That first Easter WHO was in control?
What is it with human beings? We only feel secure when we are in control of things -
but then, as the old saying goes: “The best laid plans of mice and men” (go wrong) or at least not the way we want them to - so we try again to get in control!
That first Easter were the chief priests in control?
They desperately tried to be, they wanted to be, and did everything they could, to be in control…
“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, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
They were total control freaks:
They didn’t want Jesus to be murdered at the feast. Well they failed there because it did happen at Passover - when everyone from all over Israel was in Jerusalem - including the Roman Governor. Pilate had come up from his headquarters in Caesarea with the express purpose of making sure that those Jews did not cause any trouble, as Barabbas had recently done!
Actually with so many people in Jerusalem, this was the perfect opportunity for Pilate to order Barabbas to be executed – to make an example of him and to stop any other Jews from plotting an insurrection against the Romans – but this failed.
The Jewish religious leaders were only concerned with finding a way to kill Jesus in a way that was politically correct – but then the perfect opportunity presented itself. They had the cooperation of an inside man who would hand him over to them so they could bring Jesus before Pilate…
“Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.”
Was Judas in control?
We do not know the exact motives of Judas, although we do know that he was very money orientated:
“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.” John 12:4
There were deep things wrong in Judas’ heart and this made him susceptible to the devil who finally took possession of him…
“Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.”
Judas in his own way was a control freak but this came out of being a very weak insecure man (as control freaks often are), who was driven and controlled by the devil himself. How could someone so close to Jesus, who had seen and heard all that Jesus had done for three years and had his feet washed by Jesus at the last supper have gone so wrong?
We see Judas leading a ‘multitude’ of armed men and others, sent by the chief priest because he knew where Jesus would be. We see him taking the lead and doing what all disciples did when they came up to their Rabbi – Judas kissed Jesus on the lips with a kiss that denoted deep respect and affection (see footnote). How shocking was that?
It looked like Judas was in control but everything was spiralling out of control for him. This is seen in his deep remorse when he finally realised what he had done…
Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”
Were the disciples in control?
They wanted to be but had already miserably failed in the Garden of Gethsemane by falling asleep at just the time that Jesus needed them the most.
Peter however, was sure that whatever happened he would defend Jesus to the death.
Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples.
True to his word Peter tried to take control by cutting off the ear of the High Priest’s representative (John 18:10).
Then when everyone else ran off, at least Peter followed - trying to keep his futile promise not to let them kill Him…
Back to the Chief priests...
In the middle of the night (which was illegal by the way) Caiaphas the chief priest and Annas his father-in-law, both desperately sought to find a charge that would be big enough to have the Roman governor judge Jesus to be guilty of a crime worthy of death…
Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’” And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God!” Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man (a title of the Messiah) sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy! What do you think? They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.”
They now felt justified and able to take this further, so by early morning the whole Sanhedrin council had been brought together…
“When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.”
As soon as they got to Pilate they tried to control him...
They manipulated Pilate – the Roman governor had to come out to meet them because they didn’t want to be defiled by entering a Gentile’s house!
Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. Pilate then went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?”
Pilate had to keep going in and out to speak first with them and then with Jesus:
Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing. Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marvelled greatly.
Was Pilate in control?
He was the governor and he tried hard to be in control - but he failed miserably.
Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You? Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above.”
Pilate tried desperately to find a way out of sentencing Jesus to death. He sent him to Herod who was in town for the feast too in the hope that something might come of that, but Jesus did not say a word to Herod. Also Pilate’s wife told him about the dream she had had that night. So as a last resort Pilate went above the heads of the Jewish leaders and appealed to the people…
Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom
they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”
Once again we see the chief priests trying to control things: They manipulated the crowd – to ask for Barabbas and this time they did get their way…
But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!”
Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”
They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!” Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”
Having consulted the crowd everything was even more out of control – Pilate really thought he was going to have a riot on his hands – so he let them have their way but he washed his hands of the decision.
When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.”
When he offered Jesus or Barabbas he had hoped that the crowd would ask for Jesus but it all backfired on him. He wasn’t in control at all.
But Pilate showed that when he wanted to, he could make a decision. He put a notice on the cross: “Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews.”
Once again the chief priests tried to manipulate Pilate - they told him not to write “King of the Jews” but he said he was King of the Jews – but Pilate answered angrily “What I have written I have written.” The chief priests failed to be in control there.
So if Pilate wasn’t in control of the situation and the chief priests as much as they tried, were not in control either – who was?
Well amazingly - the One who was about to die was in control.
Jesus did not try to control and manipulate the events or the people around Him – everyone else tried to do that - but in the Garden of Gethsemane He submitted to the Father’s will…
“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.”
Jesus chose to go to the cross – He was the Only One who was really in control of things that day. He could easily have saved Himself from death but without His sacrificial death there could be no resurrection and without resurrection there could be no victory over death.
The One who is victorious over all these powerful forces – sin – death and hell was in the controlling seat – and we will be victorious if we let Him be in control of all our own situations!
One of the greatest dangers of leadership is the desire or the need - to be in control. By their very nature leaders expect and are expected to make decisions and give a lead - but when leaders try to be controlling and manipulative it can do a lot of damage. This is especially true in the Church.
As we have seen in the events of the first Easter the religious leaders were total control freaks who achieved their goal to eliminate Jesus while at the same time destroying their own eternal souls and ultimately failing because the resurrection of Jesus would totally defeat them.
When the Church began, the Sanhedrin - the same men who had made sure Jesus was put to death were at it again…
Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom
God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.” (Acts 4)
Those control freaks were powerless this time…
“What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.”
So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done.
Like all control freaks those Jewish leaders were defeated in the end.
In the Church leaders can lead - but without being manipulative. The way to do that is to learn the secret of submission to the Father’s will from Jesus. True leaders must be under the control of the One WHO REALLY IS IN CONTROL - in the right way!
Jesus the Head of the Church!
Footnote:
The Greek word for kiss is: phileo (the same as friendship love) but the word used in Matthew 26:49 & Mark 14:45 for the kiss that Judas gave is: kataphileo which means to kiss fervently, intensively. It therefore makes the kiss that Judas gave to Jesus all the more shocking and treacherous. It also reveals the pathos and tragedy that Jesus expressed when He said, "Judas are you betraying me with a kiss of deep love, affection and devotion?"