20 Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor.
Observing with evil intent, these feigned characters were hopeful of catching Jesus – grasping Him securely so to speak - in an effort to hand Him over to the power and the authority of the Gentiles. Unable to put Jesus to death by process of their law, these Jewish leaders were desirous of the governor to do their dirty deed. Nothing takes Jesus by surprise (Hallelujah!). In fact, He prophesied this very thing to His clueless disciples in the book of Mark demonstrating that our Savior not only leads His people in triumph but also in suffering:
32 They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. 33 "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise." Mark 10:32-34 (NIV)
Amazing! These leaders were attempting to dupe the One who is not only aware of what we are thinking in our minds and hearts, but also the One who knows and understands the motives behind these thoughts and actions. Hell-o, it does not take a rocket scientist to know that all of our striving towards scheming against or manipulating God is going nowhere! A chasing after the wind as Solomon would say. We play all these silly games with God. While His power goes well beyond all we can even think or imagine, one of His greatest powers must certainly be in restraining His hand against ignorant flesh! What restraint He daily shows! What is it that constrains this all powerful hand of His? The verse that flashes through my mind is familiar to all:
16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him . John 3:16-17 (NIV)
God’s motivation towards people is love. God in Christ came to reconcile the world to Himself – not counting men’s sins against them – He came not to condemn but to save those who would believe in Him. This is the very good news of the gospel; this is the very good news for the broken, bleeding, guilty, powerless and ungodly heart – which would include, by the way, all of us at one time. Paul tells us in Romans:
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)
Showing the full extent of His love, Jesus being in very nature God took on the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness, being found in appearance as a man, He humbles Himself becoming obedient to death for the sake of reconciling fallen man back to God. Paul in Philippians tells us:
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Phil 2:5-11 (NIV)
“O love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee. I give Thee back the life I owe, that in Thine ocean depths its flow, may richer fuller be. O light that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to Thee. My heart restores its borrowed ray, that in thy sunshine’s blaze its day, may brighter fairer be. O joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to Thee. I trace the rainbow through the rain, and feel the promise is not vain, that morn shall tearless be. O cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from Thee. I lay in dust life’s glory dead, and from the ground there blossoms red, life that shall endless be.” George Matheson
"While I regarded God as a tyrant I thought my sin a trifle; But when I knew Him to be my Father, then I mourned that I could ever have kicked against Him. When I thought God was hard, I found it easy to sin; but when I found God so kind, so good, so overflowing with compassion, I smote upon my breast to think that I could ever have rebelled against One who loved me so, and sought my good." C.H. Spurgeon