John 11:47-53
So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” He did not say this of his own accord but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.
Killing Jesus was a New York Times best-selling book by Bill O’Reilly that looked into the events that led up to Jesus’ crucifixion from a historical perspective. The description found on Amazon.com reads:
Nearly two thousand years after this beloved and controversial young revolutionary was brutally killed by Roman soldiers, more than 2.2 billion human beings attempt to follow his teachings and believe he is God. Killing Jesus will take readers inside Jesus’s life, recounting the seismic political and historical events that made his death inevitable – and changed the world forever.
That’s a very compelling description! And, of course, it is a compelling story that literally changed the course of all human history. For some, Jesus is the ultimate hope and solution they are looking for. For others, he is an admirable historical figure, but he doesn’t hold any particular place of interest or pursuit. Finally, for a small but vocal group, Jesus seems to represent a movement that has judged them, spurned them and condemned them. For this group, Jesus is a threat, and they feel as if their lives would be better off if he had never existed. So it was with the Pharisees of Jesus’ day.
Lazarus was alive! It was an astonishing miracle that sent shock waves through Bethany and out into the hillsides of Israel. Lazarus had been in the grave for four days and was now out walking and talking and eating and visiting. It could not have been a trick as there were just too many witnesses…and the Pharisees knew it. To them, and particularly to their High Priest that year (Caiaphas), Jesus was simply a threat that needed to be eliminated. As his prestige grew, so did his power and influence, and eventually “everyone will believe in him.”
Caiaphas uttered a prophecy that rings true to any modern-day Believer, but completely went over his head. He prophesied that, “…it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” How true are those words! It is as if Caiaphas had been a fly on the wall when Nicodemus came to visit Jesus at night back in John chapter three. Yes, Caiaphas! It IS better than this one man should die rather than a whole nation perishes! Caiaphas…God does not want YOU to perish, but to have everlasting life (2 Pet. 3:9)! Sadly, Caiaphas was controlled by his enormous pride and lust for power na most likely, it cost him his eternal life.
What kept you away from Jesus? What draws you away, today?
