we've got the power

Monday April 6th, Mark 14:1 Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him. The chief priests and teachers of the law were a part of the ruling elite. They had figured out their niche in this foreign domination situation. They were the large landowners that possessed some of the land that Herod taken from the peasants. They were the ones who had the authority and power to rule under Pilate, maintain control and collect the taxes, and reap a good profit, while Pilate lived in more pleasant accommodations in Caesarea by the sea. It was just another case of religion and politics working together hand in hand, to maintain control and the status quo. It is the natural tendency of any religious organization, whether they call themselves organized or not. When it happens, it is always the integrity of the religion that looses. How are these same scenarios being played out today?