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Speaker 1: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are

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Speaker 1: like whitened tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are

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Speaker 1: full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanliness. Matthew 23,

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Speaker 1: 27 Dear Lord, Heavenly Father, our hearts are moved to

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Speaker 1: deep introspection. We acknowledge, Lord, the penetrating wisdom in these words.

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Speaker 1: a caution against hypocrisy, against living lives that may appear

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Speaker 1: godly but are devoid of true holiness. Cleanse us from

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Speaker 1: the inside out. For what profits us if we gain

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Speaker 1: the world's admiration yet lack what truly matters? Awaken us

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Speaker 1: to the realities of our sin. Humble us and then

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Speaker 1: restore us with your grace. We confess that We have

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Speaker 1: been more concerned with our exterior image than our inner character.

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Speaker 1: Forgive us for the times we have been whitewashed tombs,

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Speaker 1: impressing others while failing to pursue your truth. May we

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Speaker 1: aim for an authentic faith, a living relationship with you

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Speaker 1: that transcends shallow religiosity. Let us not be actors on

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Speaker 1: a stage, but let us live authentic lives that testify

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Speaker 1: to your grace and love. We pray this in the

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Speaker 1: name of Jesus.

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Speaker 2: Amen.

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Speaker 1: Thank you for joining me in prayer today. You're listening

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Speaker 1: to the Jesus Podcast, stories from the gospel unfolding in

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Speaker 1: a way that's never been told before. Stay with us

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Speaker 1: to explore the depths of Christ's story and find inspiration

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Speaker 1: in every episode. If this podcast has brought value to

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Speaker 1: your faith, we'd love it if you left a review

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Speaker 1: and shared it with a friend. We want the story

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Speaker 1: of Jesus to be known throughout the world, because when Jesus'

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Speaker 1: story is told, lives are transformed. It was dusk, but

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Speaker 1: the hall of polished stones was shrouded in darkness. A

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Speaker 1: breeze from the window caused the torches to flicker, making

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Speaker 1: the shadows dance on the marble floor. the dimly lit

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Speaker 1: halls led to a grand courtroom where the Sanhedrin presided

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Speaker 1: over matters of the law, the temple, and order. There

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Speaker 1: presiding over them was Caiaphas. His high priestly robes and

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Speaker 1: ephod gave off a muted luster, symbolizing his fading authority.

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Speaker 1: He thought slaying Jesus would be the end of his troubles,

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Speaker 1: but he was sorely mistaken. Although dead, His presence lingered. Jesus'

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Speaker 1: open discourse with the Pharisees and priests compromised the people's

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Speaker 1: trust in them. They felt their power slowly slipping away.

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Speaker 1: The commotion of Jesus' death had also intensified Rome's presence

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Speaker 1: in Jerusalem. Caesar had eyes everywhere, making the Jewish people

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Speaker 1: all the more anxious.

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Speaker 2: He may be dead, but he has left a lingering stench.

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Speaker 1: Caiaphas snarled. He tapped his fingers on the table.

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Speaker 2: How do we recover and move on from Jesus of Nazareth?

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Speaker 2: His followers are.

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Speaker 1: Nowhere to be found, one of the priests said.

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Speaker 2: Their passion will fade as his body rots in that grave.

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Speaker 1: That may be so, Caiaphas said, stroking his beard.

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Speaker 2: However, we mustn't become lax and assume the people will

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Speaker 2: return so easily. We must campaign for their trust. Perhaps

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Speaker 2: we should send some of our more eloquent teachers to

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Speaker 2: lobby on our behalf.

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Speaker 1: He turned to Gamaliel, one of the more senior members

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Speaker 1: of the Sanhedrin.

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Speaker 2: Perhaps we send for Saul of Tarsus earlier than scheduled, hmm, Gamaliel?

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Speaker 2: His skills and discourse could prove useful.

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Speaker 1: As they discussed these matters, a frantic banging could be heard.

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Speaker 1: The council stood up as two guards stumbled through the doors.

