John 11:57 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it, so that they might seize Him.
I was in a Bible discussion group tonight that was reviewing and discussing John, chapter 11 and the beginning of chapter 12. The verse above seemed to linger in my thoughts. Jesus has just raised his friend Lazarus from death to life. This miracle has been seen by many folks and they had one of two reactions: many believed that Jesus was the Son of God after witnessing this stunning event but others decided it was better to place Jesus on report to the religous authorities than to consider His possible deity. Each reaction represented a choice. The choice was: "To whom will I entrust my life?" The first group had discovered the living God and bowed before Him. The second group couldn't see above the earthly forces of politics and human power.
Later in the passage we see Lazarus' sister Mary anoint Jesus feet with her perfumed hair as a gesture of great love and gratitude. I thought about the difference between the Pharisees desire to "seize" Jesus and Mary's tender and costly touch. The Pharisees thought they could have Jesus just by taking Him, but they didn't realize that to hold Jesus bodily is not to control Him. I think many folks still think that Jesus can be seized and controlled. But they have not come to understand that Jesus cannot be taken...He can only be received.
blessings,
Rob Smith
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