John 11:46-57
Some of the men who saw Lazarus raised to life after he had been dead four days, went to the chief priests and leaders in Jerusalem who, they knew, wanted to kill Jesus to tell them what He had done.
When those men heard of that great event they met to decide quickly how they could take Jesus; they said, “What shall we do? for this man doeth great miracles; if we let Him alone, all will believe Him; and the Romans will come and take away our place and nation.”
They knew Jesus did the many miracles, but they would not believe He was from God, because they had not believed the scriptures which told of Him; and they hated Him because He had spoken truly against their evil ways. But they knew many of the people believed Him the Messiah prosed, and might try to make Him King.
The leader of those men of Jerusalem was Caiaphas, the high priest, which was the highest office of Israel, higher even than a king.
We are told in the book of Hebrews that the Lord Jesus is now Himself the Great High Priest to care for all God’s people: but He is not on earth, but in Heaven.
“We have a great High Priest, that is passed into the Heavens, Jesus the Son of God.” Heb. 4:14; 7:25, 26.
Caiaphas did not care for God’s words or believe him; for he should have known the writing of the prophet that it was the time for the Great Messiah to appear, and to have known also that no nation could have power against Him when King, for it is written,
“Yea, all kings shall fall down be fore Him; all nations shall serve Him. Ps. 72:11.
Caiaphas said, “Ye know nothing at all, not consider that it is expedient (most necessary) for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.” That “one man” was Jesus.
Yet in spite of that man’s own hatred of the Lord Jesus, it is written here that his words were really a prophecy from God, of the blessing, for not only the people of that nation, but for all the world, by the death of Christ. Except for His death, all must perish, but because He then took God’s punishment against sin, all who accept Him become “children of God”, which is far greater than to be kept as one nation of earth.
ML 11/17/1946