John 11:48, commentary and pictures

After Jesus raised Lazarus, the priests and rulers met in council fearing that if He were left to keep teaching and working miracles all would believe on Him and the Romans would come and take away their temple and their national power and standing. Their professed concern for the nation masked self-interest, for they feared losing their own authority, influence and hold over the people as His pure and reforming teaching drew hearts away and exposed their practices. Though the resurrection of Lazarus in full vigor before eyewitnesses was decisive evidence that He is the Son of God, they hardened themselves against the light and concluded that only His death could stop His influence, a course Caiaphas sealed by ruling it expedient for one man to die that the whole nation should not perish. Their fear was tragically reversed, for by rejecting Christ they made certain the destruction of Jerusalem and the burning of the temple by Rome, while His death did not stop His work but made Him the Redeemer and ruler of the world.

Setting and Stated Fear

The saying was uttered in a council of priests, rulers and elders convened after Jesus raised Lazarus, from which Nicodemus and Joseph were not summoned because in former councils they had prevented His condemnation. The raising was His crowning miracle, wrought after Lazarus by God's plan had died and lain in the tomb until Jesus arrived, and it spread widely and was confirmed by eyewitnesses. Many who saw it were led to believe in Jesus and many glorified God, while others who had again and again rejected light would not yield even to this overwhelming evidence but were hardened in unbelief. Those hardened witnesses went away immediately to tell the priests and rulers what He had done, and their report aroused anew the hatred of His bitterest enemies the Pharisees, whose jealousy was increased by every act of mercy He performed.

What the rulers meant by letting Him thus alone was leaving Him to go on speaking with a clear penetrating voice that pierces the ear of the dead, with divinity flashing through humanity and His face lighted by the glory of God. It was leaving Him to call the dead man to stand forth from the tomb and then to command the bystanders to loose him from his graveclothes and let him go, showing that the human worker must cooperate with God and that humanity must work for humanity. Lazarus so set before the people stood forth freed, not emaciated by disease with feeble tottering limbs, but as a man in the prime of life and vigor of noble manhood, his eyes beaming with intelligence and love for his Saviour as he cast himself in adoration at His feet. The miracle thus gave the decisive test and evidence that He is the Son of God, and it could not be denied nor its effect on the people undone.

Their stated fear was that if He were left alone to go on teaching and working miracles, all men would believe on Him and the Romans would come and take away both their place and nation. By place they meant their temple, and by nation they meant its power, standing, favors and national strength, which they sought to preserve by His death and which they held would be secured against Rome. In fuller form they reasoned that His Sabbath healings would set the sacredness of the day at naught and make their traditions of none effect, opening the whole Jewish economy to criticism and distracting the nation. That distraction, they held, would cause Rome to strip them of the power they still held, so that continued belief in Him would bring Roman intervention and the loss of all they sought to save.

Hidden Motives and Rejection

The professed alarm for national security concealed self-interest and prejudice, for the fear was of losing political power, authority, influence and hold over the people. The people preferred to listen to Jesus rather than to the rulers, and His teaching was reforming lives and drawing the unprejudiced by truth, purity and divine love, while their own instruction lost influence and their ungodly practices were exposed. They feared that widespread belief in Him would provoke Rome to withhold favors and strip them of the power, standing, temple, national strength and place they still held. Though they knew He was sinless, they reasoned that killing Him would preserve their power and unite the people, while still regarding themselves as God's favored people, and their violence fulfilled the charge of building Jerusalem with iniquity.

The raising of Lazarus was decisive, crowning evidence that He is the Son of God, yet they rejected its light and were hardened in unbelief. Those who had again and again rejected light would not yield even to overwhelming evidence, but went to report to the rulers and aroused anew the hatred of His bitterest enemies, whose jealousy was increased by every act of mercy. Instead of accepting it they grew more hostile, hateful, malicious and jealous, showing themselves murderers in heart. One strand of this teaching stresses that rejection alone, that the miracle intensified hatred and was rejected though clear evidence, without taking up the stated fear that the Romans would take away place and nation.

Concluding that only His death could stop His influence and denunciations, since the miracle could not be denied nor its effect on the people undone, they determined to silence Him rather than judge Him justly. They reasoned that killing Him would preserve their power and unite the people, holding in effect that the end justified the means. To blunt the miracle they sought to spread lies and distort what had happened after it had spread widely and been confirmed by eyewitnesses. They worked secretly, watched His words and actions for capital accusations, circulated falsehoods that He was an impostor, presented Him as seeking a rival kingdom to subvert Rome in order to turn Rome against Him, and decreed expulsion from the synagogue for any who professed faith. They decided that Lazarus also must die, because as a living witness to power over death his testimony would strengthen faith, sustain public interest in Jesus, and turn people from human traditions and doctrines.

Their fear was answered by Caiaphas, the proud, cruel, overbearing and intolerant high priest that year, in a council of priests, rulers and elders gathered with fixed determination to silence Jesus because His marvelous works made all men wonder, from which Nicodemus and Joseph were not summoned because in former councils they had prevented His condemnation. Caiaphas studied the prophecies in darkness as to their true meaning yet spoke with authority that it was expedient for one man to die for the people so the whole nation would not perish. His voice decided that even if Jesus was innocent He must die because He was troublesome, drew the people to Himself, lessened the rulers' authority, and threatened loss of confidence and national power or His becoming king, since it was better for one guiltless man to die than for their power to diminish. In declaring that one should die for the nation he showed limited knowledge yet blindly acknowledged Jesus' mission as Redeemer, signifying that Jesus would die not for that nation only but to gather in one the scattered children of God. Their attempt to prevent Him from gaining authority and becoming king brought about the very result they sought to stop, making Him Redeemer of the world and ruler over the whole world, and His death did not stop the miracles or the proclamation of His truth but strengthened resolve to stop teaching in His name for fear of disgrace for His murder, and God's providential use of their crime for humanity's good did not lessen their guilt.

Tragic Reversal and Warning

Their calculation to save themselves destroyed them, for their own sins and rejection of Christ made the destruction of Jerusalem certain. They killed Jesus to keep the Romans from taking their place and nation, meaning their temple and national strength and security, and to preserve the nation by letting one man die for the people. Because they rejected Him, the very thing they feared came upon them in reverse, when the Roman army under Titus stormed Jerusalem and burned the temple they had sought to save. He was their only hope, though they did not recognize it.

In trying to keep Him from gaining authority and becoming king and drawing the people away from themselves, they brought about the very result they sought to stop. Their voice decided that even if He was innocent He must die because He was troublesome, drew the people to Himself, and lessened their authority, since it was better for one guiltless man to die than for their power to diminish. In declaring that one should die for the nation, with limited knowledge of the prophecies and studying them in darkness as to their true meaning, Caiaphas blindly acknowledged His mission as Redeemer, that He would die not for that nation only but to gather together in one the scattered children of God, and so their attempt to prevent His kingship made Him Redeemer of the world and ruler over the whole world. Though they knew He was sinless, they reasoned that killing Him would preserve their power and unite the people, and they killed their Saviour while still regarding themselves as God's favored people, fulfilling the charge of building Jerusalem with iniquity. His death did not stop the miracles or the proclamation of His truth, but after Lazarus was raised their resolve to rid the world of Him only hardened into a determination to stop teaching and works done in His name, partly for fear of disgrace for His murder. God's providential use of their crime for humanity's good did not lessen their guilt.

That same resistance is repeated whenever religious leaders resist the truth and hinder its spread.