John 11:50-52

11:50 You do not realize ¹  that it is more to your advantage to have one man ²  die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.” ³  11:51 (Now he did not say this on his own, ⁴  but because he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish nation, ⁵  11:52 and not for the Jewish nation ⁶  only, ⁷  but to gather together ⁸  into one the children of God who are scattered.) ⁹ 

[11:50]  ¹ tn Or “you are not considering.”

[11:50]  ² tn Although it is possible to argue that ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") should be translated “person” here since it is not necessarily masculinity that is in view in Caiaphas’ statement, “man” was retained in the translation because in 11:47 “this man” (οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος, outo" Jo anqrwpo") has as its referent a specific individual, Jesus, and it was felt this connection should be maintained.

[11:50]  ³ sn In his own mind Caiaphas was no doubt giving voice to a common-sense statement of political expediency. Yet he was unconsciously echoing a saying of Jesus himself (cf. Mark 10:45). Caiaphas was right; the death of Jesus would save the nation from destruction. Yet Caiaphas could not suspect that Jesus would die, not in place of the political nation Israel, but on behalf of the true people of God; and he would save them, not from physical destruction, but from eternal destruction (cf. 3:16-17). The understanding of Caiaphas’ words in a sense that Caiaphas could not possibly have imagined at the time he uttered them serves as a clear example of the way in which the author understood that words and actions could be invested retrospectively with a meaning not consciously intended or understood by those present at the time.

[11:51]  ⁴ tn Grk “say this from himself.”

[11:51]  ⁵ tn The word “Jewish” is not in the Greek text, but is clearly implied by the context (so also NIV; TEV “the Jewish people”).

[11:52]  ⁶ tn See the note on the word “nation” in the previous verse.

[11:52]  ⁷ sn The author in his comment expands the prophecy to include the Gentiles (not for the Jewish nation only), a confirmation that the Fourth Gospel was directed, at least partly, to a Gentile audience. There are echoes of Pauline concepts here (particularly Eph 2:11-22) in the stress on the unity of Jew and Gentile.

[11:52]  ⁸ tn Grk “that he might gather together.”

[11:52]  ⁹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.