A Fork in the Road

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:

45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

51 He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, 52 and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. 53 So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

54 Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.

55 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. 56 They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” 57 But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him. (John 11:45-57, NIV)

REFLECTIONS:

There are really two main ideas I’d like to present.  First, let’s set the scene:  Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead.  OK, got it?  Now we can move on.  There are two responses to Jesus’ miracle here; some saw what He’d done and believed in Him, and others went and “tattle-tailed” to the Pharisees.  Isn’t it just like that today?  Sometimes “no good deed goes unpunished,” as the saying goes.  Everyone since that time, and right through until today, has to face a fork in the road; “What do I do about Jesus”?  In this passage, there were two responses, belief or unbelief.  We face the same thing today; what are you going to do about Jesus?  Believe on Him with all your heart, soul and mind… or not?

The second idea I’d like to address is the fact that God used someone who was opposed to Him to get His message out.  WHAT?  Why in the world would God choose to use Caiaphas, the high priest who wanted to kill Jesus, to announce prophetically that Jesus was going to die for the entire nation?  I’m sure that there are lots of serious theologians who have pontificated on this concept, so I’ll join their ranks (sort of) and give my opinion.  It’s because God can use anything to glorify His name.  Wasn’t one of the prophets chastised by a donkey?  Being used by God is a tremendous thing; but it doesn’t mean you’re right!  It just means that God is bigger than us and can use whomever or whatever He chooses to get His message across. 

POINT TO PONDER:

We are all faced with decisions about following Jesus every day.   And no matter what we chose, Jesus can still use us to glorify His name.  The choice is ours; but do we want to be remembered in God’s Kingdom as someone who saw Jesus and believed on Him and followed Him, or someone who was used by God despite our rebellion?  An interesting point to ponder…’ya think?

WHO AM I?

I’m Alan Wassel.  Here’s a picture of me looking in the mirror wondering, “Where did all my hair go???”