Today, Good Friday, is the day we formally remember the crucifixion of Jesus. So, let me ask this question;did Satan want to kill Jesus? Was it Satan’s plan to have Jesus die?

This has often been portrayed as a battle of good vs. evil with evil seeming to be victorious on Friday only to experience defeat on Sunday morning.

Here’s the problem: I don’t believe Satan wanted Jesus to die. I believe he wanted to do everything he could to somehow keep Jesus from that cross.

Why do I believe this?

There are three reasons.

First, Scripture reveals that it was God’s plan to have Jesus die. You read passages like Isaiah 53 and John 3:14-16 and cannot but see that it was God’s plan to have Jesus die.

Second, Satan knows Scripture. He must in order to be able to twist it so finely. Therefore, he would be quite familiar with passages like Isaiah 53 and others that prophetically reveal God’s plan.

And third. The last thing Satan wants to see happen is God’s plan to come to fruition. So, he’ll do anything he can to derail it. That’s why, during his tempting of Jesus, he tried to get Jesus to circumvent the cross to get to the glory on the other side without the shame of the cross. That’s why when we read in John 13 about Satan entering Judas, it wasn’t to have Jesus killed by Judas, but rather as an attempt to force Jesus to become a political messiah in the mold of what the people envisioned. This is why Judas was overcome with grief and threw the money back at the priest – because his plan resulted in Jesus being killed, not resisting.

So, what does this all mean for us? God’s plan can never be thwarted in the long run. It may seem like it is, but it’s not. And that’s something that should embolden us who are believers.

May we remember each day his sacrifice for us and also each day celebrate the resurrection.

Pastor Jim