An Unwitting Prophet Series

Have you ever had something bad happen in your life, that God used to bring about something really great? Or even better than that, have you ever planned out your life perfectly, and decided how everything would work out, just to have God come in and shred your plans up right in your face? I sure have! I have completely given up on trying to plan my life, because every time I do, God says NOPE!, and sends me in an entirely different direction.

When I moved to PEI 10 years ago, I intended to go to Maritime Christian College for one year, and then go on to work in IT as a Network Administrator. But at the end of my first year, God said no, you’re going to stay at MCC and get a degree, and go into ministry. And I struggled to get on board for a while, but then finally I said, ok! Then a few years later, I had a really bad experience working in youth ministry, and I said you know what, maybe this isn’t what I’m supposed to do, maybe this isn’t what God is calling me too after all! So eventually I decided to go work at a software company instead. And I had a big plan to work my way up this company into a management position! But then God called me away from that! So I was like ok, now what! And then I ended up in the electrical program at Holland College! Not even sure how that happened. And so I said, ok God, so if this is where you want me, I can still use my gifts as a church member! But he was like nope, you’re still going to be a preacher! …Alright God!

So I started out planning to be in IT as a network administrator. And now, through a series of unfortunate events, I’m heading towards being a building supervising electrician preacher. Honestly, at this point, I’m just along for the ride. And I’m sure that most of you can relate very well to that feeling about life! Sometimes you just have to accept that God has a plan, it isn’t the same as YOUR plan, and you’re just along for the ride. You just have to accept that.

But my point is that God can use anything to achieve his goals and plans, but it doesn’t always make sense to us along the way. He makes all things work together for our good. He works through blessing, but he also works through the pain and suffering, and challenges and trials that we face as well. And through the death of Jesus, out of man’s GREATEST EVIL, he worked the greatest good of all time. He redeemed humanity through the greatest sin, the most atrocious act, in the history of the world: The unjust torture and murder of a completely innocent man, and not JUST a man, but God in the flesh.

We have been studying these prophecies about the Messiah for a number of weeks, and this week we have come to a prophecy that is very unique. First of all, it's not an Old Testament prophecy! It actually is a prophecy from just a week or two before Jesus died. But second, and more importantly: it is a prophecy that was completely unwittingly spoken, by the one man who wanted Jesus dead more than anyone else at the time: The high priest, Caiaphas. It is the perfect example of God taking our evil, and using it for his good. You see, Caiaphas was a scared man. Most Jews saw him as illegitimate, put into power by the Romans as an usurper of the high priesthood. His position as High Priest was only secure if there was a temple to be a High Priest over, and only if he kept the Romans happy. And he knew that the Romans didn’t like Messiah-types in their conquered provinces, because they usually were the instigators of revolts. So to him, Jesus was a personal threat to his position and his power. So he made a plan to remove the threat from the equation. But God used his plan for his own purposes. He caused Caiaphas to prophecy unintentionally as he spoke his plan out loud, and here is the kicker: He didn’t even know he did it.

So let's read this story. This is from John 11:47-53, right before this Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, and a ton of people are beginning to believe in Jesus because of it. It says, “Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we going to do?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 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.” Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life.”