Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples

 

 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

 

- John 11:45-54 

 

Yesterday we read that, having arrived at the outskirts of Bethany and been greeted by Martha, Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"  Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

 

  Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.   This term, the Jews, is used as a sort of political term.  It is meant to denote people from Jerusalem linked to the ruling parties in the temple.  (All of the people we read about, including Jesus, are Jews.)   These are those who had come from Jerusalem to Bethany in order to mourn with Mary and Martha over the death of Lazarus, and witnessed Christ's raising of Lazarus from the dead (see yesterday's reading, above).

Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."  This is the ruling council of the temple.  The Gospel gives witness here to their fears of Jesus, and the people's growing faith in Him.  This has now become particularly acute due to the seventh of seven signs in John's Gospel, the raising of Lazarus.

And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.   My study Bible comments here that Caiaphas, being high priest, is given the authority to speak prophetically.  The failings and even wickedness of the officeholder, it says, do not diminish the grace of the office itself.  Here Caiaphas means only that the death of Christ will spare the Jews from Roman intervention.  But God's meaning in this prophetic statement is that all people will be saved through the death of the Son. 

 Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.   Jesus retreats from the public eye of Jerusalem, to a place near the wilderness.  Perhaps poetically, Ephraim means "fruitful."

It may seem like a small detail to seize upon, but let us observe Jesus' movements, and His response to the now fully developed hostility toward Him by the religious leaders, and especially that of the high priest, Caiaphas, who has emphatically proclaimed that Jesus should be put to death.  Although He has indicated several times that He goes to His Passion willingly, it is not yet that time.  Jesus withdraws to a place near the wilderness, keeping away from Jerusalem and walking openly among the religious leadership there.  The Gospels, in giving us the history of Jesus' actions and life, are punctuated with these periods of withdrawal by Jesus.  It would seem that they are as essential to His ministry, to the path He must follow.  They would seem to teach us something very significant, and that there is meaning in the name of the place to which He now withdraws.  Although we're told it was near the wilderness, it is a country of agricultural produce, and its name means "fruitful."  The significance of this name, and of Christ's several periods of withdrawal which we're told about throughout the Gospels are noteworthy for their inclusion.  On such example is His time in the country near Jacob's well with the Samaritans there in chapter 4.  That was a period of withdrawal for Him, due again to the hostility of the religious leaders.  Yet it proved to be so significant as to constitute the first revelation of His identity -- to one who was both a woman and Samaritan.  These repeated mentions in the Gospels of Jesus' retreats from the public eye give us a sense that they are as important and significant as His appearances teaching in the temple and disputing with the religious leaders.  The Gospel seems to indicate that this retreat into the place near the wilderness is "fruitful," even as we have His monumental teachings from His time spent at the temple.  Jesus uses these times of strategic retreat from the public eye for more than simply the purpose of evading the hostile religious leaders.  We are told that He retreats for prayer several times (for example, Luke 6:12), and these seem to happen at crucial times in His ministry, such as, in this example, just before choosing the Twelve.  Now the stage is set for His Passion, as the high priest has pronounced that He should die.  It is one of those significant turning points, as His "hour" is approaching.   In a modern context, we seem to have a sense that only great public debate and special public relations appearances are the tools for asserting a particular path or way forward, for promoting one's interest or program, no matter what that is.  We are "on" all the time on public media.  But Jesus teaches us something entirely counter-intuitive to our always action-based public appearances, especially in our consumption of media.  He withdraws, regularly.  In the times that constitute that turning points of His ministry, just prior to new choices and directions, He withdraws, and He teaches us something really very important in a media-saturated society.  The times when we withdraw, especially for prayer, reflection, and contemplation, for a sense of private life and a connection to God and our inner life, are just as crucial and significant for our growth and mission in life as are the times when we actively "put in an appearance," so to speak.  Jesus does not go to the temple at this juncture for more disputes; this is a time for something else.  It is a time not to "fight fire with fire" but to withdraw and assess, to accept this new stage of development, to seek God's path forward.  He will go toward His Cross, and come to make a grand public entrance into Jerusalem when it is time for Him to do so.  But His actions of withdrawal teach us that we should also embrace such times in our own lives when we need them.  We are not only "alive" when we are on stage before the world and presenting ourselves.  Our lives should be primarily centered not before the world, but before God who gives us life, an purpose, and meaning, as well as the roots and depth of love.  As human beings, the times of withdrawal are as significant for us as the times we are "out there" in the eyes of others, for our lives are not merely external.  We must also seek the gaze of God, who sees in secret and who is in the secret place (Matthew 6:6).   In our past two readings, we've encountered Jesus' friends, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.  Mary will again make an appearance in John's Gospel in Monday's reading, playing a very important role indeed.  Mary, as we've noted, is the more contemplative of the two sisters, both of whom were beloved of Christ.  Today let us consider that the one thing needed, the good part is sometimes withdrawal and contemplation, to simply listen in our own way to the Teacher.