“Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. 48 “If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” 51 Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.”
Jesus had performed what was, at least by human reckoning, the most amazing miracle of His earthly ministry. It was as though God had saved the best for last. Jesus had for several years moved all over Israel, healing diseases and physical infirmities, teaching with such astounding and authoritative oratory that people were inspired to proclaim that no man ever spoke as He did; and yes, He had given life back to at least two people that had died, which come to my mind right now – Jairus’ daughter and the son of the widow of Nain – both events taking place in relative privacy and obscurity.
But now he had come to Bethany just east of Jerusalem, to a prominent and apparently well-loved family, surrounded by mourners and visitors and curious on-lookers, many of them even belonging to the Jewish ruling class, and in a very open, very public, very demonstrative fashion, called His friend back to life who had been four days dead – four days in the tomb – four days in the process of decomposition – and everyone present witnessed the miracle happen.
There was no denying it; and in fact no one did deny it. If you study this entire portion of John’s Gospel carefully you will see that there is no denial from even the enemies of Jesus who wanted to kill Him, that Lazarus had been raised by Jesus from the dead. In fact, it was because He had done this thing that they finally said that’s it, enough is too much, He’s got to go. That is what we will be looking at today.
COMMITTEE (vs 47)
The raising of Lazarus took place very shortly before the Passover, so there were probably already many travellers coming to the holy city in anticipation of the celebration to find lodging and secure the elements for their Passover meal and of course their lambs for the sacrifice.
Verse 45 of chapter 11 says that Many of the Jews who had come to Mary and beheld what Jesus had done believed in Him, but some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.
If we pause and let this picture form in our minds we can imagine that the chief priests and Pharisees, who already hated Jesus with unparallelled venom, must have been alarmed and totally frustrated at this point.
Not too long ago Jesus had come to the Temple and engaged in a confrontation with these Jews in which He had exposed them as liars and hypocrites, told them their father was not Abraham but the devil and had claimed openly that He was God. Then He had, in another very public forum, given sight to a man who had been blind from birth and whom everyone knew.
We know the word of this spread far and wide because there is specific mention of the miracle in chapter 11 verse 37 when people gathered at the home of Mary and Martha wondered why this one who gave sight to the blind hadn’t kept Lazarus from dying.
So the ruling Jews are already at wit’s end and contemplating murder. We should never stop being amazed at this. On the other hand, we shouldn’t be amazed at this. We should be amazed that the Messiah coming as predicted and doing all the things the prophets said He would do would elicit a murderous reaction in the very people who should have been the first to recognize and welcome and worship Him.
On the other hand, we should not be amazed at this if we understand that unbelief will never respond well to the truth and will not accept or recognize the facts when presented.
Have you ever had someone reject something you were telling them no matter how much evidence you had or how clearly you presented the facts, just because they didn’t want to believe and nothing you said was going to change their mind?
I remember an occasion, and the reason this has stayed with me for years is because I was so astounded at the silliness of it, when I had recorded a humorous answering machine message for my phone, in which I was using a British accent. While at work I had a fellow worker call to listen to it, and after listening he said “That isn’t you”. I said, “Yes it is” and he said, “No, it isn’t” and he walked away and left me sitting there with my mouth hanging open. Why deny that? I’ll never know.
When people determine that they are not going to believe a thing and have made up their minds they will ignore all evidence, all facts presented, and stubbornly continue in their unbelief.
You may remember the story Jesus told of another Lazarus who died at the gate of a rich man’s home and that later the rich man died and went to Hades but could see Lazarus comforted in Paradise with Abraham. When the rich man asked Abraham to send someone to warn his brothers Abraham’s response was that if they would not believe Moses and the prophets, neither would they believe if someone rose from the dead. Well, here is a literal example of what Jesus was conveying in the telling of that account.
As we will see here in our text, the chief priests and Pharisees came to this council with their pre-conceptions, talked about the facts, then concluded with the same mis-conceptions. Nothing changed in them except for a renewed determination to commit murder.
So they hear the news – Jesus of Nazareth is in Bethany and He has raised Lazarus from the dead in the presence of many witnesses who now believe in Him and His claims – so they form a committee.
They convened a council, it says, and the first thing they do is what every committee does; they gather around and ask, “What are we doing here?”
Now listen, “For this man is performing many signs”.
What is that? Is that a denial? No! It is a confession of the truth. This man is performing many signs! What signs? Giving sight to the blind…raising the dead… and others. These are the biggies that are recorded for us but I’m sure that when this committee said ‘many signs’ they were including all the things they had both witnessed and heard about over the last several years.
So there’s no denial of the facts, there is only stubborn and willful unbelief which, by the way, constitutes blasphemy.
