Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
The council met after Jesus raised Lazarus, with chief priests and Pharisees openly admitting that he did many miracles and asking what was to be done about him. The raising was a public, eyewitnessed display of divine power and crowning proof that God had sent Jesus, decisive evidence of his divinity and power over death sufficient to convince reason and enlightened conscience. Many witnesses believed, but those who had repeatedly rejected light were fixed in unbelief, and evidence they could not explain away turned them to intensified hatred, jealousy and fear that all would believe on him and they would lose their authority, place and nation. They determined that Jesus must die though innocent, and Lazarus also as a living witness, with Caiaphas ruling it expedient for one man to die for the people, blindly acknowledging that his death would gather in one the scattered children of God. In demanding his death to save themselves they brought about what they meant to prevent, for God overruled their crime to make him Redeemer and ruler of humanity, yet this good use did not lessen their guilt as murderers in heart.
Lazarus Prompts Council
The chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin after Jesus raised Lazarus, openly acknowledging that he did many miracles and asking what to do about him. His many miracles drew wonder and threatened to win the people's belief, and the rulers gathered in council because his growing influence had become impossible to ignore. The raising of Lazarus was a public, witnessed demonstration of divine power, widely reported and confirmed by eyewitnesses, presented as crowning evidence that God had sent Jesus to save the world. It led many witnesses to believe in him, yet rather than accept this evidence the rulers were enraged, determined to silence him and stop his work, responding with growing malice, seeking to misrepresent the facts and turn the people away from him. Their gathering pointed to the ensuing counsel in which Caiaphas said it was expedient for one man to die for the people, and Christ's experience with those rulers is repeated when religious leaders resist the truth and oppose those seeking to advance God's work.
At the tomb his clear, penetrating voice pierced the ear of the dead, divinity flashed through humanity, and his face, lighted with the glory of God, gave assurance of his power. Lazarus came out bound in graveclothes at the door of the sepulcher, and Christ commanded the spectators to loose him and let him go, showing that the human worker is to cooperate with God and humanity is to work for humanity. He stood free not emaciated from disease with feeble limbs but as a man in the prime of life in the vigor of noble manhood, his eyes beaming with intelligence and love for his Saviour, casting himself in adoration at his feet. This raising, included in this man doeth many miracles, was the decisive test of Christ's divinity and his claim to be the Son of God with power over death. It gave clear proof enough to convince a mind guided by reason and an enlightened conscience, yet some who saw it hardened themselves against the evidence, and rejecting this proof left them fixed in unbelief. The public raising of the dead could not be explained away, so their hatred deepened and they watched for a chance to destroy him, already murderers in heart.
The miracle especially alarmed the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection; his act overturned their claim that the dead could not be raised and exposed their ignorance of Scripture and God's power. Unable to erase the miracle's effect on the people, they decided that Jesus had to die to stop his denunciations. The Sanhedrin that met was then an assembly tolerated by Rome rather than a legal governing body, and its members feared that killing Jesus might provoke an uprising and cause Rome to strip them of their privileges and remaining power. Though Pharisees and Sadducees were united in opposing Christ, some rulers were cautious, and believers among the council had little influence.
Nicodemus and Joseph were not summoned to this council because in former councils they had prevented his condemnation. The priests, rulers and elders gathered with fixed determination to silence Jesus because his marvelous works made all men wonder. They feared that if he was left alone all men would believe on him and the Romans would take away place and nation. Caiaphas, who acted as high priest that year, was a proud and cruel, overbearing and intolerant man who had studied the prophecies while dark as to their true meaning, yet he spoke with great authority and apparent knowledge. He decided the matter that even if Jesus was innocent he should die as one troublesome man drawing the people to himself and lessening the authority of the rulers, better that he die though guiltless than that the power of the rulers should diminish and the whole nation perish. His declaration that one man should die for the nation showed limited knowledge of the prophecies and blindly acknowledged the mission of Jesus as Redeemer, whose death was not for that nation only but to gather together in one the children of God scattered abroad.
Unbelief Turns Murderous
The many miracles forced the question what to do because they testified that Jesus was the Son of God and that the Messiah was among them, and the miracle together with the Scriptures about Christ exposed opposition to God under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, though the rulers remained divided over their response. The Pharisees could see the evidence yet opposed Him because He exposed their hypocrisy and His pure religion condemned their empty professions of piety. They therefore sought grounds to condemn Him, called His Sabbath healings unlawful, tried to stir the Herodians and Romans against Him, and finally ordered that anyone professing faith in Him be expelled from the synagogue.
