“One Man Must Die”

Well, I invite you to turn this morning to the Gospel of John, if you have your Bibles with you. We are working and through this book and continuing our study in the Gospel of John. And this morning, we come to chapter 11, verse 45, 11, verse 45, and we'll read to the end of the chapter, you'll remember this follows the Lazarus raising, which obviously is going to be an important section for response to that great event of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. So 1145 through 57 is the text this morning. Let's give our attention to God's word. Many of the Jews, 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. So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone 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 understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people than that the whole nation should perish. He did not say this on 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. So from that day on, they made plans to put him to death. Jesus, therefore, no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness to a town called Ephraim, and there stayed with the disciples. Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. They were looking for Jesus and 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 should let them know, so that they might arrest him and there is the reading of God's word there was a a great concern in chapter 11 John chapter 11 with the raising of Lazarus that if Jesus went back to Judea remember what the disciples said that the Jews would take his life that he would be he would be murdered he would be killed so so the disciples were really worried about this the disciples were living in constant fear of the future the constant the disciples were looking to the escalating conflict with the authorities they were looking to the problems that were coming and they were living in constant fear with regard to the future remember they said this to jesus rabbi lately the jews really seek to stone you we can't go back there we can't go back there and i stopped and i thought this is such a helpful section today to help us understand a bit our understanding as opposed to how god is playing and working out his purposes and his plans we look at things a certain way god has a plan that we often don't see and that's why passages like this are incredibly helpful for they tell us over and over again that what you think how you're looking at things in your own wisdom is not really how you should look at it but you should trust the Lord and understand that whatever is happening there are certain things that are happening and that he is in charge of it all he is the one who has the last say on whatever happens and it was Jesus who said that who responded that way remember that was that that section in John 11 that's often kind of confusing when Jesus says something that didn't seem to fit the flow of the narrative, but it fit in every way. If you walk in the day, you know where you're going. But if you walk in the night, yeah, watch out, because you can't see what's going to happen to you. And that's a basic wisdom principle from the Proverbs, isn't it? It's a basic wisdom principle. We all know this. Walk in the day, you see. Walk in the night, you don't see. Apply that morally and ethically you can see what he's exactly he's saying walk in the darkness live in darkness live in all the sins of the flesh you open yourself up to all kinds of dangers but walk in the will of god walk in the path that he has for you nothing can ultimately touch you nothing can harm you and that's jesus's path it's the will of god it's the will of his father that he's staying so perfectly on. So this is where we are in this particular passage that nothing can absolutely, nothing can frustrate the will of God. And he was using this in the raising of Lazarus to teach his disciples about his own death. He linked together the Lazarus story that way, where Lazarus, he stayed behind two days and waited for Lazarus to die when he could have gone right away and fixed it but he didn't he knew Lazarus it had been appointed for Lazarus to expire it had been appointed for him to die and to be raised and Jesus stayed away saying when I do that I tell you if you believe you'll see something you'll see something really important well that's a as we looked at last time that's that's challenging to actually have to live that experience in the midst of it all when you don't see much and you don't see where it's going and and the plan that is actually being played out and that's where that's why over and over uh the bible calls us to trust to wait to trust to wait and and that can be cumbersome to hear all the time but it is the message of the bible isn't it wait on the lord trust in the lord well this is the scene that is before us. Lazarus's death was not a mistake. Jesus has claimed, and I said last time, claimed in light of everything, really redeemed and bought even the sicknesses and the deaths of his people for a purpose. That's why we say in the Heidelberg, you're no longer your own. You don't belong to yourself. You're purchased with a price. You're owned by Jesus. That's what his blood has done that's what his blood has accomplished but jesus said something really important last time that if they believed they would see the glory of god that should help us i want us to think a little bit about what is that what does that mean and as jesus is showing us and helping us to study his story that the purpose and plan will be fulfilled exactly through what nobody thought possible and even in impossible circumstances, we should stop and say, do we see the glory of God in the face of Jesus? We'll look at that this morning. And that's what this is about. That's what we're looking at. I want you to stay with me this morning and hopefully as you stay focused on this, you'll see that this passage that follows the Lazarus narrative is really one of the most encouraging sections in the Gospel of John. I'd never really understood how important and encouraging this was meant to be for the church and i i hope it's a great blessing to you today you could only imagine the waves of popularity and response after the raising of somebody from the dead that's a big event that's a big thing that happened in the ministry of jesus um you could imagine the talk you could imagine the response uh you know now jesus told a parable about a man named lazarus probably playing off this about even if people see a resurrection they won't believe so that that should tell us when you come to the gospel of john how important it has been as jesus has been talking about a new birth and that you must be born again to see to