When you witness acts that only God can do from someone who then confirms that He is indeed God, and you reject Him and call Him a demon that is blasphemy.
So this council has convened because they’ve just been told by eye-witnesses that this Man who very recently claimed to be the Son of God and then performed works in their midst to prove it, has now given life to a man four days dead, and all they can say is ‘What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs”.
“This man”? This man? Why don’t they even use His name? Is it maybe because Jesus means ‘salvation’ and they don’t want to be reminded of exactly who it is they’re plotting to murder? This man. That guy. That character over in Bethany. He’s doing stuff that’s taking the attention away from us. That’s what they were worried about.
Listen:
CONCERNS (vs 48)
“If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
Let’s break this down for a closer look.
“If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him”
Don’t let anyone tell you that what these men did was done in ignorance. They knew who Jesus was – we’ll look more closely at that later – and they knew what He was doing and their fear was that everyone would begin to believe in and follow Him.
Now think about this. What was the expectation of this generation for the Messiah when He came? Their expectation was that He was going to come and obliterate the nation’s enemies and rule forever from the throne of David.
We don’t have to get deeply in this today. We know that’s what His own disciples were expecting because on several occasions they asked Him, “Is it now?” “Is the time now for You to restore Israel?”
Then there were the times Jesus knew the multitudes were on the verge of taking Him by force if necessary and setting Him forth as their king and so He had to hide Himself from them.
So what was the expectation in the minds of the chief priests and Pharisees for Messiah? I will assure you, it was the same. But in their faithlessness, and in their selfishness, they weren’t about to release the political and religious stranglehold they had on the people.
They weren’t about to step down or step back for anyone, even if He was the long-awaited Messiah, heir to David’s throne. So they were afraid that if He wasn’t stopped, people would believe and follow Him.
What about the next phrase? “…and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation”.
Well, in a sense that is a legitimate fear if they actually were seeing Jesus as Messiah coming to claim His throne.
Because if that was the case the Romans weren’t going to like it. And historically the tactic of the Roman government in dealing with cultures of people who resisted them was to spread them around to other regions and other countries so there could not be any unification of forces to counter them. That’s what they meant by “will come and take away our place and our nation”.
But there is so much wrong with this picture…and again, this is how unbelief distorts things.
If He is the Messiah as they expected Messiah to come, the supernatural warrior sent from Heaven to bring the nation peace and prosperity forever, then what can all the forces of Rome do about it?
Secondly, they seemed to sort of have their head in the sand about their present circumstances, didn’t they? In John 8 when they were arguing with Jesus they said, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone”
Pardon me? Weren’t their ancestors enslaved in Egypt? Weren’t their more recent ancestors enslaved and even carried away by the Assyrians? Weren’t Roman soldiers even as they spoke, occupying the land, walking the streets of Jerusalem, collecting taxes for the Caesar?
We’ve never been enslaved to anyone? Where did they get that from?
“The Romans will come and take away our place and our nation”. Hey, they already have it guys! And by the way, even though they had their day and their moment of darkness and crucified this Man, Jesus, the Romans still took away their place and their nation, didn’t they?
Less than 40 years later they laid seige to Jerusalem, killed over one hundred thousand people, sacked and burned the city and tore the Temple down until not one stone was left on another. So their worst fears were realized and in fact what they feared most they brought down on their own heads.
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it! 35 “Behold, your house is left to you desolate;…” said Jesus in Luke 13:34-35,
and in Luke 21:6 as His disciples admired the Temple buildings;
“As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down.”
Willful unbelief is always fear-filled and it eventually brings on itself what it fears most.
CONTRADICTIONS (vs 49-50)
Well, there was a character among them who was one of the slimiest hypocrites recorded in Scripture, and he was in precisely the place God had raised him to for this very hour.
He was Caiaphas, who by God’s design was the High Priest that year. And look at the first glimpse John gives us of him.
Remember, he is addressing the esteemed chief priests of the Temple and the Pharisees, the most zealous and conscientiously religious group of the Jews.
And as they are gathered to express their concerns about ‘this man’ who is performing many signs so that too many people are believing in Him – and fretting about their future and the future of their nation, Caiaphas pipes up and says, “You know nothing at all”. Well, that’s rude…
He’s talking to the most highly esteemed men in Jerusalem and he basically said, “You knuckleheads!” “You ignoramuses!” So that alone tells us something of the character of a man, who is only in his present position as the result of a casting of lots – a drawing of straws, if you will – and who is supposed to be the spiritual leader of the nation for the year he serves as High Priest; their representative before God; the man who goes to God for them; the man who will take the blood into the Holy of Holies to sprinkle on the mercy seat for the sins of the people and for his own sins.
