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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadBob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - John 11:47 - 11:53
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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Joh_11:47-53
47Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, "What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. 48If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." 49But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, 50nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish." 51Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, 52and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.
Joh_11:47 "the chief priests and the Pharisees, convened a council" This refers to the Sanhedrin, the supreme court of the Jews in Jerusalem. It had 70 local members. The high priests were of the political, religious persuasion known as the Sadducees, who accepted only the writings of Moses and denied the resurrection. The Pharisees were the more popular, legalistic religious group that affirmed (1) the entire OT; (2) the ministry of angels; (3) and the afterlife. It is amazing that these two antagonistic groups would combine for any purpose. See hyperlink at Joh_1:24. See Special Topic: The Sanhedrin at Joh_3:1.
▣ "For this man is performing many signs" The reference to Jesus as "this man" is a derogatory way of not mentioning His name. It is also amazing that in the presence of such great miracles, like the raising of Lazarus, that their preconceived bias had blinded their eyes so completely (cf. 2Co_4:4).
Joh_11:48 "If" This is a third class conditional sentence which means potential action.
▣ "all men will believe in Him" Jealousy as well as theological disagreement was the source of their distrust and fear of Jesus. The "all" may have referred even to the Samaritans and Gentiles (cf. Joh_10:16). There was also a political aspect to their fear (i.e., Roman control).
▣ "the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation" This is one of those ironic prophecies of John's Gospel, for this was fulfilled literally in a.d. 70 under the Roman general (later Emperor) Titus.
The political reality of Roman domination was an integral part of Jewish end-time (eschatological) hope. They believed that God would send a religious/military figure, like the Judges of the OT, to physically deliver them from Rome. Several Messianic pretenders started rebellions in Palestine to accomplish this very expectation.
Jesus claimed that His kingdom was not a temporal/political reign (cf. Joh_18:36), but a spiritual reign that would be consummated globally in the future (i.e., revelation). He claimed to fulfill the OT prophecies, but not in a literal, Jewish, nationalistic sense. For this He was rejected by most Jews of His day.
Joh_11:49 "Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year" The high priesthood was meant to be a lifelong position passed on to one's children (cf. Exodus 28), but after the Romans became the conquerors, it was sold to the highest bidder because of the lucrative trade available on the Mount of Olives and in the temple area. Caiaphas was high priest from a.d. 18-36 (son-in-law of Annas, High Priest from a.d. 6-15).
Joh_11:50-52 This is another example of John's irony. Caiaphas preaches the gospel!
Joh_11:50 "one man should die for the people" The OT background for this is the Jewish view of "corporality." One person (good or bad) could affect the whole (i.e., Adam/Eve; Achan). This concept came to be an underpinning of the sacrificial system, especially the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16), where one innocent animal bore the sin of the nation. This becomes the Messianic concept behind Isaiah 53. In the NT the Adam/Christ typology of Rom_5:12-21 reflects this concept.
Joh_11:51
NASB, REV,
NET"that Jesus was going to die"
NKJV, NIV,
REB"that Jesus would die"
NRSV "that Jesus was about to die"
NJB "that Jesus was to die"
The NIDOTTE, vol. 1, p. 326, has a good comment about the theological use of the verb mellô ("must," "to have to," "to be certain") when used of God's will for Christ's redemptive work.
1. Mar_10:32
2. Mat_17:22
3. Luk_9:31; Luk_9:44; Luk_24:21; Act_26:23
4. Joh_7:39; Joh_11:51; Joh_12:33; Joh_14:22; Joh_18:32
It is also used of the necessity of Judas' betrayal
1. Luk_22:23
2. Joh_6:71; Joh_12:4
Luke, in Acts, uses it for prophetic fulfillment (i.e., Act_11:28; Act_24:15; Act_26:22). All of the redemptive events were in the hands of God (cf. Act_2:23; Act_3:18; Act_4:28; Act_13:29)!
Joh_11:52 "He might also gather together into one the children of God" This seems to be an editorial comment by John which could be parallel with Joh_10:16. It could refer to
1. Jews living outside Palestine
2. half-Jews like the Samaritans
3. Gentiles
Option #3 seems best. Whichever it is, Jesus' death will bring a unity to "believing" humanity (cf. Joh_1:29; Joh_3:16; Joh_4:42; Joh_10:16).
Joh_11:53 "So from that day on they planned together to kill Him" This is a recurrent theme in John (cf. Joh_5:18; Joh_7:19; Joh_8:59; Joh_10:39; Joh_11:8).
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT Joh_11:54
54Therefore Jesus no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews, but went away from there to the country near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples.
Joh_11:54 "Jesus therefore no longer continued to walk publically among the Jews" John 12 is Jesus' last attempt to deal with the religious leaders.
The term translated in John "publicly" (cf. Joh_7:26; Joh_11:54; Joh_18:20) usually means "boldly." See Special Topic at Joh_7:4.
▣ "a city called Ephraim" This town may have been located close to Bethel in Samaria (cf. 2Ch_13:19).