Bible Study - Gospel of John Chapter 11
Bible Study - Gospel of John Chapter 11
| 1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. |
There were two towns named Bethany in scripture. Towns having the same name happens a lot today as well. At the end of chapter 9, Jesus was staying at the one east of the Jordan in Perea where John the Baptist had his ministry. The one where Lazarus lived was on the west side of the Jordan in Judea, less than two miles from Jerusalem and on the other side of the Mount of Olives. Jerusalem is west of the Mount of Olives and Bethany is on the east side. Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha were disciples of Jesus. Scripture doesn't record if they ever travelled with Him. But Lazarus was rich and was a big financial supporter of Jesus' ministry. Scripture doesn't record what Lazarus' illness was, but clearly it was deadly. |
| 2 It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. | Mary was a common name. And writers at this time would identify the specific person they were writing about by the town they were from, other names they were called, and/or actions they were known for even if that deed had not yet occurred in the narrative. For example, a person writing about George Washington will refer to him as the first president at the beginning of their narrative that starts with him as a boy. Thus Mary is identified for the act she was known for even though it won't occur in this gospel until chapter 12. Mary is not the sinful woman from Luke 7:36-50. There are numerous details of the stories that differ, not the least of which is when the events occur in Jesus' ministry. Here the sick man Lazarus is identified as the brother of the two sisters. |
| 3 So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." |
It is likely that Mary and Martha sent a servant to bring the word to Jesus verbally. Although one could hire someone to take a message to another city, this is less likely. That they refer to their brother as "he whom you love" tells us of the relationship between them. John identified himself as the disciple Jesus loved in this gospel. |
| 4 But when Jesus heard this, He said, "This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it." | Who Jesus is speaking to is not identified. But it was most likely to his disciples, although it could have been the messenger or both. On it's surface is sounds like Jesus is saying Lazarus won't die. But His words do not actually say that. That this will bring glory to Jesus is a hint at what is to come. |
| 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. | This verse states outright that Mary, Martha and Lazarus were loved by Jesus. |
| 6 So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. | Jesus deliberately stayed two days after he received the message that Lazarus was sick. This was so the miracle would be without question or doubt. |
| 7 Then after this He *said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." | Jesus telling the disciples that they should go back to Judea was a very serious thing. The Roman territories of Judea and Samaria were under the rule of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. The territories of Galilee and Perea were under Herod Antipas who ruled as Roman Tetrarch over these territories. His territories were separated by the Roman territory of Decapolis, (which literally means ten cities,) that fell under the rule of the Roman governor of Syria. Herod Antipas was the fifth son of the Roman appointed king of Judaea, Herod the Great. Judaea included Judea, Samaria, Galilee, Perea, Decapolis and Trachonitis. Because of the political division between the territories, staying in Perea put Jesus and his disciples out of the reach of the Jewish leaders. Returning to Judea meant risking death for Jesus, and likely for his disciples as well. |
| 8 The disciples *said to Him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?" | The Jews here refers to the Jewish leaders, and mostly to the Pharisees. The disciples point out the peril for Jesus to return to territory controlled by Pilate, and therefore in reach of the Jewish leaders. |
| 9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." |
Jesus' response echoes 9:4-5. The metaphor in those verses is that the day represents Jesus' ministry on earth, and the night the end of it. In referring to that metaphor, these verses it seem to be a long and poetic way of saying going to Judea will be okay because it's not yet His time. The choice of wording of the end indirectly addresses how things will be after Jesus is crucified and/or leaves earth for heaven. While Jesus walked the earth he was the light of the world. After he leaves, only those who have the light in them will be able to walk without stumbling. Thus when we hold onto thoughts and beliefs that are not of Jesus, we are going to stumble. |
| 11 This He said, and after that He *said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep." | Sleep as a metaphor for death was commonly used then. Paul used it four times in 1 Corinthians and 1 Thessalonians. And it is used today as well. This is usually understood by the context of it being final. But Jesus stated He would go in order to wake Lazarus. |
| 12 The disciples then said to Him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover." | The disciples thought that Lazarus falling asleep was literal, and this meant he would recover. It was known that actual sleep is healing to one who is sick. |
| 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep. | That Jesus said He would awaken Lazarus in verse 11 seems to be why the disciples didn't understand Jesus' meaning. That is understandable as normal experience is that death is final in this life. |