This High Priest who serves in the presence of God at the altar, with an air of superiority and self pride and arrogance and dismissal of the dignity of his peers, says, “You don’t know anything!” Can you envision the curl of his upper lip – the sneer, as he bursts in with this insult?
There are a couple of things it is important for us to notice about the reasoning of Caiaphas here. Listen to what he says:
“…nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.”
First, notice how noble he tries to sound. It is expedient for ‘them’. He says ‘it is expedient for you’. He is so concerned for them in their ignorance, and he wants them to know that what he is proposing is for them and for the people and for the nation. Yeah…no self-serving attitude here…
Don’t you believe it for a moment. Because here is the second thing I want to call to your attention.
By the reasoning expressed in this statement of Caiaphas, the state is more important than the individual. That is backwards. The state exists to protect the individual.
The government of a nation should be set up to protect individual rights, to secure individual liberties, to keep the individual free to pursue life and productivity.
We can look at some nations of the world and the history of them and see that when a nation’s leaders get that upside down it is always to the detriment of the people.
If any one of these chief priests or Pharisees in the room was thinking clearly, their response might have been, “Expedient? What then will become of me if in the future I should vote against you on any issue? Will it then be expedient for the nation that I disappear?”
Listen to C.S. Lewis on the subject.
“If individuals live only seventy years, then a state, or a nation, or a civilization, which may last for a thousand years, is more important than an individual. But if Christianity is true, then the individual is not only more important but incomparably more important, for he is everlasting and the life of a state or a civilization, compared with his, is only a moment.” Mere Christianity, bk. III, chap1, para 9, p 73
You see, this is why godless societies find it so easy to throw away people who are undesirable or in the way of progress or inconvenient to help or give support to. If there is no belief in the true and living God and no expectation for eternal life then the brief life of any man is of little significance to anyone but himself.
There is a quote repeated several times in the Star Trek saga, and remember that although fiction this is a story based upon the premise that Evolution is fact, Divine Creation a myth and man is the master of his own destiny but that once he’s dead he’s dead; and the quote goes like this. “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few – or the one”.
I have read that Caiaphas was of the sect of the Sadducees. The Sadducees did not believe in an afterlife. They didn’t believe in angels or Heaven or a resurrection. So out of this emptiness, out of this abject futility, comes the reasoning that it’s ok to slaughter a human being for political expediency. Because the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few – or the one. And rest assured friends, that when that is the philosophy behind any government, it opens the door wide for the strong to trample the weak under the pretense of doing what’s right for the whole.
If you think this backwards prioritizing never happens in the church, think about it some more.
As we’ve already noted, the nation perished anyway. But having looked at the faulty reasoning coming out of this heart of evil – this mind of willful unbelief, see what John says in this next amazing verse.
CREDIBILITY (vs 51)
“Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation,” now stop right there for a minute.
What does THAT mean?
In saying that Caiaphas didn’t say this of his own initiative is John telling us that Caiaphas didn’t mean to say it, or that someone forced him to say it? No, he had his own evil reason for saying it, as we’ve just seen. But while he meant it for evil, He was at that moment God’s unwitting mouth-piece, proclaiming God’s truth.
This wasn’t a new thing at that moment in time. God had used Balaam’s mouth hadn’t He? In case you haven’t read that account in the Old Testament, Balaam opened his mouth to curse Israel but instead a blessing came out; and that happened several times.
On the Sunday following September 11, 2001 a young lady in our church approached me and this is what she said. She said that as she watched her television on Tuesday morning and watched the twin towers burning and collapsing, she remembered that two days previously, on Sunday September 9th, during the prayer with which I led our congregation before preaching I specifically prayed that God would give the leaders of our nation wisdom and that He would lead them as they lead us.
Now, I occasionally pray that sort of thing for our leaders; it’s not that this was a unique incident. But I admit that I do not always pray for them publicly on Sunday mornings, but that Sunday I did, and she remembered it.
I tell you this now to say, I wonder how many mouths God used on Sunday, September 9th, 2001, to pray for our nation and for wisdom for her leaders as they lead us.
God spoke through His prophets also, and the words they spoke were precisely the words He gave them to say. When they wrote they wrote down exactly the words that God wanted them to write. And we know that while on some human level they knew what they were writing, still, it was under divine inspiration and even they marveled and wondered about the things they wrote.
Well, Caiaphas was evil, but He was God’s High Priest for the nation of Israel, and God’s spokesman for the nation as was the office of the High Priest, and as such, God spoke prophecy through even this vile mouth and proclaimed His truth that Christ would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God scattered abroad.
