The plot was well underway from the day they left Bethany until they reached Jerusalem. Mary heard murmurings of it within the crowds. Some thought Jesus was the Messiah, but there were those who couldn’t believe it. This was just another prophet to them. Yes, He performed some pretty spectacular miracles – He walked on water – He changed water into wine – He even fed the crowds with a mere pittance of food, but this man was claiming to be the Son of God. That was too much to comprehend.
Word spread, dissention mounted and by the time news got to the Sanhedrin, the high priest and others had already determined that this man had to be stopped. Now all they needed was a reason to have Jesus put to death. So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
Caiaphas, the high priest declared, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”
He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.
Jesus would be the scapegoat.
Mary watched as Judas began to weaken in his faithfulness to her Son. She knew there was something different about this man. She had the feeling that he was more concerned with the money they collected than anything else. Would Judas be the one to sell her Son out? Would this end before the work was finished? Time would prove her right. All the pieces of God’s mysterious puzzle for our redemption, were being set into place.
It wouldn’t be long before these questions would be answered. The plot was coming to its final climax. As it unfolded, the prophesies of old were also coming to pass. It was all part of a greater story – one that shows us that God is in control of everything in our lives. He has already planned it all out.
