Deception
Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put Him to death, for they feared the people. — Luke 22:1, ESV
In the passage above, Jesus had been preaching and ministering for about three years, and the time was drawing near for Him to be sacrificed. The religious leaders were now plotting how to put Him to death. This is astonishing, especially considering they were in the midst of celebrating Passover—one of the most sacred times of the year—a celebration commemorating when God sent the death angel to Egypt but passed over the homes of Israel, sparing them.
God had delivered their ancestors from death so they could stand alive in that very moment, yet they were determined to put Jesus to death. They were blinded by deception. Satan had convinced them that what they were doing was right. Scripture clearly warns us: "He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." — John 8:44, ESV
We must keep our eyes fixed on the Lord so that we are not deceived by Satan. God calls us to walk in love, and if our actions are not rooted in love, we have unknowingly aligned ourselves with the enemy. These religious leaders were going against the very commandments they had studied and taught. Scripture reminds us:
"Do not harbor hatred against your brother. Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him. Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself." — Leviticus 19:17-18, CSB
And in Deuteronomy, God commands: "You shall not murder."
In truth, these leaders were the ones guilty of sin.
We must be especially careful when we set out to correct a brother or sister in Christ. Scripture instructs us to first remove the plank from our own eye so we can see clearly to remove the speck from someone else’s eye. Our constant prayer should be for God to search our hearts, reveal anything that is not like Him, and remove it—so that we may walk uprightly and remain aligned with His will.
Key Takeaways
Self-righteousness can cause you to be deceived.
Take time to ensure you aren’t following the crowd and missing our Savior.
If you are not moving in love, you are moving with Satan.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19; Isaiah 55:11
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