Scripture: John 11:45-57 (ESV)
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 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.
Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples. Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. They were looking for Jesus and 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 should let them know, so that they might arrest him.
I love a good strategy game. I probably spend about 15-30 minutes every single day playing chess. I am at home whether it is a Starcraft 2 tournament, or a game of Catan. I genuinely enjoy seeing a path to victory, pursuing it, only to be bested by another player at the last second. I don’t really love being bested… but I enjoy the contest of trying to stay in control until you snatch victory from your foes.
Unfortunately, the reality is that I have lost the last three Catan games to my wife, who secretly snuck up from behind to claim the victory. For all my plotting, my plans unraveled! The feeling of trying to stay in control is how Caiaphas must have felt in John 11. You see this episode plays out just after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Word about Jesus spread like wildfire. Many believed in Jesus, but others ran to the Pharisees to report what had happened.
Like many religious bodies, the first thing they did is call a committee meeting to decide what to do. They had to figure out what to do with Jesus. If people kept going to him and believing in him, then the whole social order of the day would come crumbling down. If that happened, the Romans would come down hard on the Jewish leaders. You can almost sense the panic of the situation. The council had to figure out what to do and put an end to the Jesus problem.
Then we see Caiaphas stepping up. He doesn’t realise that what he is about to say would serve as a prophecy. He is more concerned with dealing with the problem and he offers a simple, but effective solution. Just kill Jesus. “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.” These are the words of a leader who is willing to do what it takes to deal with a political problem.
But like me in the Catan game, Caiaphas wasn’t the one who was really in control. God was at work behind the scenes, even using Caiaphas’ own words to prophecy that Jesus would die for the good of all of Israel. We hear echoes of Joseph’s confession right back from Genesis 50:20. “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”
The religious leaders wanted Jesus to die to solve their political problem. But God was arranging things so that Jesus’s death would be the means by which salvation would come. What they intend for evil, God intended for good.
But this makes me pause to think: How often do we, like Caiaphas, assume that we are in control? That we know what needs to happen? Now I am sure most of us reading this aren’t plotting to kill people to solve political problems, but the principle is the same. How often do we kid ourselves that we are running the show, when really God is arranging things just so, for his own purposes.
We need to read this passage with humility. We need to be reminded that really we are but one person and that God really is sovereign over us. And that humble posture is a good one with which to enter into the day.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, please forgive me for the times I think I know better. Thank you for using even my flawed actions to bring about your plans. Amen.
Spiritual Challenge
Think about your plans for today. Hand them over to God and ask him to handle it better than you can. Then see what happens. It might just turn out better than you expect!