Easter Through The Eyes Of Caiaphas

To the non-believers in the room, let me speak to you for a moment. Go home with this truth: when you place your faith in Jesus, there’s a transfer that takes place. You receive a reward He earned, and He takes a punishment you deserve. The Bible says you’ve broken God’s commands, and there’s a punishment you deserve for this. Non-believers, two seemingly contradictory things are true about you at the same time: you are more loved than you can imagine, and you’re more sinful and flawed than you comprehend.

Again, Caiaphas cannot fully understand all that He’s saying.

2.5 Take Away #3: God is More than Watching, He’s Planning Your Good

“He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation” (John 11:51).

Notice carefully what John says about Caiaphas’s words. The Bible says he prophesied. In other words, God brought these words to his mind. God put them there. And God has a meaning. At one level, these are Caiaphas’ words with his meaning. And at another level, these are God’s words with His meaning.4

Jesus is always operating in our tragedies and in our pain. He does much more than watch our lives; He plans our lives. When suffering and hard times come your way, know that God is in it from the very beginning.

2.5.1 You Think You’re in Control

We like to be in control. How many of you have ever gotten on an elevator and pushed the floor number and then you pushed the close door button? I confess I’ve done it hundreds of times. But recently, I learned that the button doesn’t work many times. Since the ADA requirements for buildings in 1990, all elevator doors are programmed to stay open for a minimum of 3 seconds. So why are those buttons even there? When firefighters insert their key, those buttons are activated. But they are just placebo buttons for you and me.5 Yes, we like to be in control.

I’ve heard of small churches that would install several dummy thermostats inside the sanctuary so that people could think they were adjusting the temperature to their comfort level. Again, we like to be in control.

But I have good news for you today: God is in control.

The Bible says, “The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.

This is the LORD’s doing;

it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:22-23).

2.5.2 Assurance vs Insurance

When you feel that God is in control, people call this assurance. What is assurance? Think about insurance for a moment. Assurance is better than insurance. With insurance, you’re betting that things will go wrong, so you’ll be covered. With assurance, you know that whatever happens, God is in control!6 Our Father is loving. He directs the path of life for His glory and our good. He directed His Son to die on the cross for sinners. God is loving and in control of your life, dear believer.

2.6 Picking A Savior

Let me close with this…

When you go to pick a Savior, pick a good one. Everybody needs saving. So, when you go to pick a Savior, check out your Savior’s track record. Who else can but speak a word and make a child whole? Who else can tell Lazarus to come out of the grave? Who else has turned around drug addicts? Prostitutes? Drag Queens? And Alcoholics around? What other name other than the name of Jesus can pull men out of a life of crime?