Ignoring the Signs

This is Day 27 of my 40 day Lenten Blog.

"So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council, and said, 'What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, every one will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation." (John 11:47-48).

The chief priests and the Pharisees saw the signs of Jesus' Messianic identity, but they chose to ignore them because it would make life difficult for them to accept Jesus as the Christ. Instead they killed Jesus so that they could maintain their power and prestige.

How often do we do that? How often do we ignore Christ's signs because doing what He asks of us would make life uncomfortable or even dangerous. When we do that we are willing to trade eternal salvation for temporary comfort and prestige just like the chief priests and the Pharisees.

But what is life without God? It is meaningless. We may get whatever we think we want in this world, but will lose it all in the next.

I cannot judge the chief priests and the Pharisees too harshly. God knows I have ignored Christ's signs many times and still continue to this day. I'll make up excuses, just as the high priest Caiaphas did. And in the end, I'll be just as guilty of crucifying the Lord as they were.

R.C. VanLandingham is the author of the Peter Puckett series, a Christian children's fantasy that explores what it means to know and love Christ through exciting adventures. His books and blog can be found at rcvanlandingham.com.