Wednesday in the Word...John 11:47-57...One for all

This picture is the sunrise Easter service in 1935 at the foot of the Mt. Davidson cross.  It is a concrete cross of 103 feet on the top of Mt. Davidson that overlooks San Francisco.  I think it is a good visual for some of the words in our text today.

Today's Wednesday in the Word will cover John chapter 11 and verses 47 through 57.

v.47, 48 - Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs.  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.”

Jesus has just performed an amazing miracle.  A man named Lazarus, His friend, was dead and in the grave for 4 days.  Jesus calls him out and he makes his way to the sunlight to be unwrapped by others.  A dead man is now alive!  Some in the crowd believed but others made a bee-line to the Pharisees to let them know of the latest activity of the One who was gathering great crowds on His way to Jerusalem.  We now see how the chief priests and Pharisees respond to this resurrecting news.

The Jewish religion was recognized by the Roman government as the official religion of Jerusalem.  This acknowledgement brought benefits to both parties.  The Jewish community received allowances to practice their religion and the Roman government received assistance from them to govern the people of the region.  All other groups were persecuted by the Romans but not the Jews who followed the lead of the High Priest and Sanhedrin.

The fear was with so many people were following Jesus that the Roman government would recognize this new group over the followers of Judaism.  They would lose their status and therefore lose their privileges.  Their very life was at stake.
  
Isn't this the very truth when we come face to face with the fact that Jesus is the Savior, the Son of David, the Messiah who has come to save sinners?  Our very life is at stake.  We will either do anything to keep it just as it is or we will surrender to follow the One who transforms our lives to be like Him. 

They were following their fear rather than the fact that Jesus just did something no other has ever done before and He claims to be God.  Who is the Roman government to fear in the face of God?

v.49, 50 -  But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, 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.” 

Caiaphas, the high priest, thought it best for one man to die rather than the whole nation die.  One man would die for them all.  You and I are on the other side of this story so we can see the deeper meaning behind this statement.  Caiaphas is only thinking of the physical but Jesus would die for the spiritual.  Caiaphas is only thinking of the people of Israel but Jesus would die because God so loved the world.  

v.51-54 - 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, 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.  So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.  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.

These are some tremendous sentences from John.  The words of Caiaphas are not his own.  Our sovereign God is so sovereign that He used the high priest of that year to proclaim what was to happen.  John also gives us that Jesus would not just die for the Israelite nation but rather for all gathered together over all the nations as the children of God.  This is you and I.  We are the ones scattered abroad.  What Caiaphas saw as a solution to this regional problem was God's plan for His children all over the world.
It was not yet time for this event to happen so Jesus goes into stealth mode and resides among the edges or the shadows.  His exposure is lessened and His comrades are limited.  He is out of the spotlight of Jerusalem for the time being. 

v.55-57 - Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover to purify themselves.  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?”  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.

A large portion of the population of Israel would convene in Jerusalem for the annual Passover Festival.  Many came through the gates hoping to see this one named Jesus.  They had heard of His words and works and probably of this latest miracle that happened just a few miles from the Holy City.  Would Jesus come even though there was a bounty on His head?  The chief priests and the Pharisees had hung up posters per-say and offered reward money for anyone with a hot tip on where Jesus was.  Would someone take them up on it?  We know the answer but it is amazing that it would come from one of His own disciples.  Our chapter is done and we will have to wait to see how Jesus responses to this threat.  Let us pray.

"Heavenly Father, how You were and are in control, even of the perceived enemy's words.  As You had a plan and time for Jesus to pay the price of our sin to satisfy Your wrath, You also have a plan and time for the completion of all things.  I pray for our actions to be based on the facts that You have given us rather than running on the fear of what this present world temporarily gives us.  Amen."

Pastor Adam

p.s.  A vacation photo of our little Joshua in Texas filling up the pool one bucket at a time!