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Speaker 1: They were the same guards charged with watching over Jesus' tomb.

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Speaker 1: Their faces were ghastly, with worry and awe painted all

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Speaker 1: over them. Caiaphas gripped the table's edge tightly and spoke

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Speaker 1: through his teeth.

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Speaker 2: What happened?

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Speaker 3: What's more important to you, status and control, or transformation

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Speaker 3: and a relationship with God? We all know the Christian

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Speaker 3: answer to that question, but I'd be lying if I

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Speaker 3: said my flesh isn't always pulling me towards the former.

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Speaker 3: The glory of Jesus forces us to make a choice,

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Speaker 3: the choice between pride and control, or humility and transformation.

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Speaker 3: This is the Jesus Podcast. I'm Zach, your host from Pray.com.

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Speaker 3: Today's story takes us back to the Hall of Polished Stones,

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Speaker 3: where Caiaphas, the high priest, is presiding over the Sanhedrin.

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Speaker 3: They celebrate a brief victory after conspiring against Jesus successfully

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Speaker 3: and seeing him hang on a cross and buried in

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Speaker 3: a grave. Their obsession with maintaining control is a dark

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Speaker 3: glimpse into human nature. Many people who are obsessed with

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Speaker 3: power will go to great lengths to keep it. Let's

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Speaker 3: dive back into our story. The good news of Jesus'

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Speaker 3: resurrection is bad news for Caiaphas. Will the reality of

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Speaker 3: the resurrection melt away at the heart and hearts of

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Speaker 3: these priests? Or will they lean into their pride? Let's

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Speaker 3: find out now. And stay tuned after this story for

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Speaker 3: a reflection and devotion.

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Speaker 1: The soldiers trembled on the polished floor before the Sanhedrin.

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Speaker 1: They were without spears and shields, proof that something had

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Speaker 1: gone terribly wrong.

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Speaker 2: Lord Caiaphas, something happened at the tomb.

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Speaker 1: One of them said with labored breath, They looked at

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Speaker 1: each other, unsure how to begin recounting what happened. Caiaphas

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Speaker 1: wasn't known for his patience. Spit it out, he shouted,

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Speaker 1: his voice bouncing off the stone walls.

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Speaker 2: At sunrise this morning, the earth shook near the tomb

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Speaker 2: and the large stone blocking the entrance began to roll

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Speaker 2: away on its own.

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Speaker 1: One of the guards began.

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Speaker 2: We readied ourselves for combat, but a light burst from

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Speaker 2: the tomb and knocked us on our backs the other

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Speaker 2: added the light was too bright for us to see

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Speaker 2: anything but we know that it came from within the

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Speaker 2: tomb not without.

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Speaker 1: The entire council of Sanhedrin began to murmur amongst themselves

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Speaker 1: the muffled word resurrection made its way to Caiaphas' ear

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Speaker 1: silence he ordered he turned back to the guards who

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Speaker 1: were still on their knees he circled them like a

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Speaker 1: predator and questioned them.

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Speaker 2: Did you see anyone into that tomb previously? He asked. No,

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Speaker 2: my lord.

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Speaker 1: They replied. Caiaphas flared his nostrils and clenched his fists.

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Speaker 1: He looked back at the others. They were all uneasy.

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Speaker 1: Caiaphas composed himself and thought for a moment. He had

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Speaker 1: to think quickly before word spread. He had to control

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Speaker 1: the narrative. If you control the story, you control the people.

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Speaker 1: What had happened didn't matter. All that mattered was what

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Speaker 1: people heard.

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Speaker 2: How can you be certain?

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Speaker 1: Caiaphas asked the guards.

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Speaker 2: You two were asleep at the time, were you not?

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Speaker 1: The guards remained silent, understanding what the high priest was

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Speaker 1: up to. He stroked his beard and paced as he spoke.

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Speaker 2: You were both sleeping and that's when Jesus' followers rolled

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Speaker 2: away the stone and stole the body. When you woke

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Speaker 2: up the next morning, the body of Jesus was gone.

