“Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. – John 11:50-52 (ESV)
The words of Caiaphas the high priest are correct, but he has the wrong intention. He was thinking materially – that is, what would the Romans do because of Jesus, how does this fellow jeopardize our ability to reform into a sovereign nation, or what will this miracle do to an already fractured and hurting Jewish population? Often we want Jesus to heal our ‘felt’ needs: money for this months rent, kids that would just be quiet and stay out of trouble, my family problems, troubles at work, etc. The problem is that we stop there – if He would just get me past this (whatever ‘this’ may be), then I could truly say that Jesus is Lord. Our focus is often on the material only.
Did Jesus care about the nation Israel? Absolutely. But His program is much different than the program that Caiaphas had in mind. And often times, His program is much different than the program we have in mind. Our response should be continued trust in our Savior, the one who is not only interested in our ‘material’ woes, but our true needs, our need for Him.
