The Death and Resurrection of the KingSýnishorn

Jesus was rejected by His own people

“Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill Him.” (Matthew 26:3-4)

Psalm 2 reads: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed.” Sadly, this seems to be a repeating pattern in world history.

Today’s verses from Matthew 26 are even more tragic, since they are about Israel’s religious leaders doing the exact same thing. Israel was God’s own people. He made a covenant with them, and countless prophets announced the coming of a messiah, who would bring peace and restoration. But when this Savior came, the religious leaders considered Him a threat to their privileged position. They rejected Him. The chief priests, whose task it was to facilitate and encourage the people to serve God, plotted the death of His Anointed, the Messiah.

Some chapters earlier, Jesus told a parable about tenants renting a vineyard. At harvest time, the owner of the vineyard sent his son to collect the fruit that was his. However, the tenants said, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.” (Matthew 21:38)

This story was about the chief priests, and they knew Jesus was talking about them. These men were killing God’s Son to protect their own interests.

How do you feel about this story? Which emotions does it stir up in you?