Man Plots Evil and Works God’s Plan Instead - Matthew 26-28

 Man Plots Evil and Works God’s Plan Instead.

Matthew 26:1-5 (ESV)

1 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.” 

You cannot read these four verses without noticing the soverign concert between 26:1,2 and 26:3,4.  In the first two verses we have God’s plan laid out by Jesus to His disciples.   He states, “We must go to Jerusalem because in two days I am gong to be “delivered” up to be crucified.    In verses three and four we read that at the same time the chief priests and high priest were “plotting” their evil deed to crucify Jesus.   Verses three and four are the fulfillment of verses one and two.   Man, in his evil attempt to destroy God, rather, fulfills God’s plan.   

God uses the evilness of Satan and mankind to accomplish His tasks and plans, often through those He chooses to work His plan.   Here are some examples where this happens in Scripture: 

1. We can read Job 1-2 to see how God uses Satan’s evil desire to destroy Job and God uses it to reveal Job’s righteousness, instead.  We can also see how Satan used the evilness of mankind to inflict pain on Job. 

2.  We can read where God used the evilness in the hearts of Joseph’s brothers to put Joesph where he needed to be.  (Genesis 50:20).   God uses Potipher’s wife’s evil desires for lust to move Joseph to a prison just in time for him to network with Pharaoh’s servants.  

3.  We can see how God used the evilness of Laban to make Jacob (Israel) rich and powerful.   From Laban’s trickery God produced twelve tribes.   

God uses the evilness of mankind to move us where He wants us.   Mankind may plot, but God directs:

Proverbs 16:9 (ESV)

9 The heart of man plans his way,

but the LORD establishes his steps.