The raising of Lazarus was public, witnessed divine power and crowning evidence that God had sent Jesus to save the world, and it led many witnesses to believe in Him. Yet some who saw it hardened themselves against decisive evidence that He was God's Son with power over death, and rejecting this proof left them fixed in unbelief. Those who had repeatedly rejected light remained hardened despite the evidence, while people who saw what Jesus had done reported it to the priests and rulers. That report stirred hostility, and the rulers were enraged and sought to stop His work.
The evidence could not be explained away, for the raising was such clear proof of divine power as to convince a mind guided by reason and an enlightened conscience, yet instead of softening it intensified hatred, jealousy, malice and anger. Those who had rejected earlier evidence responded with greater anger, and the public raising of the dead deepened hatred so they watched for a chance to destroy Him. People reported His merciful works while the Pharisees' jealousy and hatred grew in response to His acts of mercy. The miracles did not soften opposition but intensified hatred until they resolved to put Him to death, responding with growing malice rather than belief.
Their consultation was driven by jealousy and fear that He did greater works than they could, that people preferred listening to Him, that all would believe on Him, and that His growing influence, wonder, sympathy and authority would weaken their influence, draw attention from them, and make Him king of the Jews. They feared His works were destroying their influence over the people, costing them their place and nation through Roman intervention, and lessening the authority of the rulers. The raising of Lazarus confirmed their determination to rid the world of Jesus and His works, hardening their resolve to get rid of Him, and even after they crucified Him miracles in His name and proclamation of His teaching continued.
They feared that openly seizing Him would provoke public resistance, opposition, an uprising, or being stoned, weaken their authority, and cause Rome to strip their privileges and remaining power. The Sanhedrin was then an assembly tolerated by Rome rather than a legal governing body, and though Pharisees and Sadducees were united in opposing Christ, some rulers were cautious and believers among the council had little influence. They therefore planned to arrest and condemn Him secretly when alone and stage a quiet trial, hoping public opinion would later turn in their favor. To counter the effect of a death and return to life widely reported and confirmed by eyewitnesses, His enemies sought to misrepresent the facts and turn the people away from Him, and jealousy led them to plot secretly to seize Him, use false witnesses, and put Him to death.
With fixed determination to silence Him because His marvelous works made all men wonder, and to stop His work and denunciations, they resolved that even though innocent He must die as one troublesome man drawing the people to Himself. Nicodemus and Joseph were not summoned because in former councils they had prevented His condemnation. Unable to erase the miracle's effect on the people, and especially alarmed because it overturned denial that the dead can be raised and exposed ignorance of Scripture and God's power, they decided Jesus had to die to stop His denunciations. They sought to redirect the people to human traditions and doctrines.
They also decided Lazarus must die, because his continued life as living witness to Jesus' power drew people to Jesus, testified to His power, testified against their decision to kill Him, and threatened to turn people against them and bring disaster on their rule. They feared his continued presence as living evidence would expose their decision and bring disaster on their rule.
Caiaphas, acting as high priest that year, proud, cruel, overbearing and intolerant yet speaking with great authority and apparent knowledge, had studied the prophecies while dark as to their true meaning. He decided the matter that even if Jesus was innocent He should die as one troublesome man lessening the authority of the rulers, better that He die though guiltless than that the power of the rulers should diminish and the whole nation perish. His declaration that it was expedient for one man to die for the people showed limited knowledge yet blindly acknowledged the mission of Jesus as Redeemer, whose death was not for that nation only but to gather together in one the children of God scattered abroad.
By rejecting Him as king and demanding His crucifixion, His enemies brought about the very outcome they meant to prevent, as God overruled to make Him Redeemer of the world and ruler over humanity. God's providential use of their crime for good did not lessen their guilt. In their hearts they were already murderers, with murderous purpose already set.
Their rejection of the light Christ brought is compared with the later rejection of God's law and with choosing deception and false witness to achieve their ends. Christ's experience with those rulers is repeated when religious leaders resist the truth and oppose those seeking to advance God's work.
