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Jewish Leaders Plots to Kill Jesus (Jn. 11:45-54)

Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. 48 If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing, 50 nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” 51 He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, 52 but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God. 53 So from that day on they planned to kill him. 54 So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews, but he left for the region near the desert, to a town called Ephraim, and there he remained with his disciples.

Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and many people began to believe in him (v. 45).  The Chief Priests, the Elders and the Scribes, the Sanhedrin (Mt. 15:1), were perplexed as to what they should do.  The Sanhedrin was under the direction of Caiaphas who was High Priest from18 AD to 36 AD.  Caiaphas warned that if Jesus became popular with the masses, Rome would take note and he and the Jews may lose favor with Rome.  Caiaphas’ concern was clearly expressed in his prophetic statement, “it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish (v. 50).”  However, God’s plan was different; one man did die so that all could be saved.  Ironically, the Jewish nation and Temple were destroyed by the Romans between 66 AD and 70 AD.  The High Priest could make inspired prophetic utterances and his prophesy (vv. 52-52) was accurate.  Jesus died to gather the dispersed children of God, Jews and Gentiles alike; “He is expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world (1 Jn. 2:2).” The Sanhedrin condemned Jesus, but they did so without due process or just cause.  Nicodemus had previously asked the chief priest and the Pharisees “Does our law condemn a person before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing (Jn. 7:51)?”  

Almighty God, we cannot grow spiritually if we fight against you to preserve our spiritual status quo.  Help us to accept those whom you send into our lives to teach us how to draw closer to you, and grant us the will to change.  This we pray through Christ our Lord.  Amen!

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References

Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.

Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Expanded Edition, Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.

Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.

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