12:10,11
Jesus then quotes from Psalm 118:22,23, trying to get them to realise what they are doing. Men rejected Jesus, but Jesus was sent by God (and, of course, was God) and is the cornerstone, the focal point of all that God does, and He is mightily approved by God. We need to recognise that as men we are prone to making foolish decisions, usually as a result of sin. We need to live by God’s word, for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
12:12
The religious leaders continued to act out of fear. They feared losing their positions of supposed power and influence. So instead of repenting and honouring Jesus as the Christ, they sought a way to arrest Him. But they were also fearful of the crowds, who did, at least up to a point, respect Jesus. So for the time being they left Jesus alone. Whenever we live in rebellion to God we will live out of fear. Even the dictators of the world, while they can enforce an evil rule over their people, live under fear. And this fear usually manifests itself in their increased violence against the people, other nations, and even those who serve them. It is very instructive to read biographies of Hitler, Stalin and the like. It is only when we live under God’s rule that we can live without fear. This fear is also important in understanding the role that Judas played. Why did they need Judas? Surely they knew who Jesus was, and could find Him more or less when they wanted? They needed one of His disciples to betray Jesus in order to avoid being lambasted by the crowds.
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