|
Then Jesus, again intensely moved in his spirit, comes into the tomb. In fact, it was a cave, and a stone was overlaid upon it. Jesus states, “Lift up the stone!” Martha, the sister of the dead man, states to him, “Lord, now it smells, because it is four days.” Jesus states to her, “Did I not say to you that, if you believe you may see the glory of God?” (John’s first century eyewitness biography of Jesus: Chapter 11: 38-54) |
How horrible it is to have anything to do with inevitable death and corruption – and with corruption and death. Overturning all three is also a mega and horrible undertaking. It is also “the glory of God” to do that.
Therefore, they lifted up the stone. In fact, Jesus lifted up the eyes upwards and said, “Father, I thank you that you hear me. In fact, I myself had discerned that you always hear me, but on account of the crowd standing around, I say this, so that they may believe that you sent me out.”
Both Father and Son are engaged in this process of lifting up “the stone” which is covering death and corruption. We try to cover it all. He has power over these horrors facing every human being. We need to know this.
And, having said these things, he shouted in a loud voice, “Lazarus. Here. Now.” The dead man came out, the hands and the feet bound in coverings, and his sight had been bound around in cloth. Jesus states to them, “Release him! And allow him to go his way!”
This is an interesting description of a living “dead man”. Not only does death and the fear of death bind his “hands and feet” but also, no mortal can see until released from covering the eyes.
|
|
Many of the Judeans therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Therefore, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together a Sanhedrin and were stating, “What do we do, in that this man does many signs. If we leave him like this, everyone will believe into him and the Romans will come and lift up both our place and the race.”
|
.
|
Collectively, the Pharisees and the assembled Sanhedrin are strongly opposed to Jesus’ latest and most wonderous sign. Aeonic life and the eternal defeat of death. Instead, they are anxiously concerned about “our place and the race” (the group) being “lifted up” – if Jesus continues to do these things. The status quo is in their favour. That trumps everything.
In fact, a certain one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You yourselves do not discern anything nor are you reasoning that it is profitable to you that one man may die on behalf of the people and the whole race may not destruct.”
“Caiphas, being high priest that year” agrees with the Sanhedrin but is a man of action. They and he must, whatever the cost, avoid the “lifting up” of their “place and race”. But they “do not discern anything” while he does. In his prayer to the Father (above) Jesus “lifted up the eyes” to the Father - not to any other “place and race”. And he “had discerned” that his Father always heard him unlike the Sanhedrin who did “not discern anything”.
The scene is set “that one man may die on behalf of the people and the whole race may not destruct”.In his short-sightedness, Caiphas never realized how far-sighted he was.
In fact, he did not say this from himself, but being high priest that very year, he prophesied that Jesus was about to die on behalf of the race, and not only on behalf of the race, but also so that the scattered children of God may be gathered into one.
|
|
| What made Caiphas say what he said? Who prompted him? |
.
|
Therefore, from that day they resolved that they might kill him. Therefore, Jesus was no longer walking openly among the Judeans, but went away from there into the region near the wilderness, into a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.
Yes, people are “resolved that they might kill him” and they do succeed.
|
|
|
