Life Lessons From 25 New Testament CharactersSample

Blinded by Power

Caiaphas was a Sadducee. Sadducees were an educated, rich, and politically powerful group of religious leaders among the Jewish people. The Sadducees did not like Jesus. They hated Him because He disrupted their lifestyle and challenged their beliefs. And as a leader of the Sadducees, Caiaphas had to make sure that Jesus and His threat to their power were removed. This meant that Jesus must die. But even in all his ugliness, Caiaphas was used in God’s beautiful plan to save us. It was by his selfish political agenda to crucify Jesus that the way was made for the Resurrection to happen. And when it was all said and done, when Jesus rose again with all power in His possession, Caiaphas still refused to believe. He even went so far as to silence and persecute those who believed in Jesus.

THINK and PRAY:

What is threatened by Jesus in your life?

Is Jesus a threat? Does He threaten everything you’ve built and made for yourself? Would He disrupt the name you’ve made for yourself, the success you’ve worked hard for, the relationships and recognition you’ve been able to make for yourself? Jesus would say, ”yes, I would disrupt all those things because what I have is better! I have more love for you than the ‘likes’ you get from friends. I have more power and success because I conquered death and the grave. And what I want to give you is eternal, safe, and protected from this temporary life.“ Caiaphas represents the people who refuse to believe because they think accepting Jesus as Lord will cost them too much. They choose the fleeting power, celebrity, and pleasures of this life instead of the eternal life God offers to those who receive His Son. What's your choice? Is Jesus worth it? Is He that valuable? Is it worth giving up everything to possess what He has? Or is He that much of a threat that He must be removed from your life at all costs? Like Caiaphas and the Sadducees he led, the choice is yours.