perceive the kingdom of God to see Jesus and to see that work you have to have a new heart that's what the Christian message is all about and talking about the work of the Lord and saving somebody but the first thing shown to you today here is that the purposes of God through the Lazarus event are being accomplished the purposes of God and I want you to put together something in our study of John this there's moments you should stop and see the structure of the book to see exactly what John is doing, and this is a remarkable moment. How many signs has Jesus done so far in the Gospel of John? Well, add them up. I'm not a good mathematician, but I can add seven. The first one was water to wine. The second one was the healing of the nobleman's son. The third one was the man at the pool of Bethesda. The fourth was the feeding of the 5,000. The fifth was walking on water. The sixth was the healing of the blind man. And now we've come to the seventh. Resurrection. Now, you know seven's an important number in the Bible. The first section of John is called the book of signs for a reason. It's called the book of signs. It ends in chapter 12 here. And that this resurrection event is really a closure to the sign ministry of Jesus is telling us something very important. What did Jesus say in the middle of the last sign? He said, in the middle of the last and most important sign, I told you that if you believe, you'll see something. You'll see the glory of God. That's something you could read right over. What does that even mean? What do you see? What did they see? What was the glory that would be seen? And these are these statements of Jesus that we're so used to hearing and not really thinking about. And that's a big one to think about. What was he talking about? Clearly, in the raising of Lazarus, something was to be seen. Something was to be understood. And Jesus says it takes faith to see it. It takes faith to see it. No one in their own ability can see the glory of God. So what was it in the story of Lazarus that was so important? All along, think about what we've seen in the Gospel of John, this struggle in the Gospel of John, that people were following him for the signs that he was doing. People were following him for the signs. and jesus criticized that unless you people see signs and wonders you will by no means believe and back in chapter two remember it said that he was at jerusalem at the passover many believed when they saw the signs that he did but jesus on his part did not commit himself to them because he didn't believe in their belief so john john has left us sort of on the on the edge of the seat thinking is any of this real is any of this following real is any of this making any progress Is there anything happening in the kingdom of God? Because even with the signs that he's doing, nobody seems to be believing properly. And that's why verse 45, I think, is a big verse. Notice what it says in verse 45. Many of the Jews, therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him. Now this is, I think, a big moment in the Gospel of John. Many of the Jews, if you look back to verse 31, were with Mary when she was weeping, when she was at the funeral home, when she was crying and in deep distress. Many of the Jews were with her in the house and they were comforting with her, and it says they got up and they followed. They followed Jesus. Some didn't. Some went to tattletale on the Pharisees. We'll come back to that, to tell to the Pharisees. But these witnesses here, these people had witnessed the raising of Lazarus. These people who had witnessed the seventh sign. And John here is doing something very unique in verse 41, where he chooses a different word for seeing than what Jesus has been saying the whole time. It's a more powerful verb that is used here. It's not the same verb where Jesus said, unless you people see signs and wonders. There's a different verb that is chosen here, and I think John is offsetting this to tell us something very important. This word means beheld. They beheld the sign. They beheld the sign. They gave attention to the sign. They gazed upon the sign. They saw something in the sign. They deeply pondered the meaning of the sign. When was the last time we've heard that word in John? Chapter 1. And the word became flesh, and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory i told you that if you believed you'd see you'd beheld the glory of god you see john is saying this is a big moment now that the seventh sign has happened the glory of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth jesus said this you'll see that i'm talking about with the eyes what did they ponder and what did they understand john says we beheld the glory what's he talking about well in some sense it's it's simply seeing jesus for who he is isn't it that he is the only begotten son of god think of the transfiguration when uh disciples were were sleeping and they wake up and they see him transfigured uh that that glory for a moment breaks out and they they saw glory that was radiant and beautiful and you could say they saw the glory on the mountain that's what peter says but this is an interesting moment for he ties the glory to the seventh sign a death and a resurrection he had just raised lazarus the people had never seen anything like that before they watched a dead man who was a stinking rotting corpse after four days get up and walk life being put back into him by the voice of the messiah jesus had just said i am the resurrection and the life whoever believes in me though he dies he'll live that's exactly what happened that's exactly what happened i believe what john is showing us in this first section is that their eyes are being opened to see jesus in the signs their eyes are being open to see jesus in the signs they're beholding what the signs mean they're beginning to see That's one thing about the Gospel of John is we see the eyes, like the blind man, go like this. It's a slow sort of opening to see Jesus, and that's your life. Do you know that? I said last week, I had a few of you comment on how thankful you were for the words of Horatius Barnard in the Sunday night sermon of his little chapter, God's Trees Grow Slowly. It's such a great little title. God's Trees Grow Slowly. what we're seeing here is the power of God not fast not quickly but slowly prevailing over unbelief and I think that's an important thing to remember in our time isn't it we all want it now we all want it fast where's the power where's the real power we should be shaking the nations it should be that powerful as we think it should happen and we should see great great response in the way that we we think it should happen and and and