God is the Master planner. If anyone can put a complex plan in motion and bring it to its desired end, it is God the Father. The most complex plan the world has ever seen was when He bought Jesus to planet earth to give His life in exchange for ours. The fulfilling of this plan was no cake walk. It was no Sunday stroll through the park. Here are a just a few elements in the political arena that had to happen in order to bring this plan to fruition.

Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

• Notice that the ‘government’ rests on the ‘shoulders’ of the anointed Messiah.
• Now ask yourself, this question, ‘Where are the shoulders located? Are the shoulders located in the head or in the body?
• The shoulders are located in the body and so the government rests on the shoulders of the church. It is our responsibility to pray for kings and all in ruling position, no matter their disposition.

Acts 4:23–28 (ESV)
23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “ ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’— 27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

• Notice the four groups that had to be in place in order to fulfill the plan of God.
  • Herod
  • Pontius Pilate
  • Gentiles
  • The peoples of Israel
• These rulers were anointed and set in place by the Most High!
• Note how the plan of God unfolded and learn something about the ways of the Lord.
• The Roman government put Herod and Pontius Pilate into their respective positions as rulers from an earthly standpoint.

• You need to know that one of the reasons the Romans put them there, or any ruler in any sector of the empire, was to keep the peace.
• If you were not able to keep the peace, you were removed from your position. Job security for an under ruler of Rome was ever in the mind of these individuals.
• When Herod died, by the approval of Rome, his kingdom was divided among his three sons.
  • Herod Antipas – the Herod that beheaded John the Baptist
  • Herod Archelaus
  • Herod Phillip
• Archelaus was granted rule over Judea by the Romans after the death of Herod the Great and one of his first acts was to over react to an uprising among the Jews in the Temple. Archelaus response was the slaughter of 3000 Jewish pilgrims. This and other oppressive actions led to his removal and banishment to Gaul where he spent the rest of his days.
• If you did not keep the peace as a ruler in the first century, you were out.
• This made for some interesting politics.

How the Road was Opened for Jesus to Go to Calvary

Matthew 3:3 (ESV)
3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ”

• The word ‘path’ here means road.
• How was the road prepared for Jesus to go to Calvary?
• During the time that Jesus, on trial for His life, stood before Pilate, Pilate’s wife came to him troubled by a dream.

Matthew 27:17–19 (ESV)
17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. 19 Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.”

• Pilate was determined to let him go.

John 19:10–12 (ESV)
10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” 12 From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”

• He tried to let Him go
• Releasing Jesus was not part of the plan
• As soon as the ‘people of Israel’ (the fourth group in Acts 4:27) heard of that they screamed, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him”
• Pilate said, ‘Why what evil has he done?’
• You see even wicked leaders have moral streaks.

Matthew 27:22–24 (ESV)
22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!” 24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.”

• When Pilate saw that he could not prevail but rather a riot was beginning, he turned Jesus over to be crucified.
• That fear that Pilate had of being replaced, that policy that Rome had for their leaders that existed opened up the way for Jesus to go to Calvary.
• Now, think about that!!!!
• The mob (the people of Israel) was part of the plan!
• The policy of Rome that Pilate feared, the job security issue, was part of the plan.
• God planned this moment 1000’s of years ahead of time – all the way from Gen. 3:15!!!
• This is how meticulous the plan of God is and how detailed it is.
• How would you have prayed if you were observing this tumult from a window in Jerusalem? Would you have said, ‘Well, I am going to believe God that there will be no riot today.’ You would have missed God if you prayed that way, because the riot was part of the plan!
• Now, do you remember Archelaus and how brutal he was?
• God used that to fulfill prophecy… and here it is.

Matthew 2:22–23 (ESV)
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

• This prophecy that Jesus would be a Nazarene was an unwritten prophecy. That is this prophecy was not written down but the prophets had prophesied this fact about the Messiah and it was well known in Israel.
• The plan is all important

Matthew 16:21–23 (ESV)
21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

• Peter’s sense of order (how he thought things should be) got in the way.
• Jesus rebuked the words that Peter unknowingly uttered because those words were a direct hindrance to the plan for His life.
• Can you understand from all of this that you cannot pray about the plan of God from your own ideas about things?
• If you do, in effect you will end praying against His plan and purpose.

Call to Action:

God has an intricate plan for your life. Seeking Him for His plan, learning to pray and speaking in line with His plan are absolutely wise courses of action.

Question: In looking back on your life, do you see the intricacies of God’s plan? Would you be willing to share a portion of that in the comments section below in order to encourage and strengthen someone else?