The religious leaders had finally won. Jesus was convicted not only by them but by Pilate as well. Hanging on a cross outside the city right where people would see him, Jesus was placed to breath his last. Even in victory the religious leaders were concerned about themselves more than the reality in front of them. They demanded the sign above Jesus head be changed so they could dismiss Jesus with greater ease.
Often we like to alter the words of other people or change the timeline of events so that we can save face. Not only to save face but to have the details of everything work in our favor. It is easy to scoff at the religious leaders. however, we easily can be accused of the same thing. We try to get God to function and behave on our terms rather than on God's terms.
In a marriage relationship this is called manipulation. When we try to get our spouse to function the way we want so that life can happen as we think it is suppose to. Rather than doing the hard work of conversation and submitting to one another, we try to get the other person to see it our way.
A marriage based on manipulation is headed in a very bad direction with increasing speed. Any relationship where manipulation is the primary mode of function is destructive, especially our relationship with God. So, we are left to do the work of talking about hopes, dreams and expectations. In our relationship with God, we have a conversation about our hopes, dreams and expectations. We must remember God always knows best how to live our lives. With our spouse there is a give and take to the conversation that allows for a mutually shared direction in marriage.
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