Psalm 76:10 says, “For the wrath of men shall praise you…” and indeed, God turned Caiaphas’ words of wrath to a message that glorifies the Father and Jesus Christ.
You see, Caiaphas had a very narrow vision in his own meaning as he spoke, but God used him to proclaim an infinitely wider and grander truth that included even you and me, believers in Christ.
CULMINATION (vs 52)
“…and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad”
Just in case you have never considered this before I ask you to consider it now. When John wrote, he wrote many years after these things took place in Jerusalem. When he wrote, he wrote for those who would read his Gospel immediately after, as it was transported and passed from church to church and community to community.
When he wrote, the Holy Spirit was giving him the precise words that God wanted in the canon of Scripture, for he was writing for you and for me and for all who will read and study the written Word of God until we see Him face to face.
So when John wrote under the Spirit’s inspiration that by God’s sovereign influence Caiaphas was prophesying that Jesus would die, not only for the nation but – now listen carefully – ‘in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad”, he employed that present tense language for a reason.
Because from the foundation of the world until now, God has children scattered abroad both in space and in time; children He continues to draw and gather together to Himself through the death of His Son Jesus Christ, who made propitiation for sin and by His blood purchased redemption for those self-same children.
Didn’t the author of the letter to the HEBREWS say,
“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, “ Heb 2:10-11
And I want you to see also, fellow Christ-followers, that it says Jesus died so that He might gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.
When he said ‘together into one’, he did not mean into one place. He meant that we are gathered together and made one with God and one with each other, in the same way that the Father is in the Son and the Son in the Father.
I’m going to read you a lengthy passage from Ephesians chapter 2. Listen to the language there, as he explains what Christ has accomplished for the two groups, Jews and Gentiles through His cross.
But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. 17 AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; 18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. (Eph 2:13-22)
“…and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad”
And just days later, Jesus Christ our Lord went to the cross of Calvary and earned these words of praise found falling from the lips of His glorified saints before the Throne of Heaven, in Revelation 5:9
Now before you hear them remember, if you are a born again believer in Christ, that this is you. This is the raptured and glorified church standing in Heaven and singing praises to the Most High, and this is you and me and all those children He gathered together as one who once were scattered abroad but were made one in Christ:
“And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” Rev 5:9
CONCLUSION
Now I detest to move from this note of glory back to earth and a negative word, but it must be done and I promise I won’t leave you on a down note.
Verse 53 of our text reads:
“ So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.”
In Matthew 21 Jesus told a parable. He told it standing in Jerusalem, having made His triumphal entry on the back of a donkey’s colt accompanied by the waving of palm branches and the shouts of Hosanna from the people. He told it to these same evil men who had plotted for so long to murder Him and who were soon to have their day.
He told the parable of a landowner who built a vineyard, who when he went away on a trip sent his servants to tend the vineyard, but those who were renters on his property beat and stoned and killed the servants he had sent. When the landowner sent more servants to tend his vines the renters did the same to them. Finally the landowner reasoned that if he sent his son the renters would respect him.
But the renters schemed together and reasoned to themselves that if they killed the heir to the vineyard, the vineyard would then be theirs. So they took the son out of the vineyard and killed him.
If you read on in Matthew 21 you will see that Jesus then told these listeners of His that God was going to remove the kingdom from them and give it to people who produce fruit for the kingdom.
Yes, Jesus did die for the nation, but not for the nation only. What evil men were allowed to carry out on that dark day in Jerusalem so many years ago, God planned and purposed and used to bring many sons to glory, my friends and family.
Just do not let this escape your notice today. We, all of us, were as evil and as guilty as the men of this council who for political expediency determined to murder the Man they knew full well was the Son of the Landowner – the Heir of promise.
Listen to the words of praise lifted up by people of the infant church, recorded for us in Acts 4:27-28
“For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.”
Did you hear it? Herod, representing the Jews, Pilate, representing the Gentiles, then it is repeated, ‘the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel’, were gathered together against God’s holy servant Jesus. None of us innocent folks, none of us with an excuse… but listen…
“…to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur”.
From the foundation of the earth God had children scattered abroad in both space and time, and from the foundation of the earth He purposed and predestined that the Christ would die, not for the nation only, but for all His children.
You know, there may have been some right there on that committee of murder who unknowingly were among His children scattered abroad; for whom He died that He might gather them together as one with Himself and with the Father in the Holy Spirit.
Because He had children in every tribe and tongue and people and nation, on every level of society, every corner of culture, in every time of history. And if you are His now then you are one He purposed to gather in. If you are not His now, then you don’t know…yet.
But now you know Whom to ask…
