Joh 11:51 | KingComments | STEP | The president of the council is the high priest Caiaphas. It is his turn this year. The annual change of the high priesthood shows how much the priesthood has deviated from God’s original purpose. While they deliberate, Caiaphas opens his mouth and makes a wise statement. He states that his fellow councilors talk out of ignorance. They should not launch wild thoughts about their fear of losing their place and their people. It is all much simpler: Jesus just has to die. If He dies, the problem is solved. Then they can keep their place and nothing will happen to the people. The Spirit of God then notes that this ‘cleverness’ of the high priest is an unintentional but no less true prophecy about the death of Christ. The Spirit of God uses the mouth of Caiaphas to speak a prophecy. Similarly, the Spirit also used the mouth of an ungodly Balaam to speak the most beautiful prophecies about the people (Numbers 23-24). The Lord Jesus would indeed die for the people. Thus their thoughts of evil would be turned by God for the good of the people ( ). God’s plans with the death of His Son go even further. He will not only die for the people, but through His death He will unite the children of God who are scattered abroad. The scattered children of God are others than the Jewish sheep ( ). That unity has become a fact in the church of God in the New Testament. Before the time of the church, which came into existence in Acts 2 ( ), there was no unity of all believers around the world. The only unity there was, was that of Israel. This was a national unity. That does not mean that all in Israel were children of God. In addition, also outside of Israel were believers, but they were outside the blessings of God’s people. They had never become one. This only happened when the Lord Jesus gave His life and He was glorified and then gave the Holy Spirit Who formed this unity. That unity is based on the death of Christ.

‏ John 11:51

The Prophecy of Caiaphas

The president of the council is the high priest Caiaphas. It is his turn this year. The annual change of the high priesthood shows how much the priesthood has deviated from God’s original purpose. While they deliberate, Caiaphas opens his mouth and makes a wise statement. He states that his fellow councilors talk out of ignorance. They should not launch wild thoughts about their fear of losing their place and their people. It is all much simpler: Jesus just has to die. If He dies, the problem is solved. Then they can keep their place and nothing will happen to the people.

The Spirit of God then notes that this ‘cleverness’ of the high priest is an unintentional but no less true prophecy about the death of Christ. The Spirit of God uses the mouth of Caiaphas to speak a prophecy. Similarly, the Spirit also used the mouth of an ungodly Balaam to speak the most beautiful prophecies about the people (Numbers 23-24). The Lord Jesus would indeed die for the people. Thus their thoughts of evil would be turned by God for the good of the people (Gen 50:20).

God’s plans with the death of His Son go even further. He will not only die for the people, but through His death He will unite the children of God who are scattered abroad. The scattered children of God are others than the Jewish sheep (Jn 10:16). That unity has become a fact in the church of God in the New Testament.

Before the time of the church, which came into existence in Acts 2 (Acts 2:1-4), there was no unity of all believers around the world. The only unity there was, was that of Israel. This was a national unity. That does not mean that all in Israel were children of God. In addition, also outside of Israel were believers, but they were outside the blessings of God’s people. They had never become one. This only happened when the Lord Jesus gave His life and He was glorified and then gave the Holy Spirit Who formed this unity. That unity is based on the death of Christ.