March 3, 2004 John 11:47-53
“Here is this man performing many miraculous 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 place 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.
When someone calls you a “Nimrod,” it usually isn’t meant to be a compliment. But Genesis 10 says that he was a mighty hunter before the LORD. Unknowingly, they are paying you a compliment. Likewise, someone might call you a “Jew”, implying that you are a greedy person. But we could take that as a compliment, because Jesus was a Jew, and God calls them the original chosen people. After I preached a funeral sermon in McCook, a man came up to me and derisively said, “you’re just trying to convert everybody.” He was trying to insult me, but I took that as a compliment. It’s kind of interesting in life how someone can try to say one thing and actually be understood to be saying something completely different. Usually in life you can try to say something positively, but it ends up negative. A man can say to his wife, “you look thin in that dress,” trying to compliment her. But she replies, “so you’re saying I usually look fat in my other clothes?” That’s just the way life is.
In today’s text, we have another case of that happening. Caiaphas was trying to say something - but it ended up meaning something completely different from what he intended. His followers interpreted in the way that he meant it, but God interpreted it to mean something completely different. Caiaphas said, “it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” What did he mean? How did God mean it? That’s what we’ll find out tonight when we hear Caiaphas -
Speaking the Substitutionary Truth
I. The meaning of Caiaphas
The Substitionary Truth came two thousand years ago at the meeting of the religious minds of the Jewish world. Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead, after being dead for four days. This was an INCREDIBLE miracle that noone could deny. The real kicker was that during those four days many of Mary’s friends and relatives were able to come and witness for themselves that Lazarus really was dead. Just prior to our text for tonight it says, Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. These people were becoming true followers of Christ. They were really sold on what Jesus was saying about Himself because of the miracles that He did to back up his message.
But not everyone was sold on what He was doing. After Jesus raised Lazarus John tells us that some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. (Jn 11:46-47) They didn’t tell the Pharisees about Jesus because they wanted them to be converted. They were “tattle taling” on Christ, feeling threatened by what Jesus was doing. Why? Because if people were converted to faith in Christ, they would also follow his teachings. Jesus clearly taught that He was the way, the truth, and the life. It wasn’t as if they could share followers with Jesus. Christ had made it clear that he was opposed to them - different from them. It wasn’t his way or the highway. His way was the highway.
So what did they do? Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. (Jn 11:47). They called a meeting. One of my least favorite things in life are meetings. A majority of the time you just sit around and talk, and you don’t end up getting anything accomplished. But people just love forming committees to examine this and examine that - we’ll talk about evangelism and talk about stewardship or talk about outreach but it’s much more effective to just go out and DO it. So the chief priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.
Who were the Sanhedrin? The Sanhedrin goes back to the close of the Maccabean struggles, about 140 B.C. Through a Jewish revolt the Maccabeans were able to win some freedoms, like establishing their own institutions. One of them was the Sanhedrin. This was made up of three groups.
1. Chief priests - whose who once filled the office of high preist and in part the heads of the 24 classes or divisions of priests
2. Elders of the people - heads of tribes or family groups (clans)
3. Scribes - experts in the law.
They had 70 members plus the president. This group had chosen officers within it and also a “police force” under its command - the temple guards. Their primary concern was to rule over the Jews in religious matters and matters of doctrine. It passed upon the claims of any prophet who arose. It gave its verdict in cases where the charge was blasphemy.
Now, imagine this group getting together almost all completely convinced that Jesus was either just a complete phony or a false prophet using the power of Satan to deceive the people. Even though they were united in this conviction, they had to try and come to a conclusion on how to deal with him. Up to this point they had done nothing of significance. So here there were seventy men - which is quite a few - to try and come together and determine how to act. You would think they would therefore use some Old Testament Scriptures to try and determine how to act - or at least sound doctrinally driven in their actions. But what do they say? “Here is this man performing many miraculous 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 place and our nation.”
They make several assumptions. First of all, they assume that if they let Jesus go on like this, “everyone will believe in him.” If that were true, then why did some people come to them and tell them what Jesus had done? If they really believed that Jesus did perform this miracle, which they seem to acknowledge, then why don’t THEY believe in him? They underestimate the strength of a hard heart. No matter how powerful the evidence, it is not an easy nut to crack.
Second of all, they assumed that Jesus would use his newly found fame to lead an insurrection. Even though Jesus had openly resisted any attempts to make him a bread King, they just assumed that physical power was his real agenda. That was the only concept of leadership that they had - one of power.
Thirdly, they assumed that if Jesus would become a sort of Messiah, a political ruler, then the Romans would come in and wipe out their temple, their authority, and their nation. They assumed that the Romans were more powerful than Jesus and God.
