Twisted: Lent XXV

 . . . being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God. So from that day on they planned to put him to death.

 - From John 11

It's hard to believe, but as many times as I have read the Bible, and most times, quite carefully, searching for some nugget that perhaps few people have noticed, I still can come across items that feel like I have never read them before.

So it is today. Perhaps God really does cover our eyes with a veil, until we're ready for certain things. All things, in their own time.

We have a scenario here, that feels eerily like present times. It looks like Caiaphas, and the Pharisees, in their own way, actually saw some good in Christ. They had a Machiavellian scheme that they rolled out, where Christ really was from God. His purpose was, yes, indeed, to die. But His death would restore the nation of Israel, and would launch a chain of events that would have the scattered children of Abraham returned home again . . . and thus would God's plan be consummated.

Christ really was the promised one. And He really was meant to die.

And to them, the death of Christ couldn't happen fast enough:

• They were eager to have God's plan revealed
• They yearned to have a role in accomplishing the will of God
• They wanted to strike while the iron was hot; let them not delay, lest they lose their focus!

They truly felt they were doing the right thing. Others in Scripture were sorely mistaken, yet firmly convinced they were doing God's will: Cain, Esau, Joseph's brothers, King Saul, King Ahab, Absalom.

They all, all of them, justified the murder of another, by convincing themselves it was the right, and good, thing to do. 

Like modern times. Morality is twisted, until people that are doing right, have become the immoral ones. Notice how they use the word "immoral" so much. Look how they say to people with different viewpoints that they are not "Christian" for believing such. 

 . . . This from people that don't really consider themselves Christians.

Their forbear, Caiaphas, was no different. Doing evil . . . committing murder . . . because it's the good thing to do. 

Lent is a good time to check your goals and objectives. Do you mean harm to others? Are you setting yourself to be on the side of people that are opposed to Christ and His followers?