What Will You Do With Jesus?

As we follow the last days of Jesus’ life, or Passion Week, today we look at the plot to kill Jesus. Luke 22:1-2 in The English Standard Version puts it this way:

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.

The people loved Jesus; the religious leaders hated Him. The people loved being around Him for all the things He did, the miracles, the healing, the feeding, the great teaching, the power and presence of God in His life. Jesus brought hope to a people who were suppressed and beaten down.

But the leaders hated Him. He was a threat to their very way of life, their power, and their control of the people. Jesus brought hope to the hopeless and a promise of a life that was abundant, full, and meaningful with dignity and honor. This was contrary to the life the people lived under the rigor of the religious system and its leaders.

Did you see it in the text? The Jewish leaders continued to try to kill him, but they were afraid of the people. There was a major difference between what Jesus was saying and teaching, and what the people continued to hear from the leaders. The gap was growing bigger, the separation greater and the tension was getting ready to break things apart.

How do we get rid of Him? His truth is annoying. The very things He teaches are disturbing and disrupting. Although true, I am not sure how to reconcile the things I hear and see from Him with my life, so I will simply reject Him and put Him away. That is not simply the religious leaders of Jesus’ time - that is us, here and now.

Why is it that some were so willing to receive all that Jesus was saying, while others hated Him for those same things? Not only hated and rejected Him but wanted to have Him killed to get rid of the problem.

Receive or Reject? This is the life of every human that has ever walked the face of the earth. We either submit ourselves to God’s authority or we reject His authority. We either receive Him as the rightful King, the very Son of God and worship him in spirit and truth or, we reject His kingship and worship ourselves.

Today, you and I make the exact same choice they had to make in Luke 22, you will receive Him, or you will reject Him. To receive Him means that you acknowledge Him as God, as the only one that could pay the price for your sin, provide forgiveness and a give you new life that is full of meaning, purpose, and dignity. To simply reject Him is not enough, as the “chief priests and the scribes” showed us. You cannot simply ignore Him you have to deal with His life, His teaching, and His truth. You can’t ignore Him because He will not go away. You must try to kill Him – once and for all, get rid of Him so that you will no longer be confronted with His truth that disrupts your life.

The choice is yours and it is an eternal choice. Jesus made His choice with passion and purpose. Today it is up to you. What will you do with Jesus?