[218]It was this truly good and truly great Man who for three and a half years went about in the earth and taught and ministered unto the people and did good unto every one and evil unto none.  All the time he was thus ministering and doing good, the scribes, Pharisees, doctors of the law and other dupes engaged in misrepresenting and persecuting the Lord, sought to kill him.  Why did they do this?  Because they were instruments of Satan, the devil.—­John 8:44.

[219]Jesus, the devil knew, was and is the great Seed of promise which God had promised to Abraham should be the redeemer and blesser of mankind.  Jesus Christ is the Seed of the woman foreshadowed in God’s statement made to mother Eve and Satan. (Genesis 3:15) Satan sought, therefore, in every way to destroy him.  Jesus was teaching the Jews the message of God to lead them in the right way, and to open unto them the way of life.  These scribes and Pharisees were opposing him and therefore were the enemies of the people.  Jesus said of them:  “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat” (Matthew 23:2); meaning that they had assumed the position of leaders of the people.  Because of their blinding the people he said to them:  ’You are hypocrites, blind guides, fools; you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; you devour widows’ houses and for a pretence make long prayers; you compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, you make him twofold more the child of gehenna than yourselves.  You are guilty of fraud and deceit, and you are like unto whited sepulchres, which are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness; you are serpents, a generation of vipers.  You do not understand my speech because you cannot hear and understand my word.  You are of your father the devil.’—­Matthew 23:13-33; John 8:43,44.

[220]Jesus knew that he was to be crucified and he told his disciples of his coming death.  The last night he was on earth with them he spent teaching them great lessons and truths which were not only a blessing to them, but have been a great blessing to every one from then until now who has loved the Lord and sought to know and do his will.  While he was thus doing, the enemy was preparing to take his life.  The Sanhedrin was a high tribunal or court composed of seventy-three men, made up of priests, elders, and doctors of the law, Pharisaical hypocrites, the seed of the serpent, blinded to God’s purposes.  That body was the highest court of Israel and it was the duty of this court to protect the innocent as well as to punish the guilty.  They beheld Jesus doing good and the people flocking to him.

[221]"Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council [a court], and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.  If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him:  and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.  And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.  And this spake he not of himself:  but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation....  Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.”—­John 11:47-51,53.