Theme: One Dies for all
Text: John 11:45-57
Greetings; The Lord is Good and his love endures forever.
Joke: “A frog had fallen in love with human girls. No human girl touched him. So, he went to a Prophet.
Prophet said: Soon you are going to meet a beautiful young girl who wants to know all about you. The frog was so excited and asked the Prophet when and where. Prophet said: in her Biology Class” (Adopted).
The theme for this day is ‘One dies for all.’ This passage which we have taken for our contemplation has many life values to learn. But let me share with you three practical life lessons. First, let’s see the evil stratagem of men, secondly the eternal plan of God, thirdly evade mean people rather fighting with them.
The context of the text:
Apostle John presented Jesus as an embodiment of love, the good, truth, and grace. He has described him as light, bread, life, and the only way.
This immediate context of this passage is preceded by the raising of Lazarus from death and followed by a Passover feast. John accounts for three Passovers with Christ. During the first, Jesus cast out the money changers from the temple (John 2:13ff), During the second, Jesus fed more than five thousand (John 6:4ff). During the third, Jesus sacrificed himself as Passover Lamb (John 1:29, 1 Corinthians 5:7).
Now, let’s move to the first life lesson:
1. The evil stratagem of Men (John 11:45-48).
The Priests, Pharisees, Scribes, and religious heads of those days had vehemently opposed Jesus Christ. They had feelings of insecurity. They had a threat to their existence, threat to their system, organized patterns, threat to their leadership role, power, and enjoyment of positions, and possessions. In fact, they had enjoyed everything in the name of God, and religion. Now they were in a state of fear and frustration because of the arrival, development of the revolutionary leader and reformer. Caiaphas, the high priest, the son-in-law of Annas, was upset over recent developments. He was the one who had torn his clothes at the words of Jesus and declared Him guilty of blasphemy (Matthew 26:65).
They were afraid of losing their place and nation. The word “Our place” refers to the temple from which they derived their prestige, power, and wealth. The word “Our nation” refers to their revenue from people, the land, and all that composed the nation of Israel as belonging to them, as being their domain. Its natural leaders get agitated if someone comes with better qualifications, quality, character, strength, and with a clean heart. Always those who enjoy for a long time are disturbed to see the newcomers and try to eradicate, create intricate stories.
It's clear all through History, two groups of people who can’t exist without one another. One is religious leaders, and the second is political leaders. Both of them are identical many times, they are different in their attires but mostly attitudes are the same. But we can’t deny and suppress the facts that there are and were true sacrificial religious and political leaders throughout the history of humanity in human kingdoms. Also, they found it difficult to survive and overcome. One thing is sure and undeniable that always duplicates surpass the originals. The Pseudo would prevail over the real.
According to William Barclay, the Sanhedrin was composed of Pharisees and Sadducees. The Pharisees’ sole interest was living according to every detail of the law. Sadducees were wealthy and aristocratic and intensely political. To retain their wealth, comfort, and position of authority, they collaborated with Rome. All priests were Sadducees. Sadducees always aimed to the retention of their political and social power and prestige. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, (The Wars of the Jews 2: 8, 14), "The behavior of the Sadducees to one another is rather rude, and their intercourse with their equals is rough, as with strangers."
You can also meet people who are insecure about their positions. Fear of the upcoming leaders, skillful persons. These people are found may be in your company, organization, in your career, your friendship circle. Be careful about their evil stratagem. They work against the progress of the common good of the community. Ultimately against the eternal plan of God. However, no one can twist the hand of God and stop his eternal works. God uses even the wicked leaders to accomplish his eternal purposes.
Now, let’s move to the second life lesson:
2. The Eternal Plan of God (John 11:49-52)
The Jewish belief was that when the High Priest asked God's counsel for the nation, God spoke through him. The High Priest was to be the channel of God's word to the leader and the nation (Numbers 27:18-21). God spoke through Caiaphas, though he was not a good high priest. Caiaphas spoke far more truth than he ever could have understood! But he said: “You do not realize that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, rather than have the whole nation perish” (John 11: 50).
Through the prophet, Isaiah God has told his people that he has purposed it, planned it, formed a plan and he would cause it to happen (Isaiah 46:11). "Even as this bread was scattered upon the mountains, and was brought into one, so let thy Church be brought together from the ends of the earth into the kingdom" (Didache 9: 4, Teaching of the Twelve dated 100 AD).
