27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.
Sometimes even evil has a place in God’s plan. That is right, God can use evil to accomplish His purpose. The plan from the beginning of time had been for Jesus to die on the cross to fix the mess Adam and Eve got us all into. This was not a last minute plan. This plan was the central plan of all time. We read it and see it repeatedly in the Old Testament. The images and rituals all point to a perfect sacrifice. The clear message is that sin is fatal. And there is only one remedy: death. So Jesus came and fulfilled everything written in the Old Testament. And the people of His day took actions that helped the process. He could not crucify himself. Others had to take actions to facilitate His death. And those actions were part of God’s plan, even in the details of his final days. I think there are often times in our lives when we see the evil and wonder if there is any plan that could incorporate these terrible events and their painful outcomes. So often we view evil as unusable in God’s plan. How could a good God use such things? And yet God uses all things, even the evil things, and works them for our eternal good. In the moment of the pain it is usually impossible to see the good because we only see a glimpse of God’s plan. The pain is so overwhelming that it blinds us to God’s ultimate purposes. For some, this blindness lasts until death. Some are unable to see the good outcome while they are alive. And that is OK. God is not offended by our struggles with faith. He just wants us to bring our struggles into His presence.
The Arnold Journey 