80
John 11:47-53  DECIDING WHAT TO DO ABOUT JESUS

Introduction:
	
	A large group of people had been present when Jesus
raised Lazarus from the grave.  Many of those people who
witnessed this event believed on Jesus as the Christ.  Yet
many who were present did not believe on Him.  Instead, they
ran straight to the leaders of the Pharisees at Jerusalem
and told them.  They told them about the miracle and they
told them that many had believed in Jesus as the Christ as a
result of the miracle, V.  46.

I. An emergency session of the Sanhedrin Council 

	The Pharisees were greatly disturbed as a result of this
news.  V. 47, "Then gathered the chief priests and the
Pharisees a council..."  The Pharisees spread the news to
the chief priests, the officials of the Sanhedrin Council.
The chief priests in Israel at that time were not Pharisees.
They were Sadducees.  The Pharisees told the chief priests
about the resurrection of Lazarus and that many of the
people had believed on Jesus as a result of the miracle.
The chief priests then called the Sanhedrin Council together
in an emergency session.
	This shows how greatly alarmed the Pharisees and chief
priests were that Jesus was gaining in popularity.  The
Council had been called together to decide what to do about
Jesus.  Listen to the question that was put before them.  
(V. 47), "... and said, What do we? for this man doeth many
miracles."  
	They acknowledged that the miracles of Jesus were 
genuine.  There were too many people who had witnessed the 
miracles of Jesus for them to be able to persuade anyone 
that the miracles were fake.  I suspect that some of the 
chief priests themselves had witnessed some of the miracles 
and they knew them to be genuine.
	But instead of seeing the miracles as evidence that 
Jesus is the Christ, they saw them only as a threat to their
own leadership in the land.  V. 48, "If we let him thus 
alone, all men will believe on him..."  They were afraid 
that the people of Israel would stop looking to them for
religious leadership and would look instead to Jesus.  They 
were afraid that the entire nation would turn to Jesus for 
leadership instead of to them.  
	They claimed also to believe that Jesus would bring
the wrath of the Romans upon the whole nation.  (V. 48), 
"...and the Romans shall come and take away both our place 
and nation."
	They had earlier tried to kill Jesus at the Feast of 
the Tabernacles, but they and failed to do so.  They had 
tried on other occasions to stome Him when He was in 
Jerusalem attending some religious feast, but they had 
failed every time they tried.  
	So now the question is laid out before them all 
hoping that somebody would come up with a way to eleminate 
Jesus without alienating the masses of people with whom He 
was so popular because of the miracles.  

II.  A speech by Caiaphas

	Most of the Council members were much in favor of
stopping the ministry of Jesus, but they were apparently
at a loss in knowing how to go about it
	Their slow response brought a rousing rebuke from 
Caiaphas, the high priest.  V. 49-50, "And one of them, 
named Caiaphas, being the high priest that year, said 
unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it 
is expedient for us, that one man should die for the 
people, and that the whole nation perish not."  He 
angrily accused them of knowing nothing at all.  He 
pointed out that it was better for the one man, Jesus, to 
die than for the whole nation to die.  He was talking 
about the nation dying at the hands of Roman soldiers. 
He claimed to believe that the ministry of Jesus would 
bring the powerful Roman army against the whole nation 
of Israel.
	In realilty he was not afraid that Jesus would 
bring the Romans against the nation.  He was afraid 
that he would lose his influence over the people of 
the nation.  

III.  A prophecy about Jesus made by Caiaphas

	V. 51-52, "And this spake he not of himself: 
but being high priest that year, he prophesied that 
Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that
nation only, but that also he should gather 
together in one the children of God that were 
scattered abroad."  John explained that the statement 
which Caiaphas had made about Jesus was more than a 
mere proposal to the Council that Jesus be put to 
death.  It was a prophecy about the death of Jesus.  
Caiaphas meant it only as a proposal to the Council.  
He was, indeed, proposing that the Council renew 
their efforts to put Jesus to death.  He sought to 
motivate the Council members to be determined to 
put Jesus to death by persuading them that it was 
for the good of the entire nation.  He meant that 
by putting Jesus to death, they would be able to 
save the entire nation from the wrath of the Roman
army.  
	Caiaphas meant his proposal for evil, but 
God meant it for good.  God used his words to 
prophecy that by the death of Jesus, the entire 
nation of Israel would have opportunity to be 
saved and be spared from the torments of hell.  
	John further expained that the death of
Jesus would not only be for Israel only, but for
all of the people who were scattered abroad.
Jesus would die on the cross so that all the world 
would have opportunity to be saved and spared from 
the fires of hell.    
	The rousing speech of Caiaphas had its desired 
results.  V. 53, "Then from that day forth they 
took counsel to put him to death."  The Sanhedrin 
Council renewed their efforts to bring Jesus to 
His death.  But it not only helped to accomplish 
the results that Caiaphas wanted.  It helped 
to accomplish the results that God, the Heavenly 
Father, wanted.  It helped to accomplish His plan 
for His Only Begotten Son to die on the cross to
provide a way whereby people of all the world
could be saved.  His death on the cross would
even provide a way whereby Caiaphas and the 
members of the Sanhedrin Council could be saved
if they would only believe.  

IV. Some decisions which should yet be made about 
    Jesus

	All men, women, boys and girls must make 
some decisions about Jesus.  I strongly suggest
that each of you believe that Jesus is the Son 
of God.  Believe that Jesus is one of the Holy 
Trinity.  Believe that He is God in human flesh.
	Jesus said that He is the Son of God.  The 
apostles, the men who knew Him best, said that 
He is the Son of God.  The writers of the New 
Testamnet said that He is the Son of God.  God, 
the Heavenly Father said that He is the Son of
God.  
	I suggest that each of you trust Jesus to
be your Savior.  It is not enough to believe 
that Jesus is the Savior.  You need to trust 
Jesus to be your Savior.  Call on Jesus and ask
Him to save you.  Trust Him to save your soul.
	I suggest that after you are saved that 
you follow Jesus in baptism.  Baptism will not 
get you into heaven, but Jesus thought that 
baptism was important enough for him to walk 
from Gailiee to Judea to be baptized.  It
ought to be just that important to every 
person who has trusted Jesus for salvation.  
	I suggest that you get into the member-
ship of a good New Testament church.  
	I further suggest that you get to know the 
teachings of Jesus as set forth in the Bible
and that you seek to live by them.  Perhaps you
have seen a little child stretech his legs 
trying to step in the footprints of mother or 
dad.  That is what every child of God should do.  
He should stretch spiritual legs trying to step 
in the spiritual footprints of Jesus.  

Conclusion:  Who will come?