| 14 So Jesus then said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15 and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him." | What was spoken plainly was that Lazarus was dead. The rest of the sentence after that was not plain, especially to the disciples. Jesus could have healed Lazarus if He had gone there sooner. Or He could have healed Lazarus from a distance as he did in 4:50. And if He arrived closer to Lazarus' death doubters could suggest that Lazarus wasn't really dead. By waiting before traveling Jesus made it clear the reality and magnitude of the miracle. It was also necessary that Jesus be there personally to make it clear that He was the source of the miracle. |
| 16 Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, so that we may die with Him." |
Thomas was one of the inner circle of 12 disciples. Didymus means twin. There is nothing recorded in scripture or other legitimate sources about why he had this second name. Both names are Greek, which is unusual as most have a Hebrew and a Greek name. Regardless, this is the disciple known as doubting Thomas. While grammatically it is possible the "Him" could be either Jesus or Lazarus, there is no context that suggests they thought they would die like Lazarus or that they would share in his manner of death. However, the warning by the disciples in verse 8 makes it clear they were very aware of the threats and attempts on Jesus life and that returning to Judea meant the possibility of that being carried out. Doubtless they also felt their own security would be at risk. Thus Thomas' statement is most likely a pronouncement that if Jesus is going to risk death by going to Judea then they all ought to go with Him. Whether this was a statement of solidarity and bravery or a pessimistic lack of faith in Jesus' assurances that it wasn't yet his time is not made clear in scripture. Either is possible. |
| 17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. | With the time it took for the messenger to find Jesus, the two days Jesus stayed before traveling, and the time to travel from one town of Bethany to the other, Lazarus had died and had been in the tomb for four days. This was intentional because it ensured the coming miracle would be without doubt. No one could say it was like the Princess Bride with Lazarus only being "mostly dead". |
| 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off; | The measurement in Greek is 15 stadia. |
| 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. | To reach Bethany from Jerusalem they had to walk over the Mount of Olives. But it was not a hard or long journey. So visitors could come to console Lazarus' sisters and easily return home the same day. The Jews here also refers to the Jewish leaders, and verses 36-37 makes it clear that some of them were those who were trying to kill Jesus. Lazarus was a very rich and influential man. Therefore it would have been customary for representatives of each sect to come. |
| 20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house. | It is very unlikely that this verse is presenting a contrast between the two sisters like in Luke 10:38-42. Martha heard Jesus was coming and went to meet Him. It is likely that Mary didn't hear about it yet. The Greek literally says Mary was sitting in the house, which is merely a statement of her location. Translating this as "stayed" in the house implies a choice to remain that is not in the original language. Additionally, when Mary does learn Jesus is there in verse 28 she goes quickly. |
| 21 Martha then said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. | Many read Martha's words to Jesus as a rebuke. However, it is more likely that this was profession of strong faith in Jesus in the context of verse 22. |
| 22 Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." | Martha understood that Jesus could do anything through the Father. This shows she had been listening to and learning the teaching of Jesus over the years. Thus the incident depicted in Luke 10 was not a character flaw but the reaction in the moment of a woman overwhelmed with all that needed to be done. |
| 23 Jesus *said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha *said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." |
Scripture does not record if Jesus sent any word with the messenger in verse 3, and if so what they were. If He send words of comfort and/or prophecy it is unlikely they understood what Jesus intended as Martha does not understand what Jesus is saying here. This is normal considering that raising people from the dead was unheard of before Jesus became man. Martha's reply again shows she was educated in the scriptures and had faith in God, even if she didn't follow Jesus' statements fully here. The Sadducee belief that there was no resurrection was limited to their sect and was not mainstream Judaism. |
| 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, |
Jesus again uses ego eimi, the name of God, to begin his reply. This is another way of putting the parable of the Good Shepherd in chapter 10 where Jesus is the way, which is the door to the fold in the parable, and the life, which is the Good Shepherd leading his flock in the parable. Some use this verse to support a doctrine of all that is needed is belief alone. However, James 2:19 points out that even the demons believe. When someone really believes something it shows in their actions. If they believe a terrible snow storm is coming they don't go out in shorts and flip-flops. |
| 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" | There is a key point in this verse. It is not mere belief in Jesus that results in eternal life. It is the one who also lives in Christ. A person who believes in Jesus but the belief has no effect on them is in great peril for their soul. After saying these things to Martha Jesus asked if she believed it. It's not that Jesus didn't know. It was important that Martha say it out loud. |
