Verse 14 says, “And going out, the Pharisees took counsel against Him, how they might destroy Him.” In the eyes of the religious Pharisees, for the Lord to break the Sabbath was to destroy the covenant of God with the nation of Israel, that is, to destroy the relationship between God and Israel. Hence, they took counsel against Him, how they might destroy Him. The breaking of the Sabbath caused the Jewish religionists to reject the heavenly King. The Pharisees, the scriptural ones, plotted to kill Jesus for God! This is difficult to believe. But they were blinded by their religion. They could see neither Christ nor the church, neither the Head nor the members. They were absolutely blinded, veiled, covered, by their religion. According to their understanding, the Lord Jesus had to be destroyed, and they took counsel together for this very purpose. Eventually, they did put Christ on the cross; however, they did it according to the sovereignty of God.
At this point, 12:14, the rejection of Christ by religion reaches its peak. Religion has fully rejected the heavenly King and has plotted to destroy Him.
This rejection caused the King with His kingly salvation to turn from the Jews to the Gentiles (12:15-21). Verse 15 says, “But Jesus, knowing it, departed from there.”
Verse 15 also says that many followed Him and that He healed them all. According to verse 16, He “warned them that they should not make Him known.” He warned them regarding this because the Pharisees were plotting to destroy Him. Therefore, from that time onward, the Lord Jesus did His best to conceal Himself.
Verses 17 and 18 say, “That what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, Behold, My Servant Whom I have chosen, My Beloved in Whom My soul delights; I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He shall announce judgment to the nations.” This indicates clearly that due to the Jews’ rejection, the heavenly King with His heavenly kingdom will turn to the nations, the Gentiles, and that the Gentiles will receive Him and trust in Him (v. 21).
Verse 19, also a quotation from Isaiah, says, “He shall not strive nor cry out, nor shall anyone hear His voice in the streets.” This indicates that He was no longer free to minister openly. Instead, He had to hide Himself. The reason for the rejection and the cause for the Lord’s needing to hide was the breaking of the religious regulations. This was due to caring for His headship and for the members of His Body. Because of this, the rejection reached the ultimate. It is the same in principle today. The less we care for religious regulations and the more we care for Christ and His Body, the more intense the opposition will be.