The villains were thinking that they are making the plans to arrest Hero and put him to death, but it was the original plan of the Supreme Hero, it’s the mastermind of God and not the mind of the mean people. Friends, the eternal plan of God is unique for everyone. You are unique. You are wonderfully and fearfully created by God (Psalm 139:14). God is in control of the situation. Don’t worry, don’t be afraid of the present scenario of your life. Your hardships, struggles are temporary in nature. God would use their schemes to accomplish his purpose (Acts 4:27-28). The best example is Joseph and his brothers. Joseph told his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20).
If you are a child of God, everything will happen according to God’s Will and purpose. Without his knowledge, without his permission without his permissive Will, not even a single hair will fall from your head (Luke 21:18). He is God, he is Almighty God. Towards the end of the sufferings, pains, and sorrows, persecutions, God has planned pleasant things for you. Hebrews 11:39-40 says that God had planned something better for us so that all the redeemed would be made perfect.
Reformer Martin Luther took the right course "despite all cardinals, popes, kings, and emperors, together with all devils and hell," charged him and wanted to punish him. He was summoned to appear at Worms to answer for his attack on the abuses of the Roman Catholic Church, he was well warned of the danger. His answer was: "I would go if there were as many devils in Worms as there are tiles on the housetops." Sanhedrin meant evil against the Son of God. But the very evil of men, God, in His sovereignty, meant for good and the accomplishment of the salvation of many.
Now, let’s move to the third life lesson:
3. Escape from Mean People (John 11:53-57)
Meanwhile don’t be panic about the news that comes to you. Keep yourselves away and do the work assigned to you. Let them plan all evil things but you withdraw from the arguments, from fights, from evil and wicked people, and just do the work of the Lord. Keep moving with the grace of God. Keep away from rights wing, left-wing groups but go with straight wings, live with God.
Jesus withdrew from these people and stayed with his disciples. He was spending time in prayer, counseling, and teaching the secrets of the Kingdom of God. Most of his parables, most of his teaching on the second coming have done during this period.
We have many examples in the Bible, of how the children of God, prophets, kings, and followers of Christ had taken the backseat when issues came to them. Don’t worry about the people who make fun of you and talk against you, mock you, comment on you. Just leave the matter to the Lord. You don’t handle it emotionally, and foolishly.
Runaway, then the Lord would fight. If you fight, God can’t help you. When disputes come, when someone wants to snatch from your hands leave it, say it, position, power, possession because that was the teaching of Christ through the sermon on the Mount (Read: Matthew 5:38-42).
I would like to cite a few examples for immediate reference:
Esau vowed to kill Jacob. So, his mother told Jacob to flee from his brother to keep him away from him, till his brother’s fury subsides (Genesis 27:41-45).
Jezebel planned to kill Elijah when he came to know it. He ran for his life (1 Kings 19:3).
Jonathan told David that Saul wants to kill David (1 Samuel 19:1-2,11). David fled the scene (1 Samuel 20:1), he escaped to the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1), Saul plotted against David to kill him (1 Samuel 23:9). But the blessed assurance is God would not let you down in all these circumstances. (1 Samuel 23:14: David stayed in the strongholds that were in the desert and the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. Saul looked for him all the time, but God did not deliver David into his hands.)
Jews conspired to kill Saul who was also known as Paul (Acts 9:23-25). Paul who escaped in his early stage that same man volunteered to go to Jerusalem to be arrested (Acts 21:30-31).
Nehemiah was seriously repairing the wall of Jerusalem but his enemies disturbed him and called him for negotiations as a plot to kill him. But Nehemiah neglected them and continued his work (Read: Nehemiah 4:1-2, 7-8, 6:1-5).
William Barclay says, ‘Jesus did not unnecessarily court danger. He was willing to lay down his life, but not so foolishly reckless as to throw it away before his work was done.’ When the time was fulfilled, Jesus went ahead to be arrested and crucified.
Conclusion:
The above examples teach us that we must escape certain times, till we complete the work of God. Escape, avoid saving money, time, and energy. However, there would come a time to encounter. If the hour of God comes you would win the battle.
