NO BIBLE NO BREAKFAST DAILY BIBLE REFLECTIONS AND MORE

KEEPING THE ROMANS AT BAY (JOHN 11:45-53)

REFLECTION

“Keeping the Romans at bay” is the theme for our reflection. To keep someone at bay means preventing them from reaching, attacking, or moving closer to you. It also connotes the notion of protecting oneself from a perceived enemy. For the Jewish leaders to keep the Romans at bay and maintain their position of power and prestige as religious leaders of Israel, they had to conspire to eliminate Jesus Christ who was gaining more public attention, trust, prestige and power. The key lesson is that God’s will for our lives remains unchanged even when our enemies plot evil against us. In other words, the plans of our enemies to destroy us cannot truncate God’s will and purpose for our lives.

During Jesus’ earthly ministry, the Jews were under the Roman Government or Empire. The High Priest, other religious leaders and the temple were regarded as an important institution within the Jewish community and were highly regarded by the Roman Empire. Once the power and influence of the leadership of the Temple diminished the Romans might try to impose their culture and pagan religion on the Jews. Although the Romans were governing the Jews, one institution they could not infiltrate or dominate was the religious life of the Jews which was led by the High Priest and the temple establishment. The coming of Jesus, His fame and popularity gained so much momentum in the Jewish community to the extent that it became a threat to the existing religious establishment led by the High Priest. The more power, prestige, and public recognition Jesus gained, the less significant the religious leaders felt before the people and the Roman Government. Something needed to be done to keep the Romans at bay and maintain their power, prestige and religious dominance over the people. Jesus had to be killed! It is for this reason that the “… 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.” (John 11:47-50)

Dear friends, the important lesson we ought to avert our minds to is that as the Chief Priest and his cohorts were scheming to keep the Romans at bay by killing Jesus, God’s will for Jesus and the world was being fulfilled. Unknown to the Chief Priest, Jesus had to suffer and die on the cross for the salvation of many, hence John explained that “He (the High Priest) 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. (John 11:51-53) In other words, through the Chief Priest’s evil plot and conspiracy with the other religious leaders, prophesy was being fulfilled. Beloved in the Lord, let us continue to live a life that pleases God irrespective of what our enemies think or plan against our lives. Jesus was simply about doing His work and fulfilling God’s will in the lives of people. The plot to kill Jesus had happened soon after he raised Lazarus from the dead and “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.” (John 11:45-46) In this world of politics and power struggles, we make enemies even when we seem to be giving our best to family, society and even our place of work. Sometimes people hate and conspire against you because of your special abilities and prospects. The High Priest and his cohort failed to see the power of God at work in Jesus. They failed to see the liberation he had brought to Israel. They failed to see the will of God being fulfilled in the lives of humanity through Jesus. All they cared about was power and prestige hence their conspiracy to destroy the will and purpose of God for humanity by eliminating Jesus on the altar of political expediency. Friend in the Lord when you find yourself in an environment of wickedness, envy and conspiracy, do not lose hope but put your trust in the Lord and say with the Psalmist “I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalms 91:2) Let us always remember that irrespective of the conspiracy and the orchestrations of our enemies, (The one who calls us is faithful, and he will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Indeed, we are emboldened by the words of the Psalmist in Psalms 23:3-4 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” We are further encouraged by Paul’s words to the Christians in Rome, “35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35,37-39)

In summary, we have discovered that God’s will for our lives remains unchanged even when our enemies plot evil against us. In other words, the plans of our enemies to destroy us cannot truncate God’s will and purpose for our lives.‘For in him we live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:28)

PRAYER

May the Holy Spirit grant us the strength to endure the plots and conspiracy of the wicked even as we continue to serve the Lord. The plans of the wicked be made futile and may the will and purpose of God continually manifest in our lives.