THEY ARE WALKING IN THE SHADOWS

As Jesus walked in the light, others were walking in the shadows.  Their lifestyle was threatened.  The very words they said were being called deceitful.  The positions they held, in the community and the temple, were being questioned.  Their traditions were being tossed aside.  HOW DARE HE!!!

The Pharisees, teachers of the law, and Sadducees watched and waited for an occasion to accuse Jesus of any small infraction.  Sometimes they were out in the open, but many times, they stood in the shadows waiting to trap Jesus.  Their hate was rooted in self-preservation and their anger was evil.

Can you see them?  Don’t just read the words.  Picture their eyes, hard and cold.  See how they clinch their fists and hold tightly to a section of their robe, as if that would control their anger.  Look at how they straighten their back to try and stand taller than Jesus, so he has to look up to them.  Watch as they plot and look for an excuse to kill Jesus.

“How dare he?  Did you hear this Jesus say we don’t practice what we preach?  Wear fancy robes.  He has no respect for the law.  HE MUST BE STOPPED!”

“We need more than the time the disciples did not wash their hands before eating,” said a Pharisee.  Can you hear the frustration in his voice?

The teacher of the law reminded them, “He talked to the Samaritan woman and he ate with sinners.  Do the people not see this?”

The Sadducees added, “He refused to show us a sign from heaven.  He is not blessed by G-D.”

The Pharisees met to plot a trap for Jesus by asking a question about a coin.  They were sure they would succeed, but they had to report back that Jesus had answered in such a way that they were even amazed.

The leading priests were jumping with joy.  “We finally have him.  30 pieces of silver.  Why didn’t we try to find a disgruntled disciple before?  That was almost too easy.  And it will be finished by Passover.”

And under the shadow of darkness, Jesus was arrested

They walked in the dark, on the edge, and in the shadows, but, over and over, Jesus ignored them and found quiet places to talk to His Father.

SCRIPTURES REFERENCED: Matthew 23:11-7, Mark 7:4-8, John 4:9-11, Matthew 16:1, John 10:22-39, Matthew 12:14, 38, Mark 11:18, Matthew 22:15-22, Matthew 26:14-16, John 18:1-7