| 27 She *said to Him, "Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world." | Martha confesses that Jesus is the the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God who became incarnate. The Greek word for "have believed" is pepisteuka, which is in the singular perfect active indicative tense. The active indicative tense means a past action that is still going on today. Thus Martha has, does, and will continue to believe in Jesus. That her brother died from his illness did not shake her faith. |
| 28 When she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you." | That Martha went away simply means she left the presence of Jesus. Martha then told Mary privately that Jesus was there and calling for her. That Martha told her privately means in some way like pulling her aside or whispering in her ear. Jewish leaders were present, and it was well known they were seeking to kill Jesus. |
| 29 And when she heard it, she *got up quickly and was coming to Him. |
It is no wonder that Mary got up quickly. She had a personal relationship with God the Son, and she knew it. While we can't experience Him physically face to face like she did in this world, we can have that mutual love relationship with Jesus. And we will see Him face to face someday. This is a sign that we are in right relationship with Jesus, that we are quick to respond and eager to spend time with him. When we are reluctant to pray, resist reading His word, and reluctant to worship it's a red flag we should be aware of. |
| 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him. | Here we learn that Martha had gone outside the village to meet Jesus. Considering some of the Jewish leaders were at her home, this was a sensible move. And considering why Jesus came, there was no need to go into the village and deal with the distraction of what would have happened. |
| 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. |
Again, the Jews refers to the Jewish leaders, some of whom were seeking to kill Jesus. They misinterpreted why she was moving quickly, judging wrongly what was her motivation. 1 Corinthians 4:4-5 prohibits us from judging what is in another's heart, such as their motivation. And that is wisdom because we cannot know their heart. Only God can. Arrogant people assume they know. When someone is judging wrongly, judging in a way that is prohibited by scripture, and failing to judge rightly as we are commanded by scripture like exposing the unfruitful deeds of darkness as commanded in Ephesians 5:11, then that person really is behaving like a Pharisee and we should be wary of them. This is how wolves in sheep's clothing behave. Isaiah 5:20-21 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight! |
| 32 Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." | We don't know what is in Mary's heart except for what is plainly stated. Clearly she was in sorrow for the loss of her beloved brother. And clearly she had faith in Jesus that he could heal any sickness. She didn't make the further profession of faith like Martha, that it was never too late for Jesus. But that doesn't mean she didn't know it. This could simply be the overwhelming of her grief stopping her from saying more. |
| 33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, |
This verse is difficult to translate because there isn't a direct translation that both gives the full meaning and still leaves the reasons vague like in Greek. Putting it in plain and simple English requires more information than is in the Greek, or an unsupported decision about what is not in the text. And the translators made unsupported decisions. In the NASB, ESV and NIV they made it overly vague and in a way that could be wrongly taken to be sorrow over Lazarus' death and Mary's tears. The NLT puts it as an anger reaction. While that is possibly the case, that is reading into the text what isn't there. What is translated as deeply moved in Greek is enebrimesato, which is translated as the verb to feel strongly or be deeply moved, and in other contexts as rebuke, speak harshly, warn, or insist on. In this context, it is most likely the meaning of felt strongly, but with a much stronger negative connotation than the English conveys. And the object of this verb is literally "in spirit" meaning this was aimed inwardly. "Deeply moved" on its own doesn't show that. Next, "was troubled" could be translated as stirred up or troubled, and the object of the verb is Himself in the Greek. What this is communicating is that this was also an inward action. The entire sentence is inward focused in effect. The next instance of enebrimesatos is in verse 38, which follows the back and forth division between the Jewish leaders and immediately follows the statement of the Jewish leaders who were trying to kill Jesus. What can be said with confidence is that Jesus' tears were public sorrow for the death of Lazarus, and empathy for the sorrow of Mary and Martha. By this we can know that even when God has to let things happen for our benefit, He feels what we feel, and cares that we hurt. And it can also be said with confidence that Jesus was also experiencing something internally he kept hidden that was related to the Jewish leaders. As to specifically what that turmoil was or why it was so is unsupported speculation. It is worth noting that the Jewish leaders who were at the house and followed Mary were also weeping. There is no indication that they were insincere. It is even probable that they did feel the sorrow at the death of Lazarus and it sincerely brought them to tears. That does not make them good people. We should not be fooled by this. Satan himself is an angel of light, the most beautiful of all the angels. That is what makes him and the most evil people so dangerous. They appear to be so good and nice. But inside they are full of deceit. Despite the ridiculous and cartoonish portrayals in the media, evil looks like good unless you use discernment to see the truth. For example, almost everyone at a church or business will think a certain person is the most humble even though they have an ego so big it should be used as a parade float. They are masters at misdirection. They will satisfy their ego, but in a way that people without discernment will be fooled by. They will brag about their material possessions in such a way as to misdirect, faking that they are talking about it in order to give praise to God. Prosperity preachers are what we most often think about. But they are easy to see as fake by anyone who isn't a fool. The ones in our own churches are better at hiding it. Paul repeatedly said do not be deceived because we are so easily deceived. Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. |
