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Timing


          From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
          Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
          Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns. (Matthew 16:21-23)
          Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
          Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” (Matthew 4:8-10)
          I haven’t heard it as much recently, but there’s this idea out there that Satan wanted to kill Jesus and that he thought that when Jesus died on the cross, that he had won. The resurrection is presented as a rude awakening. That isn’t what Scripture seems to say.
         Peter was called Satan because Peter was rejecting God’s plan, rejecting the idea of Jesus going to Jerusalem to die. Earlier, when Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, the final temptation was a means by which Jesus could have the world. He didn’t have  to go to the cross. He didn’t have to die, just say the world, and it would all be His.
         When Jesus was on trial before Pilate, Pilate’s wife sent him a message saying not to have anything to do with Jesus. We’re tempted to think that she was a good person. Pilate tried hard to get Him set free. We are tempted to think, “How noble,” but was it? Or was it a diabolical attempt to prevent the sacrifice from taking place?  
          I’ve been told that Satan isn’t omniscient. That’s right, he’s not. But he’s not stupid. There were prophecies. Jesus told His disciples what was going to happen, more than once. Is it really likely that Satan would not keep a close eye on what Jesus did? Is it reasonable to think that none of the fallen angels could have heard what Jesus said? 
          The one complication to this is the fact that in John 13, it says that the devil had prompted Judas to betray Jesus. I don’t know what to do with that, except to say that while we know what happened, we don’t actually know that it’s what Satan wanted to happen. Perhaps Satan’s plan was for the mob to arrive while Jesus was still struggling with the temptation to walk away when Jesus might not be strong enough to go through with the plan.  
          And his timing was off by just that little bit. 

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