URC Daily Devotion Saturday, 14 March 2026
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
For most of us, the anticipated approach of significant times in our lives prompts a flurry of activity; whether it’s getting out the Christmas decorations, packing up to move house, or completing pieces of work before taking a holiday or leaving a job.
In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus had now reached the point of turning aside from the busyness, friendships and teaching that had filled his days of ministry, to focus on those things he must do alone. He knew that in a very short time he would be called to fulfil his final destiny.
The chief priests and elders also knew his end was near. Without being in any hurry, they were now prepared and ready to seize Jesus at a time and place of their choosing. They thought to be as quietly secretive as possible as they arrested him. They thought to limit the danger and difficulty to themselves by waiting till after the Passover festival. They still thought they held power over Jesus and could control what happened to him. It never crossed their minds that Jesus himself would control all the events of the coming days: the times, the places, the participants, the witnesses; that all authority lay in the palms of the hands which would soon be fastened to a cross.
Absorbed by the minutiae of our own lives, focussed on the things we want to achieve and the necessary plans and preparations, it is all too easy to lose sight of our context. Jesus knows everything about us, our past, present and future, and holds each of our minutes and all of our years in those same hands. And if, like the chief priests and the elders of the people, things do not work out in quite the way we mean they should, we may be simultaneously reassured and surprised that they will happen as they need to, for Jesus’s sake.
Prayer
Eternally gracious and patient Lord Jesus:
in the well-meaning busyness of our days,
may we never forget your presence with us,
your love for us,
and your hand guiding, shielding and shepherding us.
Help us to recognise and accept that our ways
are not always your ways,
but your ways are infinitely better, in every way. Amen