But notice what their main concern was - not the nation - but the fact that they considered it to be THEIR nation and THEIR place. They were mainly concerned about their position of authority. Compare that to the attitude that Moses had for the people. When they were caught red handed in idol worship, God was going to destroy them. But Moses prayed to God, “O LORD, why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. (Ex 32:11-12). . . . “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.” (Ex 32:31-32) Moses didn’t care about the position he held. He was only concerned with God’s people. He didn’t claim any ownership, but only reminded God that HE owned them. As for his position, he didn’t even want it. God had to force him into leadership in the first place. But these supposed doctrinal “leaders” of the Jews - the seventy of the Sanhedrin - were only concerned about how much power and prestige they would hold if Jesus were to take away their converts. So they sat there and hemmed and hawed about what exactly to do with Jesus - knowing that had to do SOMETHING!
Finally, Caiaphas, sounding frustrated with the whole meeting - takes on his part as “leader” of the Sanhedrin (even though he was only put there by the Romans and not elected like he was supposed to be.) Caiaphas says, 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.” Caiaphas could have just said, “let’s kill him,” but that wouldn’t be religiously correct in a meeting of doctrinal minds. So what Caiaphas had to do was to say it in a more doctrinally correct manner - to put a spin on this murder that would make it look like the righteous and right thing to do. It’s as if Caiaphas was trying to say, “let’s look at what’s really good for us and our nation! We’ve worked so hard to get the rights we have - to establish this Sanhedrin after the Maccabean revolt! We can’t lose it all now because of our inaction on this rebel rouser Messiah wanna-be! It may not sound pretty - but in the long run - it’s just what has to be done. It’s the lesser of two evils. We’re going to have to put this man to death. We have to prove to the Roman government that we have no intentions of rebelling against them. This is simply the best way to do. If WE put him to death, we’ll gain their trust and they’ll have no intentions of taking away our temple or crushing our people. It’s really the only option we have.”
Under the guise of doing what is better for the people, Caiaphas recommended an end justifies the means solution. He used a supposed love for the people to sugar coat his hatred for Jesus. God has a word for people who do things like that. He says, Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. (Is 5:20) But millions of people are committing the same sin every day yet today. You can hear Caiaphas speak through the thousands of women who justify the murder of their children through abortion. They say, “it’s better not to have a child than to bring up a child in an unloving atmosphere, or in a home that can’t provide it with the basic necessities of life.” Pro-choice women say, “it’s what’s right for the mental welfare of the mom,” never mentioning the emotional distress that women have to go through after having an abortion. You hear Caiaphas speak through two adults who get divorced and say, “I’m doing what’s better for the children, so they don’t have to hear us fight any more.” What about counseling? How about forgiving one another and learning how to get along instead? You hear Caiaphas speak through Jack Kervorkian who says, “they’re going to die anyway, I’m just here to relieve their pain and help them die with dignity.” Doesn’t God say that he puts to death and he brings to life? But we live in a society that says the end justifies the means.
If we want to be honest with ourselves, we have our own Caiaphas society as well. When you know what you’re doing is wrong, and you excuse it with a seemingly “pious” excuse - you put yourself on the same level as Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin. You say to yourself, "I would give more money to church, but I need to feed my family too.” (While you are driving a brand new car and living in a hundred and fifty thousand dollar home?) You say, “I would be nicer to him, but he’s just such a jerk and I can’t put up with him." (Doesn’t God say to love your enemy?) You say, “I know I shouldn’t say this, but I felt you needed to know this . . .” (Doesn’t God condemn slander?) The end justifies the means - and it’s worse when we use Christian terms to disguise our sin.
You see, even as Christians, we can become comfortable with our religious system - the sin and forgiven system. We do this by saying to ourselves, “I know I should give a better Christian witness, but I’ve never been good at talking.” Or “I know I should have home devotions, but I’m just too old to change. ” Or, “I know I should be coming to worship more, but I just can’t get up in the morning.” In reality we are just using our in born sinfulness as an excuse to keep on sinning. It’s much easier to take the easy path of Caiaphas - relying on your weakness and sending Christ to the cross all over again instead of rely examining what you’re saying or doing. It’s much easier to send Christ to the cross than give up your porn, your language, your anger, or your greed. In reality we’re saying to God, “it’s better if one man dies than for me to try and put my sinful nature to death.” Who are we trying to fool? It stinks and God knows it.