The council met after Jesus raised Lazarus, with chief priests and Pharisees openly admitting that he did many miracles and asking what was to be done about him. The raising was a public, eyewitnessed display of divine power and crowning proof that God had sent Jesus, decisive evidence of his divinity and power over death sufficient to convince reason and enlightened conscience. Many witnesses believed, but those who had repeatedly rejected light were fixed in unbelief, and evidence they could not explain away turned them to intensified hatred, jealousy and fear that all would believe on him and they would lose their authority, place and nation. They determined that Jesus must die though innocent, and Lazarus also as a living witness, with Caiaphas ruling it expedient for one man to die for the people, blindly acknowledging that his death would gather in one the scattered children of God. In demanding his death to save themselves they brought about what they meant to prevent, for God overruled their crime to make him Redeemer and ruler of humanity, yet this good use did not lessen their guilt as murderers in heart.
Lazarus Prompts Council
The chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin after Jesus raised Lazarus, openly acknowledging that he did many miracles and asking what to do about him. His many miracles drew wonder and threatened to win the people's belief, and the rulers gathered in council because his growing influence had become impossible to ignore. The raising of Lazarus was a public, witnessed demonstration of divine power, widely reported and confirmed by eyewitnesses, presented as crowning evidence that God had sent Jesus to save the world. It led many witnesses to believe in him, yet rather than accept this evidence the rulers were enraged, determined to silence him and stop his work, responding with growing malice, seeking to misrepresent the facts and turn the people away from him. Their gathering pointed to the ensuing counsel in which Caiaphas said it was expedient for one man to die for the people, and Christ's experience with those rulers is repeated when religious leaders resist the truth and oppose those seeking to advance God's work.
At the tomb his clear, penetrating voice pierced the ear of the dead, divinity flashed through humanity, and his face, lighted with the glory of God, gave assurance of his power. Lazarus came out bound in graveclothes at the door of the sepulcher, and Christ commanded the spectators to loose him and let him go, showing that the human worker is to cooperate with God and humanity is to work for humanity. He stood free not emaciated from disease with feeble limbs but as a man in the prime of life in the vigor of noble manhood, his eyes beaming with intelligence and love for his Saviour, casting himself in adoration at his feet. This raising, included in this man doeth many miracles, was the decisive test of Christ's divinity and his claim to be the Son of God with power over death. It gave clear proof enough to convince a mind guided by reason and an enlightened conscience, yet some who saw it hardened themselves against the evidence, and rejecting this proof left them fixed in unbelief. The public raising of the dead could not be explained away, so their hatred deepened and they watched for a chance to destroy him, already murderers in heart.
The miracle especially alarmed the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection; his act overturned their claim that the dead could not be raised and exposed their ignorance of Scripture and God's power. Unable to erase the miracle's effect on the people, they decided that Jesus had to die to stop his denunciations. The Sanhedrin that met was then an assembly tolerated by Rome rather than a legal governing body, and its members feared that killing Jesus might provoke an uprising and cause Rome to strip them of their privileges and remaining power. Though Pharisees and Sadducees were united in opposing Christ, some rulers were cautious, and believers among the council had little influence.
Nicodemus and Joseph were not summoned to this council because in former councils they had prevented his condemnation. The priests, rulers and elders gathered with fixed determination to silence Jesus because his marvelous works made all men wonder. They feared that if he was left alone all men would believe on him and the Romans would take away place and nation. Caiaphas, who acted as high priest that year, was a proud and cruel, overbearing and intolerant man who had studied the prophecies while dark as to their true meaning, yet he spoke with great authority and apparent knowledge. He decided the matter that even if Jesus was innocent he should die as one troublesome man drawing the people to himself and lessening the authority of the rulers, better that he die though guiltless than that the power of the rulers should diminish and the whole nation perish. His declaration that one man should die for the nation showed limited knowledge of the prophecies and blindly acknowledged the mission of Jesus as Redeemer, whose death was not for that nation only but to gather together in one the children of God scattered abroad.
Unbelief Turns Murderous
The many miracles forced the question what to do because they testified that Jesus was the Son of God and that the Messiah was among them, and the miracle together with the Scriptures about Christ exposed opposition to God under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, though the rulers remained divided over their response. The Pharisees could see the evidence yet opposed Him because He exposed their hypocrisy and His pure religion condemned their empty professions of piety. They therefore sought grounds to condemn Him, called His Sabbath healings unlawful, tried to stir the Herodians and Romans against Him, and finally ordered that anyone professing faith in Him be expelled from the synagogue.