| 34 and said, "Where have you laid him?" They *said to Him, "Lord, come and see." | Jesus got right to business. It is not stated who responded to Jesus. It was likely residents of Bethany that had a close relationship with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. |
| 35 Jesus wept. |
This is the shortest verse in the Bible, which is a common Bible trivia question. The verb for Mary's weeping in verse 33 implies and includes crying and wailing. It is used for weeping that goes beyond just tears. The verb in this verse for Jesus' weeping only refers to the tears, and is used for quiet weeping. However, both imply a large quantity of visible tears. We should not read too much into this verse. There is no indication whether this had anything to do with the Jewish leaders being present or not. |
| 36 So the Jews were saying, "See how He loved him!" | This further illustrates that the Jewish leaders were not in agreement. But when those who are good stay silent or stand by when others do wrong, they are guilty of being an accessory to the wrong the others do. That goes for us in our own churches as well. |
| 37 But some of them said, "Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?" | By referencing the miracle of the blind man the Jewish leaders asking this question identify themselves as the ones who were seeking to kill Jesus. And by asking a snarky question they show their intent. Those with bad intentions let us know by what they say and what they do. They defend it with statements like, "I'm just asking questions." But asking questions to create doubt and dissension is not "just asking". It is meant to cause harm. |
| 38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, *came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. | Jesus is again "deeply moved" like in verse 33. The verb is the same with the same strong connotations, although in a different tense and this time with the focus of within himself instead of in spirit. However, these are often used interchangeably by the New Testament authors. This was something Jesus was keeping inside regarding the Jewish leaders. His sorrow for Lazarus and his sisters was made public. |
| 39 Jesus *said, "Remove the stone." Martha, the sister of the deceased, *said to Him, "Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days." |
The entrance to tombs were usually covered by a removable stone. In the case of a wealthy family it could be a large disc of stone that could be rolled away, but was held in place by a slot in the ground directly in front of the door. This would require it be lifted out to roll it aside. Either way, this was not an easy task by design. Embalming to preserve the body was not done as we do today. Bodies were treated for the purpose of helping with the smell of decomposition. The decomposition of the body was a desired result. The body would be wrapped and placed on a flat surface in the tomb to decompose. After decomposition, the bones would be collected and placed in a box called an ossuary, and that would be placed on a shelf with the rest of the deceased family members in the same tomb where the decomposition took place. Normally the stone wouldn't be removed for a year. Jesus' command resulted in Martha saying what everyone there was thinking. The smell of the body decomposing would be terrible at this point. Literally, Martha said "he stinks now". |
| 40 Jesus *said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" | Sometimes even when something is totally in line with scripture we can't see it. Jesus had told Martha earlier in the day when they met outside the village. And it is certain He taught her this concept before during His ministry. But in her mind her brother was in the tomb to stay, and she couldn't conceive of anything other than the resurrection of everyone at eschaton, the end times. In the same way we can read ten different passages of scripture that all say the same thing and completely miss it because it contradicts our own doctrine. We ought to come to scripture with humility and the willingness to let go of our errors. Arrogance is the enemy of truth, learning, and wisdom. |
| 41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me." | The men who moved the stone must have smelled the decay and corruption of Lazarus' decomposing body. It is very likely that some of the Jewish leaders were close enough to smell it for themselves. Jesus prayed loudly for the benefit of those watching, particularly the Jewish leaders. The evidence of Lazarus being dead and Jesus' words would make what was about to happen undeniable. |
| 43 When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth." | The stage is set for a miracle no one else in history has been able to do. Jesus commanded Lazarus to leave the tomb. |
| 44 The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus *said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." |
Lazarus was bound in the burial shroud. Movement must have been very difficult. But clearly the man who was dead four days was now upright and walking on his own. The shock even among the believers probably stunned everyone so they couldn't talk or move. Thus Jesus had to give the common sense command to unbind Lazarus to snap them out of it and do what needed to be done. Many make a point of how great it would be to experience a miracle like that. But this means that Lazarus would have to experience death a second time. It was certainly worth it to play such an important part in the ministry of Jesus. But it would still be an unpleasant thing. |
