URC Daily Devotion Monday 3 April 2023

St Matthew 26: 1 – 5

When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples,  ‘You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.’ Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,  and they conspired to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.  But they said, ‘Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.’

Reflection

This passage gives us the calm before the storm.  Jesus has told the disciples about being ready in the previous chapter and what awaits those who do not care for their neighbour.  The Chief Priests have not yet put their plan to get rid of Jesus into action.

Timing is everything.  But waiting is frustrating.

The Chief Priests know that if they do nothing, Jesus’s popularity will grow and they will lose more face, as their power hungry leadership will be exposed.  However, if they move too soon, they will cause a riot, as Jerusalem will be packed for the Passover.

So they must wait.

Jesus too must wait.  It is not yet time for his anointing or for his last meal, but his mission is too far along to turn back now (as he is to realise in the garden).

We find it hard to wait when there is a job to be done.  We struggle to be patient if we have worked towards something only to hear “not yet”.  At Oasis MediaCityUK, one of the 9 Habits is Patience, the Habit of the month for January – the time of writing.

Patience is a virtue we often hear, but often difficult to possess.  We live in a world of now if not sooner; buy now, pay later; why wait when you can have it now?  We want to know what is coming up, what to expect and want to be able to act on it now.

As we reflect on this lull in the story towards the end of Jesus’ life, let us be patient in our lives and on our journey of discipleship.  May we use a “not yet” as a time to reflect; regroup and discern if our plans are God-driven or human-made.

Prayer
Lord God, we don’t want to wait for action – we want it now!  Still our hearts, calm our fears, hear our prayers as we listen for your word on what we are to do next.  Help us to wait, to pause, to be patient that we do your will, not ours.  Amen