Plot to Kill Jesus (February 27)

Read:  Mark 14:1-2

After 30+ years of life, and 3 years of public ministry, Jesus had developed quite a following.  Large crowds made up of everyone from genuine disciples to curiosity seekers followed Jesus everywhere He went.  People were captivated by His teaching, wowed by the miracles, and touched by His compassionate heart.  Many were wondering if (indeed) Jesus was the promised Messiah.  Not all, however, were excited to follow Jesus.  Some despised what Jesus was doing.  Interestingly, the leaders of the opposition were NOT the Romans.  We might have expected Pontius Pilate and the Roman authorities to be bothered by one who claimed to be the King of the Jews, but the Romans authorities are silent and inactive throughout the Gospel accounts up to this point.  Perhaps they could see that Jesus was assembling no army and speaking no ill of the Roman occupiers.  Instead, the opposition Jesus was facing came from (according to our verses today) the chief priests and the scribes – the Jewish religious leaders.  Ambition, power, and a general self-righteous attitude blinded these men from recognizing Jesus as the Son of God.

Question of the Day: If Jesus were to come into the world today the same way He came in the first century, who would you expect to recognize Him first?  Who would you expect to oppose Him most?