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

 

 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, after delaying upon hearing that Lazarus was ill, and after meeting Martha at on the road to their home, 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.   The witnesses to the raising of Lazarus had come from Jerusalem to mourn with Martha and Mary.  The text notes that many of those who had seen the things that Jesus did at the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, believed in Him.  But some went to the Pharisees, who had already opposed Jesus, and who now know of the raising of Lazarus.

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.  My study Bible comments that Caiaphas, being high priest, is given the authority to speak prophetically.   The emphasis is on the office:  the failings and even wickedness of the office-holder do not diminish the grace of the office itself.  Here, my study Bible says, Caiaphas means only that the death of Christ will spare the Jews from Roman intervention.  God's meaning, however, is that all people will be saved through the death of the Son.  

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.  The choice has been made, and from this day when Caiaphas addressed the council as high priest, they plotted to put Jesus to death.   We note that Jesus stays away from Jerusalem as a result, and went into the country.  It is, as we are reminded many times in John's 

Gospel, not yet His hour.

 

Jesus has moved toward ever-deepening conflict with the religious authorities as John's Gospel has unfolded this story.  One by one, the seven signs He has performed, in John's telling of the story of Jesus' ministry, have opened up deeper and deeper problems with the religious authorities.  They were upset and challenged that He healed on a Sabbath, and wrangled with Him over questions of His authority and especially His declaration that He and the Father are one (John 10:30).  They have understood perfectly well His claim to equality with God the Father, and they call it blasphemy.  They have already sought at least once to stone Him, and to seize Him at one of the religious festivals, but to no avail, as it is not yet "His hour."  But the resurrection of Lazarus from death will seal His fate, as we can read in today's reading.  The authorities have decided that if Jesus has a great following of the people, the occupying Roman authorities will come down hard on them:  "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 sad action would take place eventually in 70 AD, at the Siege of Jerusalem, as the Roman authorities responded to an armed rebel uprising against them.  But our Lord will come riding into Jerusalem not with chariot and horses or army, but on an animal of peace, a donkey, as we will see in our following reading.  For now, the religious authorities have made up their minds that they must put Jesus to death, so that they will not lose their places.  However, as my study Bible teaches us to observe, Caiaphas, in the office of high priest, unwittingly makes a prophecy we take to be true as those who are faithful to Christ.  He says to the Council, "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."  Our Lord will be that one Man.  But let us observe the ways that things work, and especially how God works with even the evil events of our world, at least as we can see through the Gospels and the life and ministry of Jesus.  It is Jesus who has been revealing God to the people, and therefore to the authorities.  God is present through the "signs" He does, God's kingdom is present in the word He teaches.  And part of that word goes to the authorities regarding Jesus' identity and His divine authority as Son, including His complete devotion to the will of the Father.  Each revelation is meant to save, it is meant to teach and to offer salvation through faith.  But each one will respond in his or her own way, some to salvation, and others to a deeper and deeper darkness, even a murderous hatred and envy.  The same will be said even for one of Christ's disciples, who will betray Him.  But all builds up to Jesus' "hour," His "time."  In our own lives, it seems to me, we can but do the same, and follow Jesus.  There are times to speak and to confront, and times to withdraw.  All of this must be discerned through prayer.  And even those who respond to us in evil ways -- even when and if what we do is good and discerned through careful prayer -- will be creating conditions through which God can still work.  Even when we are defeated, God will still have a prayerful and holy way for us to go forward with our lives, to make good of our lives.  Indeed, what Christ says He offers is abundant life, which we may have even if we experience death.  As He said to Martha, "He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live."  The early martyrs understood this, and we should understand it in our own time and through our own lives.  While most of us do not live in conditions under which we feel a threat of martyrdom and violent persecution for our faith, there will nevertheless be ways in which we are challenged to endure, to persist, to have patience, as we follow His commands and do our best to live prayerful, and holy lives, even when the hand we're given might be against us.  God provides us a way, if we can but see it.  But the key Jesus teaches us is discernment, to be alert to truth, to God's way for us, as paradoxical as that might seem sometimes.  And we endure in our faithfulness, in living our faith, as did He who came first and set the example.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 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 he did not say this 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 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus had come to Bethany after delaying two days, so that by now Lazarus had been dead for four days.  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.  Once again, John's Gospel gives us the division among the people in response to Jesus.  Some believe, but some go to the Pharisees.  These are likely prominent people from Jerusalem who came to Bethany to mourn with Mary and Martha.  Also, let us note that the text mentions Mary, seemingly indicating she was a person of some notable standing in the community.