The raising of Lazarus was public, witnessed divine power and crowning evidence that God had sent Jesus to save the world, and it led many witnesses to believe in Him. Yet some who saw it hardened themselves against decisive evidence that He was God's Son with power over death, and rejecting this proof left them fixed in unbelief. Those who had repeatedly rejected light remained hardened despite the evidence, while people who saw what Jesus had done reported it to the priests and rulers. That report stirred hostility, and the rulers were enraged and sought to stop His work.
The evidence could not be explained away, for the raising was such clear proof of divine power as to convince a mind guided by reason and an enlightened conscience, yet instead of softening it intensified hatred, jealousy, malice and anger. Those who had rejected earlier evidence responded with greater anger, and the public raising of the dead deepened hatred so they watched for a chance to destroy Him. People reported His merciful works while the Pharisees' jealousy and hatred grew in response to His acts of mercy. The miracles did not soften opposition but intensified hatred until they resolved to put Him to death, responding with growing malice rather than belief.
Their consultation was driven by jealousy and fear that He did greater works than they could, that people preferred listening to Him, that all would believe on Him, and that His growing influence, wonder, sympathy and authority would weaken their influence, draw attention from them, and make Him king of the Jews. They feared His works were destroying their influence over the people, costing them their place and nation through Roman intervention, and lessening the authority of the rulers. The raising of Lazarus confirmed their determination to rid the world of Jesus and His works, hardening their resolve to get rid of Him, and even after they crucified Him miracles in His name and proclamation of His teaching continued.
They feared that openly seizing Him would provoke public resistance, opposition, an uprising, or being stoned, weaken their authority, and cause Rome to strip their privileges and remaining power. The Sanhedrin was then an assembly tolerated by Rome rather than a legal governing body, and though Pharisees and Sadducees were united in opposing Christ, some rulers were cautious and believers among the council had little influence. They therefore planned to arrest and condemn Him secretly when alone and stage a quiet trial, hoping public opinion would later turn in their favor. To counter the effect of a death and return to life widely reported and confirmed by eyewitnesses, His enemies sought to misrepresent the facts and turn the people away from Him, and jealousy led them to plot secretly to seize Him, use false witnesses, and put Him to death.
With fixed determination to silence Him because His marvelous works made all men wonder, and to stop His work and denunciations, they resolved that even though innocent He must die as one troublesome man drawing the people to Himself. Nicodemus and Joseph were not summoned because in former councils they had prevented His condemnation. Unable to erase the miracle's effect on the people, and especially alarmed because it overturned denial that the dead can be raised and exposed ignorance of Scripture and God's power, they decided Jesus had to die to stop His denunciations. They sought to redirect the people to human traditions and doctrines.
They also decided Lazarus must die, because his continued life as living witness to Jesus' power drew people to Jesus, testified to His power, testified against their decision to kill Him, and threatened to turn people against them and bring disaster on their rule. They feared his continued presence as living evidence would expose their decision and bring disaster on their rule.
Caiaphas, acting as high priest that year, proud, cruel, overbearing and intolerant yet speaking with great authority and apparent knowledge, had studied the prophecies while dark as to their true meaning. He decided the matter that even if Jesus was innocent He should die as one troublesome man lessening the authority of the rulers, better that He die though guiltless than that the power of the rulers should diminish and the whole nation perish. His declaration that it was expedient for one man to die for the people showed limited knowledge yet blindly acknowledged the mission of Jesus as Redeemer, whose death was not for that nation only but to gather together in one the children of God scattered abroad.
By rejecting Him as king and demanding His crucifixion, His enemies brought about the very outcome they meant to prevent, as God overruled to make Him Redeemer of the world and ruler over humanity. God's providential use of their crime for good did not lessen their guilt. In their hearts they were already murderers, with murderous purpose already set.
Their rejection of the light Christ brought is compared with the later rejection of God's law and with choosing deception and false witness to achieve their ends. Christ's experience with those rulers is repeated when religious leaders resist the truth and oppose those seeking to advance God's work.