“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. 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.’ 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. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death" (John 11:45-53, ESV.)
Have you heard the name of Carlos Yulo?
He was Filipino gymnast, who won two gold medals during the 2024 Paris Olympic!
As we consider what he did, many things would enter in our mind. Many would focus on the rewards he received; some would be on his personal problem with his mother.
We acknowledge his performance, but as Christians, we should not fail to consider the Sovereign One, who extended the common grace in the life of Carlos Yulo.
So, this time, let’s focus on the topic, VIEWING GOD’S SOVEREIGN WORK while we study our text (John 11:45-53).
How should we view when God exercises His Sovereign Power? Or, when we consider His Sovereign Work, what should enter our mind?
Before we proceed in our text, be refreshed in our mind that the Gospel of John was written by the Apostle John. He addressed himself repeatedly in the book as, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” He focused on the life, works and words of Jesus in His few remaining days on earth. He pointed out that Jesus is God. And he related the importance not only of believing, but also of loving Jesus.
Some verses before our text, we realized that when Jesus “unleashed” His word, there were at least two glorious effects, especially if it is directed to us. First, we accept it. Second, we act on it.
Now, in our text, we could learn at least two things, as we encounter or consider the Sovereign Work of God. What are those?
I -- IT CREATES APPRECIATION IN THE HEART (verses 45-48).
We read verses 45-48, “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. 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.’"
Notice the two main reactions when the Jews witnessed God’s Work. After they saw Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, there were Jews who believed in Christ. There’s a belief, when there’s appreciation.
In other words, they appreciated Him for what He did, so they believed in Him. However, some of the Jews, instead of expressing their great gratitude or appreciation for Christ, they went to the Pharisees. They reported what Jesus had done. They expressed their doubts or resistance to Jesus. While the authorities or the Pharisees were threatened and, as we’ll learn later, they planned to kill Jesus.
The Jewish authorities, instead of being appreciative that God’s work was being done in their midst, valued more the position of authority they occupied. Romans gave them certain authority in the land, but they were subject to the Roman Empire. If the Jews allowed Jesus to perform more “signs” that He was indeed the Messiah, the Savior and King of the Jews, according to the Pharisees, every Jew would become His followers and “Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” In short, they would lose the positions they were enjoying.
They were not appreciative of the glory of God’s work. They did not appreciate the Personal Word, the Messiah.
As we read the first chapter of Genesis, there was light and darkness. We believe also that in this world, there are children of God and children of the devil (1 John 3:10).
Also, there are optimists and pessimists. Optimists see the good thing in a particular situation, while the pessimists see the bad things. A glass half filled of water, the optimist will say, “Oh, half of the glass was filled with water.” The pessimist will remark, “Oh, the glass was half-emptied with water”!
We can also add, “Optimists tend to look at things favorably, while pessimists expect situations to turn out badly.”
A story was told about a pessimist. When the ships before were made of woods and depended just for the wind to move, pessimist would say it was impossible for the ship made of iron or metal to stay afloat.
When the first steamboat, no longer made of wood, was built and presented to the public for demonstration, many people gathered on the port to watch it. Then, a pessimist shouted, “Let’s see, if it will not sink or if it will start and continue to move!” But, behold, the ship moved and did not sink. Then, the pessimist again shouted, “Let’s see, if they could make it stop!”
In the account that we read in John, we encounter also two kinds of people. Those who believe or who appreciate Jesus, and those who do not appreciate Him. Those who failed to appreciate Him did not value the good thing He had done.
How about us, is our heart filled with appreciation as we view, or consider the Sovereign Work of God?
The person sitting beside you is the Handiwork of God. If you could not see any outward good thing on him or her, just the mere fact that he/she is created in the image of God is a glorious thing, especially the Spirit of God dwells in him/her. Appreciation ought to blossom in your heart. Appreciation for the person and especially for the Sovereign Creator.
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said that He will build His Church. We are part of His Church. It is not our own doing. Its God. So, instead of focusing on its defects or even contributing to its imperfection, should we not be more appreciative of it, especially of the Sovereign Builder? Our heart should swell with appreciation, because “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Think also of Psalm 118:24. It says, “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Let us be like the Psalmist. He did not ascribe the coming of the day through the rotation of the earth and movement around the sun, but to the Sovereign Work of God. Like him, let us rejoice for each day. Let us appreciate it and the Sovereign God who made it.
And let us appreciate, not just for the life that God has given to us every day. But, as in the paraphrase of the Contemporary English Version of the last part of Isaiah 50:4, “Each morning He awakens me eager to learn His teaching.” And verse 5, we read: “He made me willing to listen and not rebel or run away.”
That’s God’s Sovereign Work to awake us “eager to learn His teaching.” It is His Sovereign work to make us “willing to listen and not rebel or run away.” Should we appreciate it that He can do it to us? Should we appreciate Him that He has done it to us?
