They could find no way

18 NOVEMBER (Lk 19,45-48)
Chief priests, scribes, leaders of the people have decreed the death of Jesus. The Gospel of John reveals that this decision was taken after the resurrection of Lazarus. The “case” Jesus had to be solved once and for all, without any hesitation.

So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God. So from that day on they planned to kill him. So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews, but he left for the region near the desert, to a town called Ephraim, and there he remained with his disciples. Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before Passover to purify themselves. They looked for Jesus and said to one another as they were in the temple area, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast?” For the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should inform them, so that they might arrest him (Jn 11,47-57).

Despite having decreed the death of Jesus, the Gospel of Luke tells us that they did not know what to do. On the side of Jesus there was all the people and certainly they did not want to challenge the people. They could have created a riot. This fear of the crowd is called forth by God because Jesus had to die as preached by the ancient prophecies and certainly not taken away treacherously, secretly, using some assassin or an impromptu stoning. The manner of his death are essence of the mystery and not just useless or inconsequential incidents without any irrelevance. Now the prophecy speaks of crucifixion and only Rome inflicted this punishment.

This tells us that the life of Jesus is in the Father’s hands. It will be in the hands of men only when his hour, the hour of darkness, or of the prince of this world comes. But even when it is in their hands every prophecy must be fulfilled, no word must remain unrealized. In the mystery of Jesus all the power of love of God and the whole power of hatred of Satan clash. The power of love of God triumphs while Satan thinks he has defeated the Lord of life. Before the Cross of Jesus the mind is lost, there is only room for the faith contemplating and adoring the Crucifix in whom it is determined that all men are saved.

Then Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.'” And every day he was teaching in the temple area. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words.

We know from history that the events precipitate and Jesus will die as the true Lamb of the New Passover, the real dumb sheep before its shearers, the true servant of the Lord. He will die as the true Righteous and Son of God publicly recognized by the centurion of Rome who took care of his crucifixion until the time of the deposition from the Cross. The days of the Passover had been discarded by the Jews. However, they had been established by the heavenly Father, because Jesus is the new Passover and the new Lamb.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints, illuminate us on the mystery of Jesus.