Day 13 :: Let Him Die
”Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be better for one man to die for the people.”
John 18:14(11:45-53)
Have you ever heard about the number of times the Simpsons has predicted the future? I don’t think the Simpsons creators were out to prophesy, but it’s actually quite bonkers. There’s a load of articles you can find online about how they ‘predicted’ things, like Trump being president, smart watches and video calling, or even Richard Branson in space.
Caiaphas was the high priest at the time of Jesus’ arrest, and he had something of an accidental prophecy too. As high priest, he led the Sanhedrin, and we’ll see more of them questioning Jesus tomorrow. Today though, we’ll have a bit of a flashback, and read more about Caiaphas in John 11:45-53.
There, we read of the religious folks, chief priests, Pharisees and the Sanhedrin, pondering what to do about Jesus.
”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.” (v48)
They worried that Jesus would lead a revolution that would cause the Romans to take away their status, influence, and puppet rule in the land. They wanted to keep the status quo, despite that ultimately meaning the Roman rule continuing. For now, life was steady, and of course, they benefitted greatly. They had much to lose.
“You know nothing at all!” (v49)
In steps Caiaphas with a bit of a put down. These lads around him were probably pretty smart actually, but he thought himself better, and he had a plan. His mind was made up. It was simple: kill Jesus, rather than have an uproar on hands.
“You’re not considering that it is to your advantage that one man should die for the people rather than the whole nation perish.” (v50)
To Caiaphas, it made sense that if they got rid of the threat, life would continue as normal. He framed it as one many dying so the nation might live, but really, I think he was just protecting his own backside.
”He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to unite the scattered children of God.” (v51-52)
Despite his ulterior motives, what he said was in essence true. Jesus, the one man, was going to die so that many could be saved. Not Israel as he knew it, but God’s true children, both from Israel and across the world.
“For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s disobedience the many will be made righteous.”
Romans 5:19
The first man, Adam, sinned, and the whole world was tarnished. The second Adam, Jesus, came in perfect obedience to death on the cross, so that many might be saved.
Caiaphas boldly stated that he knew what was coming, but while he may have been right that Jesus would die for many, he was so far from understanding the reality. By rejecting Jesus, he sadly wouldn’t be considered as one of the ‘many’ that Jesus truly did die for.
We might boldly think we have a good idea of how our lives will pan out, or we might not have a clue. But here is the reality we can stand on today: Jesus has died so many might be saved, and he will return to bring those people home.
We can know with certainty what has happened in the past on the cross, and what will happen on that last day. We stand at this point in history, knowing God’s word as our anchor, and trusting his Spirit will lead us home.
Our days are in his hands, so we don’t need to know or guess how life will pan out. All we’re called to is to trust and obey each day. Let’s live each moment of each day with that backdrop framing our existence.
Passages to read: John 11:45-53, John 18:12-14,
A thought to remember: Jesus died so many could be saved eternally.
A question to ask: What difference does living for eternity make today?
A song to sing: Trust and Obey