John 11:46-57
11:48 a The council’s deliberations unveiled their fears that everyone would believe in him. If people believed that the Messiah had come, the political implications would be threatening. The Romans viewed Jewish messiahs with suspicion, and the movement surrounding Jesus might inspire them to invade and destroy Jerusalem and its Temple.11:49 b Caiaphas was the ruler of the high council from AD 18–36. He worked for ten years alongside Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea (AD 26–36; see 18:29 c), keeping the peace with Rome.
Summary for John 11:50-51: 11:50-51 d it’s better ... that one man should die: Caiaphas’s words were ironic. He meant that it was better for a revolutionary to die than to have the Romans crush the entire Jewish nation. But Caiaphas was correct in a way that he could not perceive. The salvation that Judaism needed had little to do with Rome; it would come through the cross of Christ. John notes that Caiaphas’s inspiration was not his own but came from God.
11:52 e Christ’s death was not for Israel only, but for all, including people of other cultures scattered around the world (10:16 f; 12:32 g).
Summary for John 11:53-54: 11:53-54 h When the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death, Jesus made a judicious political move in response (11:54 i).
• Ephraim was a village about twelve miles north of Jerusalem, where Jesus was safe from the Sanhedrin but close enough to walk to the upcoming Passover festival (11:55 j).
Summary for John 11:55-57: 11:55-57 k As crowds arrived in Jerusalem on pilgrimage for Passover (see 2:13 l), the city was buzzing with talk about Jesus and his miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. People wondered if Jesus would be obedient to the law and come to the city to celebrate or play it safe in the countryside. The priests and Pharisees knew that Jesus was faithful to the law and would attend the festival, so they tried to make the city a trap for him.
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