47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. 48 Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.
Wanting to kill the Savior but were afraid of the people – what is wrong with this picture? The chief priests, teachers of the law, and leaders of the day all wanted Jesus out of their hair but He was simply too popular with the crowds and that had sent them shaking fearfully. We find a little later in Luke:
19 The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people. Luke 20:19 (NIV)
1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, 2 and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Luke 22:1-2 (NIV)
42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved praise from men more than praise from God. John 12:42-43 (NIV)
Is it not amazing how people can be so concerned over what man thinks but do not give a single whit about God’s approval. I am assuming they think that just because they see no manifestation in a physical form He is not there. Hell-o...whether one believes this or not – it remains true: we all live coram Deo – before the face of God. The writer of Hebrews tells us:
13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight . Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Heb 4:13 (NIV)
The Old Testament speaks to this point too. We find King David’s words in 1 Chronicles:
9 "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 1 Chron 28:9 (NIV)
Lastly, 2 Chronicles adds this truth:
9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. 2 Chron 16:9 (NIV)
“None of the creatures can be concealed from Christ; and there are none of the motions and workings of our heads and hearts but what are open and manifest to Him. This omniscience of Christ should engage us to persevere in faith and obedience.” Matthew Henry
Rather than encourage the Pharisees towards faith and obedience they sought to rid themselves of His presence. Not going to happen. This is no different from people of our generation. Solomon, the wise one, tells us there is nothing new under the sun. Wanting to rid themselves of Jesus, people in our day presume that He does not exist or they fabricate in their own minds their description of the Savior – what He embraces or what He chides or they simply and blindly do not consider Him at all – unless, of course, He starts messing with their space. Jesus was certainly getting into the space of the religious leaders in our verses for today and they did not like it one bit – hence their desire to get rid of Him. Yet because they were afraid of man and of the crowds following Him, they were stumped as to what to do.
Jesus, on the other hand, did not care what man thought – this should be a heads-up and red flag for His children as well. If we are swayed by the opinions of man we will lack the peace God desires for us to experience. It will keep us remaining in a ruffled state. We find in Matthew:
16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. Matt 22:16 (NIV)
Jesus states it wonderfully to us with His words found in the gospel of John:
41 "I do not accept praise from men, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God? John 5:41-44 (NIV)