Wednesday of Holy Week
The Wednesday of Holy Week does not have a great deal recorded. Jesus continued to teach in the temple and the people continued to come to hear him. This of course continued something else - in that it further added to the distaste that the religious leaders had for Jesus. They were now in full swing plotting how to eliminate this interloper. However, they were afraid to do it in the open because they feared the people (Luke 22:2).
This is such a telling statement. It reveals so much. And it reveals the nature of the human heart. There is such a tendency in our hearts to prefer the accolades of people over the glory that comes from God and is given to God (cf. John 12:42,43). Our family has been reading through Proverbs together and the thrust of that book is to learn the fear of the Lord (Prov. 1:7). That is the wisdom that we are called to gain, to seek after, to call out for (Prov. 2:1-14).
Proverbs 29:25: The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.
Thankfully our Savior did not fall to the fear of man, but gave his life for sinners so that we who have too often feared man rather than God can find hope and redemption.
For the song for mediation today, one of my favorites in this season, “Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted.” This version by Fernando Ortega carries just the right emotion and tenor.