The Plot to Kill

After Lazarus died, and as his sisters were mourning, there were many Jews gathered at Bethany to share in their grief. Some were real friends of Lazarus and his sisters, and as usual, many of them were phony friends; curious onlookers, waiting to see how Jesus would deal with this sorrowful event in this family he loved. What they witnessed was truly spectacular. No one expected to see an unmistakably dead man walk out of the tomb, as Lazarus did, on Jesus’ command. Only the Lord of Life could do such a thing, and they all knew it. Others could move the stone (v. 39) and remove the bindings (v. 44). No one but the Creator of life could return life to a dead body.

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. John 11:45-46

The miracle of raising a dead man thoroughly impressed everyone who saw it. Those who were positive to God’s plan of grace realized immediately that the Person Who performed this miracle was the Messiah they’d been expecting. Therefore they believed in Him. Those who were negative to God’s plan, the religionists, simply saw it as an affront to their legalism and further proof that this man was dangerous and should be killed. Before, they despised Him and His grace teaching. Now, they were afraid of One with such undeniable power. Since He could do these things, He was a threat to them and their system of religious control over their people.

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.” John 11:47-48

“Our place” – The Holy Place. The temple. “Our nation” – Israel. The Jewish people. The priests and Pharisees enjoyed great authority over the Jewish people, through their man-made distortions of the Law of Moses, and their rulership of the temple rituals. This powerful Man, Jesus, claiming to be God, was not impressed with their authority. They didn’t know what to do with such a person. What they wanted was to be rid of Him. Since His appearance, nothing would ever be the same.

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. John 11:49-52

Expediency. That is often the rationale for the evil deeds of people in authority. We must do this for the good of the nation. If we allow Him to continue, everything we work for will be lost. One life sacrificed is better than seeing the nation perish. Caiaphas spoke pure truth, but his intention was entirely worldly; political in nature. He spoke God’s plan exactly, but he had no idea of the spiritual meaning behind those words. Caiaphas was planning a drastic solution to what he saw as a threat to the status quo, and he could justify it by saying it would be best for Israel to eliminate this distracting miracle-worker before He became even more attractive to the masses.

So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. John 11:53

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. John 11:54

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. John 11:55-57

Passover was drawing nigh. Many of the priests and Pharisees went into Jerusalem to prepare themselves for that celebration. In the temple, as they were undergoing the purification rites to qualify for Passover, they were plotting to arrest and kill the Lamb of God. Finding Him became job 1.

Finding Him would not be a problem when God’s time became right. He was in charge of this plan. Not the Jews. And no detail in God’s plan will be determined by religion or politics.