what Mary did, because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. Yet again, it just goes to show that if one of the twelve disciples could not be changed from actually being around Jesus, then we shouldn't be surprised when other refuse to believe in Jesus. But even this was a part of God's Will, for Jesus foretold them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” (John 6:70) If “Evil company corrupts good habits,” then the same is true that A wise man fears and departs from evil, But a fool rages and is self-confident. (Proverbs 14:16)
However, no matter what we choose to believe or not believe, it doesn't change the Truth! (see THE GOSPEL: Live Ready to Go at Any Time) From the beginning, when man chose to believe the lies of the devil, God promised the devil "...I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15) "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:14-15) The devil thought he could stop God's plan by using the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people, but all he did was bruise His heel. Jesus would eventually bruise [crush] his head...
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