John 11: 47-53
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.
But one of them, Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year, said to them, You no 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.
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 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.
Jesus had just raised Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, from death, having been in the grave for four days. And word got back to the Jewish leaders.
Caiaphas didn't realize he was giving a prophesy to fulfill other, Old Testament prophesies; he was just reasoning out that if they murder Jesus, then the people wouldn't crown Him King and bring the Romans down on them.
These Jewish leaders were trying to hang on to their own power and authority and standing. They stood to lose everything--so they plotted murder.
Fear will entice people to do unspeakable things. These leaders of the nation were afraid of the Romans, and wanted to stay on their good side, so they could continue to lord their authority over the people.
They didn't connect their own Scriptures to what they could see was going on in front of them, so they didn't believe in Jesus. They were afraid of Him. If His popularity continued to increase, then the people would make Him King, and the Romans would sweep down on them and wipe out the whole nation.
So the only solution they could think of was just to get Him out of the way, by killing Him. Can you imagine the leaders of a big church or religious system today plotting to murder someone they thought threatened them? If word got out, they would lose their credibility.
And these were supposed to be the most godly men in that society. They worshipped the true God, but they weren't very much like Him. They were more focused on their own status quo than they were on searching through their scrolls to find out who this Jesus Person could be. They didn't want to upset their apple cart, so they didn't want to know.
And Caiaphas didn't even realize he was uttering God's message! But God used him, anyway, because he was the appointed High Priest that year. God respects the office, even when an unworthy man occupies it.
O my Father, how much Caiaphas lost out on! He didn't realize his crucial role in Your Plan for your Son. Jesus had to die, as our Personal Sacrifice, fulfilling the first chapter in Leviticus, to save us. Only after that will He fulfill the rest of the prophesies, concerning His glorious Kingdom.
Father, prepare us, Your Bride, to be ready to meet our Bridegroom. Strengthen us to withstand the severe persecution that is coming before His Glorious Appearing.
Continue to send workers into Your mission fields, Father; that every creature will hear the wonderful Good News, that He has already done all the work to save each one of us. And those who respond to You will be brought into that One Fold with One Shepherd, and the rest will have no excuse.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
