Power Blindness

“The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead.  But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also; because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus” (John 12:9-11).
The raising of Lazarus from the dead sparked differing responses.  Of course, Mary and Martha would have been overjoyed at the news.  The brother who had died was now very much alive once again.  For others, it was the miracle that prompted them to put their faith in the Miracle Worker (11:45).  For still others, it was the event that led to discussions as to how best to eliminate Jesus as a rival (11:46-57).
          The lust for power and influence is a deadly sin that leads to blindness in its victims.  Instead of acknowledging Jesus as a conduit of God’s power, the Jewish leadership saw Jesus as a threat to their base of power.  And for that reason, they began plotting a way to eliminate Him.  It’s the age-old ugliness of power politics.  It can be found in every corner of human relationships.  If you’ve experienced it, you know that some will stop at nothing to gain and maintain power over others.
The opening verses of this article highlight just how bad the problem can become.  These men were so drunk with power that they were not satisfied with just killing the Miracle Worker. They also began planning to kill the one who had been blessed by the miracle!  That’s right.  They were prepared to take the life of the very one who had been given life.  They would stop at nothing to satisfy their craving for power.
Father, please shield us from the consuming lust for power.  Forgive us for the times we have wounded others in our blindness.  May we ever be amazed instead of angered by Your powerful workings in our world.

God loves you!

Mike