S: John 11:45-57
45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.
“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”
49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”
51 He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, 52 and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. 53 So from that day on they plotted to take his life.
54 Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.
55 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. 56 They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” 57 But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.
O: At first glance, it seems disturbing that the Gospel according to John appears to endorse Caiaphas’ murderous and ruthless pronouncement, “It is better that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” He was advocating the murder of an innocent man to maintain political and religious control, all in fear of Roman retaliation—even after witnessing an unmistakable miracle: Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead!
How could the religious leaders be so blind? How could they ignore such a staggering sign and instead conspire to kill Jesus?
But John offers a striking theological insight: Caiaphas unknowingly spoke a divine truth. His words, intended for evil, were used by God to reveal the deeper truth of Jesus’ redemptive death—not only for Israel but for all God's scattered children. John is not excusing Caiaphas' motives; he’s showing how God’s sovereign plan can work even through human evil. This echoes other moments in Scripture when God uses flawed or even wicked people to bring about good.
It's like how Alexander the Great, in his ambition, spread Greek culture and language across the known world—paving the way for the Gospel to be written in Greek and spread more easily. Or how Joseph told his brothers, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20).
As Romans 8:28 reminds us: “In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
A: When I see evil people succeed, or when injustice seems to prevail, I can get discouraged. But this passage reminds me that God is still working, even when it seems like evil is winning. He can and does bring good out of wicked schemes—even using the very words of those who oppose Him to reveal His will. We see only “the back of the tapestry” – I must trust that He is weaving a tapestry far more beautiful than I can see from my limited perspective.
P: Father, when I feel overwhelmed by injustice or discouraged by how the wicked seem to prosper, remind me that You are always at work—even when I can’t see it. Help me to trust Your plan, to believe that You can bring beauty out of brokenness, and to walk faithfully in hope. Give me eyes to see Your hand in unexpected places. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Note: I had ChatGPT help edit this a bit.
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