The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him … But they were afraid of the people. Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. Luke 20:19-20

What were they thinking? These people were supposedly ‘spiritually mature.’ They were the teachers of the law and the chief priests, and yet here they were plotting against Jesus. Did they really think they were serving God’s purposes by doing this? Did they really think God would approve of their scheming even if it was to protect his temple and nation (John 11:48)? Did they really think God needed their help to bring about his plans?

Compare this to David’s attitude. David had been anointed by Samuel, knew that God wanted him to be king and had the opportunity to bring it about. Yet David knew it would be wrong to take matters into his own hands and kill Saul. David said, “The Lord himself will strike him (Saul); either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed” (1 Samuel 26:10).

Even when David was discouraged and thought that he would never be king (1 Samuel 27:1), he still didn’t take things into his own hands. David trusted God’s timetable and his agenda. This is what the teachers of the law and the chief priests refused to do.

Regardless of how bad our circumstances may look, remember, God has everything in hand. He is still in charge.