#12 The Plot to Kill Jesus: John 11:45-57

Translation

“Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done. Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. ‘If 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.’ But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, ‘You know nothing at all, nor 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.’ Now 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, and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. ⁵³ So from that day on they planned together to kill Him. Therefore 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. Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover to purify themselves. So they were seeking for Jesus, and were saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think; that He will not come to the feast at all?”

Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it, so that they might seize Him.”¹

• Footnote

  1. Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references in this paper are to the New American Standard Bible (NASB) (La Habra: Foundation Publication, 1995).

Introductory Issues

John 11:45-57 is a very interesting section of Scripture where the story of Jesus’ life begins to speed up and become more dramatic. If the prior text of the Gospel of John was an upward-sloped hill, verse 45 is where the hill turns into a mountain. In other words, the historical account of Jesus in the Gospel of John begins to become more profound and intense at the time that Jesus’ fame increases significantly after the raising of Lazarus. Through examining John 11:45-57 in its situational and literary contexts, an exegetical outline, a theological reflection, and a section of application, it will become obvious that God sovereignly orchestrates and formulates all things, including the culmination of Jesus’ ministry: His prophesied death.

Situational Context

It is widely unanimous among scholars, according to tradition, that John, “the disciple who leaned against Jesus’ breast,” is the author of the Gospel of John.² However, the external evidence that points to this conclusion did not come very early in the first century. It was rather toward the end of the second century that Irenaeus mentions his personal connection with Polycarp, who knew the Apostle John, and concludes that he did indeed write the fourth Gospel.³ Because there seems to be some disagreement that Polycarp mentions Johannine authorship of the Gospel, and Papias, a contemporary of Polycarp references both John the elder and the Apostle John, few scholars believe it was rather John the elder who wrote the Gospel. This particular John was most likely a disciple of John the Baptist and, while an eyewitness to Jesus’ ministry, was not an apostle.⁴ Regardless of the few scholars who believe an elder John wrote the Gospel, the rest of this essay will keep with the tradition that John the son of Zebedee wrote John’s Gospel. 

It is mostly agreed that the Gospel was written after AD 70 but before AD 100, as John 21:18-19 seems to mention the death of Peter, who was most likely martyred under the reign of Nero in the mid-60s. Most scholars prefer the earlier date, but others assume John may have used the Synoptic Gospels as a guide in his own and, thus, a later date is accepted among those circles.⁵ As for the place of writing, there seems to be more debate. Alexandria, Antioch, and Palestine are all posited as potential locations of the writing, but the traditional view is that John wrote the Gospel in Ephesus.⁶An Ephesian place of writing is concluded because Irenaeus, again, concludes that John in Ephesus wrote the Gospel there and there is no other evidence from the church fathers of another place of authorship.⁷

Because John probably wrote the Gospel while residing in Ephesus, it is proper to assume he intended for the Gospel to be read there.⁸ However, he may have intended for the Gospel to circulate around the ancient world. Either way, the Gospel itself never explicitly includes an audience to which it was addressed. Some scholars believe that the audience of the letter was either the Gnostics in order to correct them in terms of doctrine, or Samaritan converts. No matter the audience, the author's intent is obvious: “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (20:30-31).”⁹ Carson notes that “the words rendered ‘that you may believe’ hide a textual variant: either ἵνα πστεὐητε (hina pisteuēte, present subjunctive) or ἵνα πστεὐσητε (hina pisteusēte, aorist subjunctive). Some have argued that the latter expression supports an evangelistic purpose… the former, then, supports an edificatory purpose. It can easily be shown that both tenses are used in John.”¹⁰ Therefore, John's purpose is to both edify the believer and convert new believers to the faith. 

• Footnotes

  2. D.A. Carson and Douglas J. Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), 230-232.

  3. Ibid.

  4. N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird, The New Testament in Its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians (London, UK: SPCK, 2019), 655-659.

  5. Ibid., 60-61.

  6. Carson and Moo, 254.

  7. Ibid.

  8. Ibid., 267,

  9. Ibid., 270

  10. Ibid.

Prior Literary Context

In John 10:22-23, Jesus was visiting Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication. After Jesus made a profound statement about Himself and the Father, “I and the Father are one… the Father is in Me, and I in the Father,” (10:30-38) the people of Jerusalem attempted to seize Him, but He escaped (10:39). After leaving there, Jesus went “beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there” (10:40). Many believed in Him there because of His teaching (10:41-42).

