John 11:47-52

11:47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees ¹  called the council ²  together and said, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many miraculous signs. 11:48 If we allow him to go on in this way, ³  everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away our sanctuary ⁴  and our nation.”

11:49 Then one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said, ⁵  “You know nothing at all! 11:50 You do not realize ⁶  that it is more to your advantage to have one man ⁷  die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.” ⁸  11:51 (Now he did not say this on his own, ⁹  but because he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish nation, ¹⁰  11:52 and not for the Jewish nation ¹¹  only, ¹²  but to gather together ¹³  into one the children of God who are scattered.) ¹⁴ 

John 12:23-24

12:23 Jesus replied, ¹⁵  “The time ¹⁶  has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ¹⁷  12:24 I tell you the solemn truth, ¹⁸  unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone. ¹⁹  But if it dies, it produces ²⁰  much grain. ²¹ 

John 12:1

Jesus’ Anointing

12:1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom he ²²  had raised from the dead.

John 3:17-18

3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, ²³  but that the world should be saved through him. 3:18 The one who believes in him is not condemned. ²⁴  The one who does not believe has been condemned ²⁵  already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only ²⁶  Son of God.

[11:47]  ¹ tn The phrase “chief priests and Pharisees” is a comprehensive name for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:45; 18:3; Acts 5:22, 26.

[11:47]  ² tn Or “Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews). The συνέδριον (sunedrion) which they gathered was probably an informal meeting rather than the official Sanhedrin. This is the only occurrence of the word συνέδριον in the Gospel of John, and the only anarthrous singular use in the NT. There are other plural anarthrous uses which have the general meaning “councils.” The fact that Caiaphas in 11:49 is referred to as “one of them” supports the unofficial nature of the meeting; in the official Sanhedrin he, being high priest that year, would have presided over the assembly. Thus it appears that an informal council was called to discuss what to do about Jesus and his activities.

[11:48]  ³ tn Grk “If we let him do thus.”

[11:48]  ⁴ tn Or “holy place”; Grk “our place” (a reference to the temple in Jerusalem).

[11:49]  ⁵ tn Grk “said to them.” The indirect object αὐτοῖς (autois) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

[11:50]  ⁶ tn Or “you are not considering.”

[11:50]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Grk “say this from himself.”

[11:51]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn See the note on the word “nation” in the previous verse.

[11:52]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Grk “that he might gather together.”

[11:52]  ¹⁴ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[12:23]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “Jesus answered them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

[12:23]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “the hour.”

[12:23]  ¹⁷ sn Jesus’ reply, the time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified, is a bit puzzling. As far as the author’s account is concerned, Jesus totally ignores these Greeks and makes no further reference to them whatsoever. It appears that his words are addressed to Andrew and Philip, but in fact they must have had a wider audience, including possibly the Greeks who had wished to see him in the first place. The words the time has come recall all the previous references to “the hour” throughout the Fourth Gospel (see the note on time in 2:4). There is no doubt, in light of the following verse, that Jesus refers to his death here. On his pathway to glorification lies the cross, and it is just ahead.

[12:24]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[12:24]  ¹⁹ tn Or “it remains only a single kernel.”

[12:24]  ²⁰ tn Or “bears.”

[12:24]  ²¹ tn Grk “much fruit.”

[12:1]  ²² tn Grk “whom Jesus,” but a repetition of the proper name (Jesus) here would be redundant in the English clause structure, so the pronoun (“he”) is substituted in the translation.

[3:17]  ²³ sn That is, “to judge the world to be guilty and liable to punishment.”

[3:18]  ²⁴ tn Grk “judged.”

[3:18]  ²⁵ tn Grk “judged.”

[3:18]  ²⁶ tn See the note on the term “one and only” in 3:16.