| 45 Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him. | Anyone who wasn't corrupted could not help but believe in Jesus after this. Even some who had been swayed by the arguments of the Pharisees would have been convinced Jesus was the Messiah. Raising Lazarus from the dead was not something Satan could do. Not to mention Lazarus was well known to be a devout and influential Jew, and raising him would go against Satan's interests. Unfortunately, belief is not enough on its own. Almost none of them stood up for what they believed just a short time later. |
| 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done. |
That some of the Jewish leaders present reported to the Pharisees does not mean there were no Pharisees present for the resurrection of Lazarus. It merely identifies where some of those present went. The point is who they went to shows their motivation. And instead of reporting to the chief priests a miracle, they went to this unscriptural faction to plot against Jesus. This miracle was the "last straw" for these self-centered frauds. They had to act now. Some speculate that the knowledge of this was what was behind Jesus' reactions in verses 33 and 38. But we don't really know. |
| 47 Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, "What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. |
From the previous verse we know that the Pharisees were informed first. And they were seeking to kill Jesus for some time. With advance knowledge they could engage with the chief priests with their slant and arguments on the event and their version of its meaning before this council took place. Thus everyone would come in stirred up against Jesus. It does not appear that this was an official meeting of the Sanhedrin with all in attendance. And the fact that they didn't properly argue things out supports that. In their own statements they admit that Jesus was performing many signs. That they do not even engage as to what was behind them undeniably shows the Jewish leaders had no interest in God or His will. They were entirely and narcissistically self-focused. This same scenario has played out throughout the history of the church. People in leadership positions become corrupted, whether it be the head of a denomination, a pastor of a church, a teacher, a small group leader, or an influential Christian. We are all human, and are all capable of turning away from God and to ourselves. Thus it is vital that we take responsibility for our own faith and our own Christian education. No one is beyond questioning. And those who refuse or deflect questioning show they are no longer following Christ, or at least they are on that road. |
| 48 If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." | This verse shows the manipulation that had gone on before this meeting. God-fearing Jews would be happy to see the Messiah and everyone believe in Him. That people believing in Jesus was a problem shows they had the wrong focus. The next argument was a straw-man unless one didn't believe God could handle it. For unbelievers it was a good argument. The Romans would allow local governments of native people to rule as long as they were loyal to Rome, kept the peace, and paid taxes. Herod Archelaus was a Jew and son of king Herod the Great. After the death of his father he was made Tetrarch over Judea and Samaria. But he was later removed, banished to Vienne, Gaul, (now called France,) and replaced with a Roman Prefect. However, someone capable of raising the dead could liberate Palestine and defeat the Romans. Their fear was definitely of losing their place. (Place refers to their position as religious and civic leaders of Judea.) But everyone believing in Jesus would cause them to lose their place as easily as being removed by the Romans. |
| 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, |
That Caiaphas was high priest that year does not mean that he was only high priest for the year. Rather, this is saying the during this eventful year the high priest was Caiaphas. The repeated emphasis of this may be due to the fact that a previous high priest was still one of the chief priests and was sometimes called by his old title. What is significant about this fact in this context was that Caiaphas was a Sadducee. This sect did not believe in the resurrection. So the resurrection of Lazarus was threat to his unscriptural beliefs and the existence of his sect. This is likely why this event motivated Caiaphas to risk getting the Roman governor involved. About ten years earlier Annas was the high priest. He was removed by the Roman governor, Prefect Valerius Gratus. Annas cooperated with the Romans even during his removal, and was allowed to remain one of the chief priests and hold tremendous influence. Annas was able to get five of his relatives put into the office of high priest by Gratus, but each was removed quickly. Finally, Annas got his son-in-law Caiaphas appointed who stayed in office from 18-37 A.D. Annas may have been the power behind him. But regardless, because Annas had been high priest he was often still referred to by that title. Thus any critics who claim this is an error in scripture referring to two different men as high priest during the same time period only show their own ignorance of the facts and history. As high priest, Caiaphas was in charge of the temple. There was no way he didn't know about the temple being defiled by the crooked moneychangers and animal vendors. And it is almost certain he was getting a kick-back from it. There are even accounts that the priests would fake finding fault with a sacrifice requiring they exchange for another with the animal vendors at a profit to them. Then the animal that was fraudulently disqualified would be sold to the next victim. The historical and scriptural records show this was a very ungodly man. Yet the nation still followed him. The opening statement of Caiaphas is an idiom that means "you don't realize." In other words, he was trying to emphasize that they were not seeing what was important. |
