On the afternoon of this miracle, there is more life in the world because of Jesus. But what is the reaction? What do the religious leaders say in response? “We have to kill him.” Caiaphas is the heir to Aaron’s authority—and in this moment he is placing his hand of condemnation on the head of the true High Priest who would end the ancient ritual of transferring sin to others, take it on himself, and finish the priestly work on the cross.
As we continue following the story of Lazarus and its aftermath, the scene changes and we are suddenly among those who hate Jesus and are afraid of what might happen if he is not stopped. As usual, Jesus is fiercely polarizing. After raising Lazarus, we observe: 1) a movement of faith toward Jesus — the “many”; and 2) a movement of unbelief back to Jerusalem — the “some.”
The “some” here were people who plainly saw a dead man walk out of his tomb. They had seen what everyone else saw—so how can we explain the difference between their reaction and the reaction of the “many” who believed? Here’s the truth: There is not enough evidence in the world to convince somebody who’s already made up their mind to deny Jesus.
The Sanhedrin was a council of the most powerful men in Israel that served as the judicial, legislative and executive authority for the Jewish people. At this time, it was firmly under Roman oversight, and the Romans chose who served as high priest.
So what this means is that they called an official council. This is different than all previous opposition to Jesus. This is a new chapter in their war against Christ. Here is gathered something like the Supreme Court of Israel, and by the time their plan is made official in v.53, not only a faction of the elite, but the entire governing body of Israel, is now implicated in this conspiracy.
Right here in this passage, something else begins to take shape, which is this: From now on, the plot against Jesus will be led by priests. And whenever we talk about the priesthood, we’re necessarily talking about the temple.
The struggle for Israel to keep its temple is a drama that’s been playing out for a thousand years, at this point. When the Sanhedrin says that they may lose their “place,” they are hinting that, for a third time, they may witness the desolation of the building without which they could not worship.
Any time you hear the phrase “one dies for many,” you should think of the Day of Atonement. That was the day every year when the sins of all of Israel would be transferred to one animal, whose blood was then spilled to make atonement. And then there was the ritual of the scapegoat. Leviticus 16:20–22 describes this ceremony, which was performed as part of the Day of Atonement. Caiaphas is talking about something they all understood—the idea that one could die for many.
Caiaphas is the heir to Aaron’s authority—and in this moment he is placing his hand of condemnation on the head of the true High Priest who would end the ancient ritual of transferring sin to others, take it on himself, and finish the priestly work on the cross.
Jesus is the high priest and the scapegoat. And he takes the priesthood away from these men right here, by submitting to their conspiracy.
This is what Paul spoke of in 1 Corinthians 2:6–8, where he writes, “None of the rulers of this age understood, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
In a very real sense, in the midst of this Sanhedrin, Caiaphas transfers the priesthood to Jesus. And this final scapegoat would go out into the “wilderness” of the world and gather to himself “the children of God who are scattered abroad.” His death would be for the gentiles, too. So Caiaphas’ prophecy said more than he knew.