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 he did not say this 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.   My study bible notes that Caiaphas, being high priest, is given the authority to speak prophetically.   It says that the failings and even wickedness of the officeholder do not diminish the grace of the office itself.  Here, Caiphas' intent is simply to tell the Council that the death of Christ will spare the Jews from Roman intervention.  But in the prophetic sense, God's meaning is different:   the prophetic declaration of this statement is that all people will be saved through the death of Christ 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.   St. Cyril of Alexandria comments on this passage:  "As God, Jesus knows the secret plans of the Jews even though no one reported them to him, and He withdraws, not because He is afraid but so that his presence might not irritate those who were already seeking to kill him. Here, He also teaches us to avoid stirring up the passions of those who are angry and not to thrust ourselves into dangers, not even when it may be for the sake of truth. When we are overtaken by dangers, He teaches us to stand firm, but when we see them coming, since it is unclear what the actual terms of the conflict will be, it is best for us to get out of their way."  Ephraim means "fruitful," and this can be understand as an indication that Jesus' ministry will go among those who will bear fruit, a repeated theme in John's Gospel (see, for example, 15:8, 16).

How can we understand the prophetic nature of what Caiaphas says?  We have to understand it within the context of his position as the high priest.  The man Caiaphas may say one thing to the Council members, meaning it a certain way.  But inadvertently, and from his position as high priest, it is nevertheless a prophecy about Jesus, the Christ.  The Gospel tells us that "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."   And so this was clearly understood at least before the time of the writing of John's Gospel, considered to have taken place toward the end of the first century after Christ.  How is it possible, we might ask, that a person can make a prophecy meaning something entirely different?  In order to understand this, we have to consider the work of God in the world, and specifically the power of an institution, one established through the power of God and God's condescending love for humankind.  It is a clear link in the Gospel between the Old Covenant and the New, an affirmation of God's hand at work throughout the history of Judaism and leading into the Christian era.  But we can also understand this on a more personal level, as we observe that God works through any and all circumstances, whether we are willing or unwilling, whether we are cooperating with God's purposes wittingly or unwittingly.  Therein, for us, lies the importance of the mystery of God, for when we lose that mystery, we really do lose the great subtext of our faith.   We cannot approach faith with a merely literal mindset, nor was our faith considered to be one of simple rules, nor a simple set of codes or beliefs.  It has the power of God working through all things.  Once again, as we remarked in yesterday's reading and commentary, we must come to know our faith as that which touches us that God can work through all things.  This is but one powerful meaning of the Cross.  As we see these men's ambition hardening to rid themselves of Jesus, to put Christ to death, so we also see the prophetic power of God working through the position of the high priest, regardless of the aims, character, or ambition of the man who is speaking.  The same will be true of the Cross, because God will be working through the Cross.   These events teach us about our faith and the circumstances in which we find ourselves.  Do we despair of good leadership and the qualities of human beings in authority?  God works through the circumstances in which the leadership wishes to kill Jesus, and reject His message.  But let us also pay attention to Christ, for He knows when it is time to act and when it is time to withdraw.  He, also, tells us a story about our own lives in trying circumstances.  We need prayer to negotiate any and all times.  He withdraws in order to prepare for the proper time, to avoid needless conflict, and in order to serve God's purposes.  He knows when it is time to act, and when it is wise and prudent not to force circumstances, and to allow time for things to become more clear, especially as St. Cyril indicates, the precise terms of conflict and danger.  Let us not withdraw from the world in fear, but follow the power of Christ and of God who works through all things.  We are called not simply to be prudent but also not to fear, and to endure.  We must have faith that God is at work through all things, stay always centered in our prayer and faith, and understand that whatever the circumstances, God is still in their midst and still calls to us for our discernment.  Let us follow Christ through all things, and remain spiritually fruitful.  We may find God working even inadvertently through those who are antagonistic to our faith, and through circumstances that call upon us to endure and be fruitful.