Compared to the three previous days of Holy Week, Jesus didn’t make a lot of noise on Wednesday. Jesus made it a practice during Holy Week to visit and teach in the temple. Of course He would spend time at the temple. Where else would He be if not His Father’s house? What’s interesting to note, however, if that Jesus is really drawing a crowd with His teaching.

And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him. (Luke 21:37-38)

Not only was He drawing the attention of the crowds, but He drew the ominous gaze of the Jewish authorities. For LotR fans, think of the eye of Sauron fixed on anyone who steps foot in Mordor. The chief priests & scribes were absolutely determined to rid themselves of this growing Jesus problem — so they developed a plot to kill Him.

It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.” (Mark 14:1-2)

Because Jesus was gaining so much popularity with the people, a careful plot had to be planned and executed. They couldn’t just take Jesus out in public or they’d have a revoltĀ on their hands. They needed to deal with the Jesus problem quietly. They were, at the very least, going to have to wait until the Passover crowds dispersed on Thursday. One thing is for sure, though, and that is that these Jewish leaders were fully determined & dead-set on killing Jesus.