In the beginning of John 11, the story of Lazarus is told: “Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha” (11:1). The sisters went to Jesus and told Him of their brother, Lazarus, and he said that “this sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it” (11:4). However, Jesus waited two days before returning to Judea with His disciples and shared with them that He was glad He was not there prior to Lazarus’ death, so that they may believe (11:6-15). This is the same purpose that John wrote of the entire Gospel: “These have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (20:31). 

Upon His arrival to Bethany, two miles away from Jerusalem, Lazarus had been dead for four days and Jesus found many Jews consoling Mary and Martha (11:17-19). Jesus then promised Martha that Lazarus would rise again (11:23). After Martha thought that Jesus was talking about the eschaton, Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die,” and Martha then called Him “Jesus the Christ, the Son of God” (11:24-27). Jesus then wept at the tomb of Lazarus, told them to remove the stone, prayed to His Father, and commanded Lazarus to come out (11:35-43). Lazarus was then unbound and set free (11:44). 

The event of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead is very important to understand John 11:45-54. Moreover, the location of the event plays a very significant role. Prior to the raising of Lazarus, all of the other times Jesus had raised the dead took place in Galilee, yet those resurrections did not raise a hostile response from the leaders of Jerusalem that Lazarus’ resurrection did.¹¹ This is because the raising of Lazarus occurred very close to Jerusalem and the leaders of the city became worried about the problems it may cause (11:18).¹²

• Footnotes

  11. James C. Martin, John A. Beck, and David G. Hansen, A Visual Guide To Gospel Events: Fascinating Insights Into Where They Happened and Why (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2010), 132.

  12. Ibid.

John 11:45-57

John 11:45-57 demonstrates the grace of God towards all things as well as the sovereignty of God in Jesus’ life and ministry as his final week approached.

Outline

1. The Plot or Conspiracy to Kill Jesus (11:45-57)

   A. Christ Became Famous (11:45-46)

   1. Many Jews Believe (11:45)

   2. Others Told the Pharisees (11:46)

   B. The Pharisees Convene (11:47-53)

   1. Jesus was Performing Many Signs (11:47)

   2. Fear of the Romans (11:48)

   3. Caiaphas Prophesied (11:49-52)

   4. They Began Their Plans to Kill Him (11:53)

   C. Jesus Escapes to the Wilderness (11:54-57)

   1. He Escapes with His Disciples to Ephraim (11:54)

   2. People Began Doubting That Jesus Would Come for Passover (11:55-57)

   3. The Pharisees Plan to Arrest Jesus (11:57)

Exegetical Commentary

The Plot or Conspiracy to Kill Jesus (11:45-57)

A. Christ Became Famous (11:45-46)

1. Many Jews Believe (11:45)

   The section begins with John sharing the positive effect of the raising of Lazarus: “many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what [Jesus] had done, believed in Him.” This echoes and accomplishes the prophecy of Christ when He said, “I am glad for your sake that I was not there, so that you may believe” (11:15). It also accomplishes the prayer that Jesus prayed before He raised Lazarus: “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me” (11:42). Those who believed did so because the event served as a “manifestation of the divine glory which is resided in the incarnate Word.”¹³ However, while the response to the raising of Lazarus was overall positive, some of the Jews who saw the raising of Lazarus or heard about it did not believe in Jesus.

2. Others Told the Pharisees (11:46)

   Those who did not believe “went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.” It is obvious that the unbelievers did this out of malcontent and hatred as they are contrasted with the believers in the previous verse.¹⁴ It is also obvious that these people had heard or witnessed a multitude of Jesus’ miracles as it says that they told the Pharisees “things which Jesus had done.” This negative reaction to Jesus’ climax of His series of signs, and indeed his signs collectively, “precipitate the series of events which culminate in the passion narrative.”¹⁵ The first of these events was the council where the Pharisees, who Jesus had conflict with on multiple occasions (John 7:32, 45-49), “kindled the rage of the whole council.”¹⁶