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Speaker 1: The guards once again remained silent. Caiaphas turned to the

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Speaker 1: Sanhedrin and stretched out his arms. In his most holy

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Speaker 1: and pious voice, he declared.

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Speaker 2: The followers of Jesus are barbarians. They are uneducated fishermen

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Speaker 2: with no respect for our laws or the dead. They

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Speaker 2: disregarded the law of Moses and stole their leader from

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Speaker 2: his grave. Such blasphemous conspiracies cannot be ignored.

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Speaker 1: Caiaphas raised the two guards to their feet. He raised

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Speaker 1: a finger and began to explain in detail what happened.

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Speaker 2: But, of course, you two are guards trained in Rome.

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Speaker 2: When you awoke, you found remnants of Jesus' followers everywhere.

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Speaker 2: They were messy and desperate. That's how you know it

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Speaker 2: was them. When you confronted his disciples about the situation,

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Speaker 2: they claimed he wasn't there. But we all know what

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Speaker 2: really happened. They hid his body with the sole intention

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Speaker 2: of claiming resurrection. They want to start a movement to

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Speaker 2: regain his followers.

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Speaker 1: Caiaphas walked over to a small box in the corner

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Speaker 1: of the hall. It was a sack full of silver.

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Speaker 1: He jingled the sack with his hand and gave it

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Speaker 1: to the guards.

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Speaker 2: If anyone asks what happened... I trust that you will

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Speaker 2: tell them everything you have told me today. Do we

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Speaker 2: have an understanding?

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Speaker 1: The guards nodded and bowed their heads. Good.

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Speaker 2: And if the governor has any questions, we will satisfy

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Speaker 2: him with answers.

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Speaker 1: Caiaphas said with a wry grin, resting his hand back

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Speaker 1: on the money chest. The slight shimmer of his priestly

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Speaker 1: ephod disappeared as the torches.

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Speaker 2: dimmed.

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Speaker 1: The high priest turned to the rest of the Sanhedrin

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Speaker 1: and furrowed his brow. He looked at them and said, We.

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Speaker 2: Will wipe the name of Jesus off the map.

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Speaker 1: With those words, the men began to conspire against the

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Speaker 1: followers of Jesus. The sun set completely over the hills,

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Speaker 1: covering the hall of polished stones in complete darkness. Little

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Speaker 1: did the priests know, the name of Jesus would spread

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Speaker 1: over the far reaches of the world.

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Speaker 3: The same sun that melts the ice hardens the clay.

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Speaker 3: News of Jesus' resurrection brought hope to some, but dread

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Speaker 3: to others. If Jesus rose from the grave, that means

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Speaker 3: He is who He said He is. If He is

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Speaker 3: who He said He is, that means you have to

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Speaker 3: listen to Him. You have to follow Him. If Jesus

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Speaker 3: truly is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, then

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Speaker 3: that means something for the way we interact with Him,

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Speaker 3: what He said and what He commanded. But following Jesus

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Speaker 3: comes at a cost. In Matthew 16, 24, Jesus said,

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Speaker 3: Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take

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Speaker 3: up their cross, and follow me. Following Jesus costs us something.

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Speaker 3: It costs us comfort, convenience, and clout. Following Jesus requires

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Speaker 3: that we submit ourselves to his will and his plan,

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Speaker 3: forsaking the world and living for God's kingdom. Not everyone

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Speaker 3: is willing to lose their status and comfort, and so

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Speaker 3: they would much rather Jesus still be in that grave.

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Speaker 3: The evidence for the resurrection was right in front of

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Speaker 3: these priests, but pride had blinded them. Their hearts became hardened.

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Speaker 3: They slipped further into darkness than stepping into the light.