II. The meaning of the Holy Spirit
If there was any doubt as to what Caiaphas was getting at, the sugar coating was gone in the response of the Sanhedrin. John says, So from that day on they plotted to take his life. They knew exactly what he was saying and now began to make ORGANIZED efforts to do so. But ironically, by sugar coating what he was trying to say, he ended up making these some of the sweetest words that we as Christians can hear. Even with his wicked intentions God had him utter a subtitutionary truth beyond his own comprehension. It’s amazing what God is able to do, isn’t it? He was able to take a seemingly unfaithful young woman by the name of Mary and make her into the mother of our Lord. He was able to take a murderer of Christians and turn him into the greatest missionary of the Christian church. He was able to take a terrible picture of torture and lawlessness in the cross and turn it into a picture of love and compassion. He can do amazing things with people and turn them into beautiful pictures of grace. The same thing happens here with Caiaphas. Let’s look and see.
John says, 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. Unknowingly, Caiaphas was actually speaking the Gospel as the high priest. He thought that this death of Christ would save them from the wrath of the Romans. What he didn’t realize was that death would save them from the wrath of God. He thought that this death would give them a better relationship with the Romans. What he didn’t realize was that this death would give them a better relationship with God. Even though Caiaphas was being selfish under the guise of patriotism, he ended up recommending the one act that would be tantamount to religious treason in his own eyes. Instead of setting his religion and nation apart and giving it a stronger footing, he ended up bringing both Jews and Gentiles together like never before under Christianity.
That’s what the cross of Christ does. The world looked at it as a place for murderers and law breakers. It looks like a place of suffering and torture and a picture of hate. It is. But in the eyes of faith, it is also a picture of love and compassion, forgiveness and hope. It is our refuge of holiness, our promise of a future, because on that cross Jesus became the object of God’s hate. Jesus became a murderer, a pervert, and alcoholic, and a rapist. On that cross, Jesus became sin. He became you and he became me. He suffered and died for our excuses and Caiaphas’ like sins. He took God’s wrath in our place in love. In that one sacrifice, Jesus put the world on his shoulders and made us all forgiven and righteous in his sight. Caiaphas words describe for me the greatest substitution every to take place. One man died for the people. Jesus suffered in my place - in the world’s place. What a wonderful picture that is! God stepped in front of his own lightning bolt of wrath! It’s just as Isaiah predicted in chapter 53, he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Is 53:5-6)
When we understand this gift of God through faith, we realize that we are on an equal plane with all fellow sinners in Christ. Peter is no greater than me. Paul is no more righteous than me. Luther is no more faithful than me. We are all saved by grace. It connects me to believers of all times and places, and gives me something in common will all fellow Christians. It naturally draws me together with others in a way that makes me look beyond skin color and age and strengths or weaknesses and enables me to forgive and accept all who repent and believe in Christ. It enables the members of this congregation to worship side by side in peace and harmony in spite of our different backgrounds and personalities. That’s what Caiaphas was unknowingly predicting with his words of hate.
The most amazing thing of this is that Caiaphas had no intentions of giving us some comfort in his words. All he was trying to do was sugar coat his intentions for murder. Little did he know that he was prophesying his own demise and the need for a high priesthood. Little did he know what he was saying! Yet the Holy Spirit turned his words into the Gospel. As Balaam before Balak, and Saul with the prophets, God was able to use an evil mouth with terrible intentions to produce beautiful promises with wonderful results. The Bible says that when God inspired it that when it was written men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Pe 1:21) Usually we assume those men were at least enjoying what they were saying. But here we see the Holy Spirit carrying a completely dead load to say what needed to be said. Wow, what a miracle this is! You might compare it to having the Holy Spirit using a call of death from Usama Bin Ladin and turn it into a promise of life. The ironic thing is that God even fulfilled this threat for his glory! Amazing! The Caiaphas plan was not just a “better” thing - God turned it into the “best” thing!
When an eleven year old girl was abducted and murdered in Florida recently, there was no good reason for it. A pervert just seemingly came and raped a girl for his own sexual pleasure and then murdered her to try and cover it up. That was it. It was a senseless and brutal murder.
When Caiaphas ordained the death of Christ, he tried to give it a “good” purpose. “Let’s save the people from the Roman government,” he said. When you look at his words for what they really were, they were just a sugar coated way of saying, “let’s commit a senseless and brutal murder for our own hides. Let’s substitute Jesus’ death for our own.”
Unknowingly, Caiaphas was speaking the truth in hate. God has a better message to tell us from Caiaphas’ words. Jesus did come as a substitute - to die for me and you. He came to bring us back together to God - to trade His Son’s righteousness for our sins - and to make us and all other Christians in this world unified in a common faith in Christ. Those are the substitionary words of truth. Believe in it and be saved. Amen.
