John 11:49-54 (NIV)
Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”
He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life.
Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the Jews. Instead he withdrew to a region near the desert, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.
Out of his frustration, fear, and anger, Caiaphas, subtly led by the workings of the Holy Spirit, actually spoke more than he intended. His statement was meant to imply that if they let Jesus continue on in His ways, stirring up the people with talk of Him being the Messiah, the Romans would soon exercise much stronger control, taking away what little autonomy the Jewish people had left, under the guise of maintaining order. It was better if they took Jesus out “for the good of the nation.”
But Caiaphas inadvertently identified precisely what the plan was. Jesus would die to save the nation of Israel, not politically, but spiritually. His death, which they were even then plotting, would pay the penalty for the sins of anyone in the nation who would trust in Him. And His death would not only pay for the sins of those in Israel, but also the sins of those all around the world who would trust in Him.
Jesus knew that these leaders were plotting to arrest Him and kill Him. He also knew that the time for that was not yet; it had to wait for the Passover. Then He would intentionally place Himself directly in their path so that they could arrest Him, convict Him, and crucify Him, inadvertently fulfilling the prophesies about Him that these leaders could not yet clearly see.
So, very soon after Lazarus was restored to life and the celebrations had been held, Jesus went back to the wilderness area between Bethel and Jericho until it was time for Him to enter Jerusalem for the final time.
Father, even the deepest plots of men were foreseen by You and were intentionally woven into the tapestry of Your plan for salvation. It is amazing to me how blind these scholars were to what was clearly portrayed in the prophesies of the Messiah, how perfectly Jesus fit the pattern You had laid out, and even how clearly their own plottings were delineated! Help me, Lord, to always see Your way clearly, and to never harden my heart to what You are trying to show me in Your word. Amen.