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Speaker 3: The religious leaders are obsessed with maintaining their power. And

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Speaker 3: I suppose that makes sense since the boot of Rome

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Speaker 3: was so heavy on their throats, they wanted to hold

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Speaker 3: on to any semblance of control that they had. But

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Speaker 3: Jesus offered them something else. Jesus offered them something more

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Speaker 3: profound than religious authority. Caiaphas and his council aren't just

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Speaker 3: worried about their theological purity. They're concerned about losing their

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Speaker 3: influence over the people and their standing with Rome. Even

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Speaker 3: within religious settings like the church, the pursuit of power

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Speaker 3: can corrupt and keep us from seeing Jesus. Surely you've

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Speaker 3: seen how easy it is for even church leaders and

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Speaker 3: pastors to slip into corruption because power has gripped their hearts.

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Speaker 3: As Jesus warns in Matthew 23-27, Woe to you teachers

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Speaker 3: of the law, you hypocrites! You are whitewashed tombs which

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Speaker 3: look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are

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Speaker 3: full of bones and dead men's clothes. These religious leaders

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Speaker 3: may have seemed holy and pious on the outside, but

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Speaker 3: their hearts were filled with pride, darkness. They were thirsty

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Speaker 3: for power, but it made them dead on the inside.

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Speaker 3: Caiaphas and the religious leaders felt their pride deeply threatened

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Speaker 3: by Jesus' ministry, death, and now rumors of his resurrection.

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Speaker 3: The empty tomb was the ultimate blow to their power

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Speaker 3: because if Jesus has the authority over death, then certainly

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Speaker 3: he has authority over them. Not only had they failed

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Speaker 3: to silence Jesus in his death, but now they couldn't

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Speaker 3: even keep him in the grave. Their pride blinded them

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Speaker 3: to the monumental reality before them. God himself has just

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Speaker 3: overturned death and offers life and freedom. But they couldn't

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Speaker 3: see that. They couldn't stand his threat to their authority,

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Speaker 3: and they chose deceit over humility, missing the opportunity to

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Speaker 3: partake in the transformative power of Jesus' resurrection. My friends,

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Speaker 3: may we never slip into the same temptation. May we

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Speaker 3: never allow our pride to anchor us down from truly

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Speaker 3: reaching towards purpose. But despite all the scheming of these

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Speaker 3: priests and Pharisees, the gospel endured. This passage reminds us

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Speaker 3: that no matter how powerful the opposition seems, nothing can

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Speaker 3: thwart God's plans. As it says in Isaiah 55, 11,

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Speaker 3: So is my word that goes out from my mouth,

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Speaker 3: it will not return to me empty, but I will

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Speaker 3: accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which

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Speaker 3: I sent it. You see, God's word never returns void.

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Speaker 3: It will always have its full and unwavering purpose. Caiaphas

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Speaker 3: and his council could conspire all they wanted, but as

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Speaker 3: the story concludes, little did the priests know the name

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Speaker 3: of Jesus would spread over the far reaches of the world.

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Speaker 3: This story invites us to ponder, Are we ever like

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Speaker 3: Caiaphas and the priests, more obsessed with our image and

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Speaker 3: control than the humble recognition of God's grandeur and grace?

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Speaker 3: Are we open to the transformative power of Jesus' resurrection,

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Speaker 3: or do we feel threatened by the changes it calls

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Speaker 3: us to make in our lives? The gospel's message has

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Speaker 3: endured a millennia of opposition and will continue to do

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Speaker 3: so until Jesus' return. Let's be people who celebrate that

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Speaker 3: enduring truth, rather than those who, out of pride and

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Speaker 3: love of power, would seek to silence it. Thanks for

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Speaker 3: listening to the Jesus Podcast. Be sure to like, share,

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Speaker 3: and subscribe. In our next episode, we're going to showcase

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Speaker 3: the often untold story of Jesus' first visit to Peter.

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Speaker 3: Scripture doesn't tell us much, but with a little bit

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Speaker 3: of imagination and Scripture pulled from other places, I think

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Speaker 3: we can parse out a pretty amazing story. See you

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Speaker 3: next time.