| 50 nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish." |
Put more clearly, Caiaphas was saying: You're not understanding what this means. This is what is best for you personally, all of you chief priests and other Jewish leaders. Then he justified this by saying it was for the people and preservation of the nation. |
| 51 Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. |
These two verses seem to imply this prophecy by Caiaphas was made at an earlier time than this meeting, but within this year. The prophecy differs from what he said in the meeting in two key points. First, the prophecy did not say Jesus' death was for the preservation of the nation, only that it was for the nation. And second, he completely left out the part that it was not only for the nation, but for all the children of God who were scattered abroad. It is certain that Caiaphas thought the prophecy was about the diaspora, that is, the Jews scattered all over the known world. However, it seems to have actually been about the gentiles being gathered together into one body with the Jews as children of God. It should be noted that while scripture says this prophecy was from the Spirit, that does not mean Caiaphas was a good man or priest. In scripture God uses lots of people who were in open rebellion against God and did wicked things. Balaam was a wicked prophet. Samson was self-centered pig who chased after his own wicked desires. Cyrus, king of Persia, was a total pagan who God used to restore Jerusalem and the temple. And in Matthew 7:21-23 people who performed miracles and cast out demons don't get into heaven. The point is, just because someone or something is used by God doesn't mean they are right with God, are good people, or anything like it. Don't be fooled by appearances. Question everyone and everything, checking all against scripture. |
| 53 So from that day on they planned together to kill Him. | To be clear, some had been planning to kill Jesus since the first time he healed on the Sabbath in Jerusalem. What is different now is there was a consensus that this needed to be done among those present which included the Pharisees, Sadducees, and a majority of the scribes and chief priests. This was not an official meeting of the Sanhedrin, but clearly had a majority of the members of that body. This meeting may be the one detailed in Matthew 26:3-4 that took place in the courtyard of Caiaphas' home. However, the Matthew 26 meeting may have been a strategy session after this meeting here in John. |
| 54 Therefore Jesus no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews, but went away from there to the country near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples. |
Again, the Jews means the Jewish leaders. This means Jesus deliberately avoided interaction with the Jewish leaders, whereas before they were frequently part of those listening and following. Ephraim was a city on a hill northeast of Jerusalem, near the border between Judea and Perea. It was overlooking Jericho and the Dead Sea. How long Jesus stayed there is not documented. |
| 55 Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover to purify themselves. | This verse marks the beginning of Jesus' last Passover leading to the Christ event. Participation in Passover or any other religious event was not allowed for people who were ritually unclean. To prevent having to repeat the ritual purification, many people would take care of that just before the event they were going to attend. This minimized the chance of experiencing something to make one unclean. The reason this is mentioned is that large crowds of people would be going to Jerusalem early, including from the area around Ephraim. This would make it easy for Jesus and the disciples to move around Judea and Jerusalem unnoticed. |
| 56 So they were seeking for Jesus, and were saying to one another as they stood in the temple, "What do you think; that He will not come to the feast at all?" | "They" is referring to the people who were coming to the temple in Jerusalem for pre-Passover ritual purification and the Passover itself. Jesus' teachings at previous festivals, healings, and the resurrection of Lazarus were widely known. So it is no wonder that people would be looking for Jesus. |
| 57 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it, so that they might seize Him. |
This was the reason for the speculation of the people. With these standing orders added to the common knowledge that the Jewish leaders wanted to kill Jesus it was natural to wonder if Jesus would come or not. He had come to other feasts and festivals despite the Jewish leaders wanting to kill Him before. But previously they were trying to come up with a pretext to arrest Him. Now the Jewish leaders were ready to act, pretext or not. It should be noted that the ones identified as giving the orders were the chief priests and Pharisees. The Pharisees had no legitimate position to be giving orders, especially like these. Under the law of Moses the high priest or chief priests could give such an order. Caiaphas had been put into the office and power of high priest by the Roman governor of Judea, giving him a quasi-civilian authority as well. Neither civilian nor religious authority allowed for the Pharisees to have any such role. This was how far away from scripture they had fallen. And this is one of the main reasons God gave us scripture. It is to be the standard and guide. Both the priests and Pharisees had to study the scriptures. But it bounced off of them. They rejected it even as they studied it. They put themselves as the authority of their lives instead of God. And that is the danger we must struggle to avoid, especially those in leadership at any level. |
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation.