Even this most powerful miracle failed to convince many that Jesus was God's Son. Many who had come to console Mary believed on Him, but the depth of their faith undoubtedly varied. A faith based on miracles is not the highest faith, but John viewed it as better than no faith at all (cf. 2:23).396John's reference to Mary rather than to Martha and Mary may imply that these people had greater affection for Mary. Alternatively they may have viewed her as needing more emotional support than her sister (cf. v. 19). Other observers of this miracle went to the Pharisees. The contrast suggests that they disbelieved and went to inform the Pharisees so these leaders would take action against Jesus.
The raising of Lazarus convinced Israel's leaders that they had to take more drastic action against Jesus. John recorded this decision as the high point of Israel's official rejection of God's Son so far. This decision led directly to Jesus' arrest and crucifixion.
11:47-48 John's "Therefore"or "Then"ties this paragraph directly to what precedes in a cause and effect relationship. The chief priests, who were mostly Sadducees, and the Pharisees, who were mostly scribes, assembled for an official meeting. The chief priests dominated the Sanhedrin, but the Pharisees were a powerful minority. The third and smallest group in the Sanhedrin was the elders who were landed aristocrats who had mixed theological views.
The Sanhedrin members felt that they had to take some decisive action against Jesus because the more miracles He performed the greater His popular following grew. Ever more of the Jews were concluding that Jesus was the Messiah. Their present tactics against Jesus needed adjusting or He might destroy them.
It is interesting that they admitted privately that Jesus had performed many signs, though publicly they had earlier asked Him to produce some to prove His claims (2:18; 6:30). Someone in the Sanhedrin, perhaps Nicodemus, must have reported this confession of their selfish reasons for killing Jesus to the disciples later.
"It has always been the case that those whose minds are made up to oppose what Christ stands for will not be convinced by any amount of evidence."397
The reference to "our place"was probably to the position of authority they occupied. A popular uprising resulting from the Jews' belief that Israel's political deliverer had appeared might bring the Romans down hard on Israel's leaders and strip them of their power. These rulers viewed Israel as their nation rather than God's nation, and they did not want to lose control of it or their prestige as its leaders. No one mentioned the welfare of the people in such an event (cf. 10:8).
"The rich man in hades had argued, If one went unto them from the dead, they will repent' (Luke 16:30. Lazarus came back from the dead, and the officials wanted to kill him!"398
11:49 Caiaphas' remarks reflect the frenzy that characterized this meeting. He addressed his colleagues rather unflatteringly as ignoramuses. Caiaphas had received his office of high priest from the Romans in 18 A.D. His father-in-law Annas had preceded him in the office, and Annas continued to exercise considerable influence. However it was Caiaphas who had the official power at this time.
John's reference to "that year"(v. 49) was probably with the year of Jesus' death in mind (cf. v. 51; 18:13). Another possibility is that John may have been hinting at the tenuous nature of the high priestly office in those days when Rome arbitrarily deposed and appointed leaders with little warning.399Caiaphas' insulting statement to his fellow Sanhedrin members, "You know nothing at all!"presents him as a rude boor.
11:50 Caiaphas solution to the problem that Jesus posed was to get rid of Him--permanently. He seems to have felt impatient with His fellow rulers for hesitating to take this brutal step. He viewed Jesus' death as a sacrifice that was necessary for the welfare of the nation, by which he meant its leaders. Jesus' sacrificial death was precisely God's intention though for a different reason. Caiaphas viewed Jesus as a scapegoat whose sacrifice would guarantee the life of Israel's leaders. God viewed Jesus as a lamb who would die to guarantee the life of believers. Ironically Jesus' death would condemn these unbelieving leaders, not save them. Moreover it did not save them from losing their power to the Romans who dismantled the Sanhedrin when they destroyed the city in the war of 66-70 A.D.
11:51-52 John interpreted Caiaphas' words for his readers. He viewed Caiaphas' statement as a prophecy. He spoke God's will as the high priest even though he did not realize he was doing so. Caiaphas' motive was, of course, completely contrary to God's will, but God overruled to accomplish His will through the high priest's selfish advice.
Caiaphas unconsciously prophesied that Jesus would die as a substitute for the Israelite nation (cf. Isa. 53:8). The outcome of His death would be the uniting of God's children scattered abroad, non-members of Israel as well as Jews, into one body, namely the church (cf. 4:42; 10:16; Eph. 2:14-18; 3:6; 1 Pet. 2:9). Ultimately it would unite Jewish and Gentile believers in the messianic kingdom (cf. Isa. 43:5; Ezek. 34:12).
11:53 The result of this apparently formal meeting was the Sanhedrin's official decision to kill Jesus. This decision constituted another climax in the ongoing opposition against Jesus that John traced in this Gospel (cf. Matt. 26:3-4). Obviously the trials of Jesus before the high priests and the Sanhedrin were simply formalities designed to give the appearance of justice. The leaders had already tried Jesus and sentenced Him to die (cf. Mark 14:1-2). All that remained was to decide when and how to execute His sentence.400
This pericope summarizes the situation at this stage of Jesus' ministry. The leaders had determined to kill Him, and Jesus withdrew to the town of Ephraim.
11:54 Jesus may have learned of the Sanhedrin's decision from a sympathetic member such as Nicodemus, or as God He may have known it independently. He withdrew to a private place and no longer ministered publicly. The town of Ephraim was probably Old Testament Ephron about four miles northeast of Bethel and twelve miles from Jerusalem (2 Chron. 13:19).
11:55 This is the third Passover that John mentioned in his Gospel (cf. 2:13; 6:4) and probably the fourth one during Jesus' public ministry. John mentioned the first, third, and fourth of these.401The Mosaic Law required that the Jews who had become ritually unclean had to purify themselves for one week before participating in this feast (Num. 9:6-14). Therefore many of them went to Jerusalem at least one week before the feast began to undergo purification.
11:56 These pilgrims wondered if Jesus would attend that Passover since official antagonism against Him was common knowledge (v. 57; cf. 7:11). He habitually attended the required feasts and taught in the temple while He was in Jerusalem. However, there had been unsuccessful attempts to stone Him there, so whether He would appear at this feast was an open question.
11:57 There was a warrant out for Jesus' arrest. The reader can hardly miss the point that Israel's leaders had deliberately rejected their Messiah.