B. The Pharisees Convene (11:47-53)

1. Jesus was Performing Many Signs (11:47)

   The Pharisees ask the question, “What are we doing?”, because they already come to the council with the expectation that something be done about Jesus. They blatantly have contempt for Christ and “monstrous is [their] blindness… They now assemble deliberately and intentionally to bury the glory of God, at the sight of which they are constrained to be admonished… They therefore openly prepare to crush the power of God, which shines in the miracles of Christ.”¹⁷ Furthermore, the question they ask, “What are we doing?”, makes sloths of themselves, because they believe by taking action against Christ, they can stop His ministry. Yet they do not know that it is because of their action rather than their inaction that Christ makes progress.¹⁸Furthermore still, they think very highly of themselves as their influence only consisted of a few members on the council out of seventy-one members total.¹⁹

   The raising of Lazarus created this panic from the Pharisees because of its location but also its nature. When Jesus arrived at Bethany, Lazarus’ body had been dead for four days which meant his body had already begun to decay. The raising of the dead body after four days was therefore more significant in nature than the other resurrections Jesus performed, and even caused some of the Pharisees to put their faith in Him.²⁰

2. The Fear of the Romans (11:48)

   The Pharisees then make the statement that “if [they] let Him go on like this,” all men will believe in Him. Again, they are acting as if they, by their action, can stop Him from fulfilling His mission.²¹ Moreover, “they feared that the raising of Lazarus would be a catalyst for a revolt as the multitudes flocked to Jesus, causing Rome to curtail their authority.”²²This was because it was prophesied that the Messiah would “inaugurate true Worship in the temple,” and they worried that this fact would lead people to follow Jesus even more than before leading to riots and their loss of power.²³ Rome would then have to quench this rebellion and the city and temple would most likely be destroyed. 

3. Caiaphas Prophesied (11:49-52)

   Caiaphas, high priest since AD 18, interrupted the council according to the rudeness of his party, the Sadducees, and posited, “You know nothing at all, nor 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” (11:49-50).²⁴ Caiaphas saw fit that in order to save the nation, one man had to die. His statement was ultimately a utilitarian conclusion to the problem the council wished to solve. The author of the Gospel, John the disciple, then goes on to explain this statement further in verse 51: “Now 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.” Perhaps, as equally as ironic, that “man” that he spoke of was an ordinary man but he was also fully God. A third layer of irony, is found when John elaborates that His prophesy not only pertained to the nation, but it also pertained to the “children of God who are scattered abroad” (11:51). Caiaphas would have been more than furious if he knew the truth behind his prophecy and that through putting Christ to death, the gentiles, whom Caiaphas most certainly despised, would be included in the salvation of the nation. 

   The phrase “it is expedient” is translated from the Greek συμφέρει (sympherei, present active indicative verb).  The root of συμφέρει (sympherei) can be translated as “to bear or bring together, to bear together or at the same time, to carry with others, to collect or contribute in order to help, or to help or be expedient.”²⁵ In contrast, The English Standard Version translates συμφέρει (sympherei) as “it is better.”²⁶ Due to the English Standard Version’s failure to meet one of the translations, the New American Standard translates this particular phrase better (no pun intended) than the ESV. Therefore, the NASB is preferable. However, for the layperson it can be difficult to understand what it means for something to be expedient. To be expedient is to be a means to an end and that definition is suitable for this context. According to Caiaphas, Christ was the means for the temple, Israel, and the Jews to be free from destruction.

4. They Began Their Plans to Kill Him (11:53)

   The decision of the council was deemed final and “it remained only to give effect to the resolution as promptly as was compatible with discretion.”²⁷

C. Jesus Escapes to the Wilderness (11:54-57)

1. He Escapes with His Disciples to Ephraim (11:54)

   It is apparent that Jesus heard of the verdict from the council in Jerusalem and he therefore fled to Ephraim, described by Josephus as being a small town near Bethel.²⁸ His public ministry near Jerusalem ceased for a while until he would return there again on the back of a donkey (12:14). He spent this time with His disciples, His closest friends.

2. People Began Doubting That Jesus Would Come for Passover (11:55-56)

   Jesus had already celebrated the Passover twice in the Gospel of John (2:13; 6:4), so the upcoming Passover was His third.²⁹ The people began wondering if Jesus would attend Passover because they knew that the leaders of Jerusalem had plotted against Him. Therefore, they realized it was a great danger for Him to come.³⁰ They assumed He might not make an appearance because it was not obligatory to purify yourself before the Passover.³¹ However, their wonder shows that Jesus had quite a following in Jerusalem as the people there were “employed in holding conversations among themselves concerning Him.”³² Their seeking Him led to their discovery that the priests may have prevented Him from attending that year.³³

   The fact that Jesus only celebrated three Passovers in the Gospel of John helps to give an approximate date for the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. The first of the Passovers that Jesus celebrated in John’s Gospel occurred forty-six years after Herod began rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem, placing it in the year AD 28.³⁴ If there were only three Passovers, from the time that Jesus began His ministry, then the year of the third would be AD 30. Thus, it is very likely that Jesus was crucified in the same year. 