Also, God’s written Word is not the just the work of men. It is God’s work, particularly of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). We need also to appreciate it. We need to appreciate the Divine Author, who made Himself known to us through the written Word.
What other works of God that we can see or can think of? Let us not fail to apprehend the goodness of what He did. So, we can appreciate it and appreciate Him more.
As we consider God’s Sovereign Work, what else can we learn?
II -- IT “OVERRULES” MAN’S EVIL INTENTION (vv. 49-53).
You will notice that “overrule” is enclosed in quotation mark. You’ll understand it later.
Meanwhile, we read verses 49-53, “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. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death."
As the Jewish authorities were concerned about what the Roman government would do to them, the high priest of that year declared that it was better for “one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” It was a like a death warrant for Jesus. It was not just a mob intention to kill Him, because of blasphemy. Now, His death was already an “official” pronouncement of Jewish authorities, because Jesus was a threat to nation’s security.
But their evil intention was used by God to accomplish His greater and righteous purpose for His people. John wrote that the high priest did not say this “of his own accord.” In other words, God intended “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.”
God’s intention was to make a substitution. Instead of allowing His children to perish, Jesus would die for them. His children are the sheep, the true believers, not only in the nation of Israel but also those who are scattered abroad -- in Gentile nations. Jesus mentioned this in John 10:15B-16, “…and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep (non-Jewish or Gentile believers) that are not of this fold (Jewish believers). I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
God’s work is not only through acceptable ways in the eyes of man. He works not only turning evil or unpleasant things into something good and desirable. In order to carry out His purpose, the Sovereign God even works through evil intents or actions of men.
A very clear illustration of this was in the life of Joseph. His brothers wanted to kill him. They threw him into a pit. And he was just taken out of it, only to be sold to the slave traders.
By God’s Providence, from a slave and a prisoner, Joseph was able to occupy a very high position in Egypt. Ultimately, his brothers were fearful that Joseph “would pay… (them) back for all the evil that … (they) did to him” (Gen. 50:15).
Listen to what Joseph told them, “… Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (verses 19-20).
He told them that they should not fear, because he was not God to execute vengeance.
Also, though their intentions or plans were evil against him, God’s intentions or plans for those undesirable actions were good.
No evil affliction could surpass what happened to Jesus Himself. We are aware that evil men did it to Him. But God’s Word tells us: “Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt,..” (Isa. 53:10A.)
We also read, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” (verse 4).
So, the Sovereign God is working even through the evil intent or action of evil men. He does not just reject or set aside the evil intent of man. Actually, He rules over it. He governs or has authority over it.
Believers or lovers of Christ, if the Sovereign God rules over even in the evil intent of men, how should we react?
We could have the confidence expressed in Hebrews 13:6. The author wrote, “So we can confidently say, ’The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’"
We also read in Psalm 118:6-7, “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.”
Not only we can confidently say, but even face even those who hate us. Also, we can be bold to share God’s Word to others, even to those who occupy elevated position in society. As the Psalmist declared, “I will also speak of your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame” (Ps. 119:46).
Next, we can strengthen our faith in God’s Word. We will not doubt what He said, for instance, in Romans 8:28, as NIV translates it: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” God works, not only in some things, but ”in all things” “for the good of those who love Him.”
As we will not fear men, we will not also fear any situation. David wrote in Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” No matter what we go through, actual or figurative “valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil, for the Sovereign God who rules over even the evil intention of men, is with us. And He works in all things for our good.
Also, as we realize that God rules over the evil intention of men, not only we can be forgiving but we are able to do good to those who offended us. Remember also what Joseph did to his brothers who had done evil to him. We read in Genesis 50:21,”(Joseph told them) ’So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.’ Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.”
Finally, knowing that God rules over the evil intention of men, we can rejoice in God even in our suffering. Actually, He leads us not just beside still waters, but also through the valley of the shadow of death. He does not just convert our painful experience into pleasure. He ordains for us to go through pain in order to experience pleasure in Him.
So, as we learn that God’s Sovereign Work rules over the evil intention of men, we can fear no man and be bold to share His Word to anyone; we can strengthen our faith in God’s Word; we will not fear any situation that God leads us; we can be forgiving and kind to those who hurt us; and we can rejoice in God even in our pain.
CONCLUSION:
In closing, think again of Carlos Yulo. He was rewarded not only with two gold medals. He received many other rewards. But all those favors are just through the common grace of God. Believers or not could enjoy those rewards.
But true believers enjoy the “reward” that is of, not just common but special kind of grace, or Sovereign Grace of God. The Divine Rewarder told Abraham, the father of the faithful, "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great" (Gen. 15:1, ESV).
In the King James Version we read: “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” Or in the NIV: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”
Is there any reward that could be better than that? Do we appreciate Him? He rules over even in the evil intent or action of men. We ought to appreciate Him and rejoice in Him more than in many gold medals!