3. The Pharisees Plan to Arrest Jesus (11:57)

   The Pharisees issued a decree that if anyone knew the whereabouts of Christ, they were to report it to them. This is how the people were able to assume that He may not come to Passover if they did not hear it from other places. However, the people most likely thought that the temple only wanted to punish Jesus. The fact that they wanted to kill Him was probably unknown to the ordinary people of Jerusalem.³⁵

• Footnotes

  13.  F.F. Bruce, The Gospel of John: Introduction, Exposition and Notes (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1983), 249.

  14. Ibid.

  15. Ibid.

  16. John Calvin, Commentary on the Gospel According to John: Volume I, Calvin’s Commentaries (Grand Rapids: MI, Baker Books, 2005), 449.

  17. Ibid.

  18. Calvin, Commentary on the Gospel According to John, 449.

  19. Bruce, 250.

  20. Martin, Beck, and Hansen, 133.

  21. Calvin, Commentary on the Gospel According to John, 450.

  22. Martin, Beck, and Hansen, 133.

  23. Ibid.

  24. Bruce, 250.

  25. “John 11: New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB95),” Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/nasb95/jhn/11/50/ss0/t_conc_1008050

  26. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), (Wheaton: IL, Crossway, 2016).

  27. Bruce, 252.

  28. Ibid.

  29. Ibid.

  30. Ibid., 253.

  31. Calvin, Commentary on the Gospel According to John, 456.

  32. Ibid., 456.

  33. Ibid.

  34. Bruce, 252.

  35. Ibid., 253.

Theological Reflection

While John 11:45-57 is a significant narrative event of the life of Christ, it is also a treasure chest of theological truth. After Christ raised Lazarus from the dead and the Pharisees conspired against the Savior, Caiaphas unknowingly prophesied the magnificent words, “It is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the nation not perish” (11:50). John elaborates that this truth not only applies to the people of Israel but also to the Gentiles and people all over the world (11:51). God sovereignly worked for the raising of Lazarus to be in close vicinity to Jerusalem in order for the Pharisees to set their desires in motion and He sovereignly guided Caiaphas’ tongue as He spoke the great prophecy on God’s accord.

Application

This sovereign event of God is something that Christians should cherish as it reveals God’s grace to all people and through all people, including Caiaphas. The sovereignty of God and His grace extending to all ought to lead Christians around the globe to exultation. While the council of John 11:45-57 was disgusting and abominable, it was a key factor in setting to motion the events that would bring redemption to the whole world through Jesus. It also teaches Christians that just because something is labeled with the term ‘council,’ it does not make it correct. A word from John Calvin reminds Christians that councils of the church should be evaluated greatly, even the convening of Jesus’ death by the Pharisees, priests, and teachers resembles the structure of a church council.³⁶ Therefore, Christians ought to evaluate things of history in light of Scripture. The same can be said of all things that a Christian concerns himself or herself with. 

• Footnote

  36. Calvin, Institutes, xxxi. This particular edition does not make use of section markers.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bruce, F.F. The Gospel of John: Introduction, Exposition and Notes. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1983.

Calvin, John. Commentary on Gospel According to John: Volume I. Calvin’s Commentaries. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005.

Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion. Edited and translated by Robert White. 1 Vol. Edinburgh, UK: The Banner of Truth Press, 2020. 

Carson, D.A., and Douglas J. Moo.  An Introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005.

“John 11: New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB95).” Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/nasb95/jhn/11/50/ss0/t_conc_1008050 

Martin, James C., John A. Beck, and David G. Hansen. A Visual Guide to Gospel Events: Fascinating Insights Into Where They Happened and Why. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2010.

The Holy Bible. English Standard Version (ESV). Wheaton: IL, Crossway, 2016. 

Wright, N.T., and Michael F. Bird. The New Testament in Its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians. London: UK, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2019.