this is where i think john really encourages us look at the ministry of jesus look at the struggle of his own life and look at the consistent preaching of the gospel fulfilling the will of god and that god's work is prevailing over unbelief um it's encouraging you know you stop you stop and think is there any is is there any faith in this world? Is there anything happening in the church? You can become so disillusioned going to the ministry today because everything's slow. Nothing seems fast. And then you wonder, is anything even happening? Is this even working? Is this even working? Are people really believing? Or are people still sitting here hard and cold and dead? Struggle with that. And I think this is meant to be a huge encouragement. the success of the ministry cannot be stopped. And the first way that's shown is to say that the Holy Spirit is working and faith is prevailing in the lives of people. People are seeing and people are believing. And it tells us to be patient. I said last time on the sanctification introduction to the last sermon that often as pastors we get in a lot of trouble when we expect people to be more sanctified than they are, and we push levels of sanctification on people that they've not achieved to, and if God's trees grow slowly, we have to be patient in God's work. That's difficult at times, isn't it? It's difficult, especially when we have loved ones or sons or daughters or parents maybe, where it just seems, are they hearing? Is anything happening? Where's the life? And I think this first section is, look, seventh sign. Look how much Jesus has been walking. We're going to close out the earthly ministry here today. Did you know that among the Jews? And there's belief. And that's the power of God to encourage you. You may not see it the way you want. You may not always see it at the rate you want. But this is where we trust him. It's his work. It's his opening of the eyes. It's him going to the blind man and saying, you will see today. It's him going to Nicodemus, you must be born again. And him showing up later at the burial. It's that kind of work that goes on in people's lives. And it's an encouragement of the prevailing work of the son. But it gets even better. Gets even better. The success of the ministry cannot be stopped even when the greatest opposition stands in front of it. Did you know that? The first point was the purpose accomplished. The second point is the plot of the wicked supported. Well, this is quite a moment. Think of what I just said. The plot of the wicked supported. Notice verse 46. But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things that Jesus did. Those tattletales, right? Kids do this all the time. See, it happens all the time. The adults do it too. then the chief priests and the pharisees gathered a council and said what shall we do for this man works many signs verse 48 this man works many signs what shall we do if we let him go on like this everyone will believe in him and the romans will come and take away both our place and our nation. The unbelievers had stood there who had mocked Jesus. This guy couldn't even, if he could open the eyes of the blind, he couldn't even stop. Couldn't he heal this guy from dying? Couldn't he keep this man from dying? Unbelievers were standing there. Unbelievers had gone and told the Pharisees, and sure enough, they gather a church council. And they get together, and they saw it as an opportunity now, and they are intensely bitter people. they're angry people you'll notice that here but here's what moves me about the whole story is that you would think that the real story would be is if he said i'm going to raise the dead and couldn't do it wouldn't that be the story to go after but he said i'm going to raise the dead and he did it and still they're gathering so what's it going to take you know what's it going to take i mean that's the this is foolish you should stop and say look at the foolishness of unbelief look at the stupidity of unbelief it won't take the facts and listen it won't even look at them but here we are this is a a moment the chief priests and the pharisees gather this council a sanhedrin council and determine you know whatever these uh councils determine was binding they had already um done this with the blind man and remember unsynagogued him and kicked him out of the church now they're they're going to decide it's time to take jesus out this is enough notice what happens. First question, what shall we do? If we let this alone, everyone's going to believe in him. Yeah, he just raised the dead. Everyone's going to follow him. And we can't have that. We just can't have that. Verse 19 of the next chapter shows how bad the mindset of the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin and the Sadducees were when they say, you see that we're accomplishing nothing the world is going after him we can't stop this it keeps john keeps saying that can't stop this the world is going after him we're not stopping it but for now what shall we do and one of them verse 49 Caiaphas being a high priest that year said to them you know nothing at all nor do you consider that it's expedient for us that one man should die for the people. And 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 only for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on, they made plans to put him to death. Caiaphas was about as crooked as you get. He was the worst kind of leader. He was a bad man. His whole position was questionable. He was a crook. He was a thief. He stands up and he puts on a great pompous show and oration in the midst of the council. So patriotic to the nation is he. I am so patriotic to the nation. The best thing we can do is rid Jesus from the nation. Let's kill him. Why? Well, he knew that the Romans hated insurrections. He knew that the Romans hated rebellions. He knew that Romans hated Messiah-like figures. And if everyone's following Jesus, as is happening, it would be expedient. It would be really good right now to put a stop to this because if all these people follow him, the nation's going to perish. The nation's going to perish. The Romans are going to come after us all. If we put Jesus to death, our nation will live. And not only for us, but that God will gather into one children of God, children of God, all scattered abroad. Now, that's a remarkable thing that was just said. This is a remarkable thing that was just said. In fact, verse 52 says, that day on, they plotted to put Jesus to death. Plotted. Now, before I unpack a little bit of that, that word for plot means take counsel together. They took counsel together to put Jesus to death. Any good student right now of the Psalms knows that that's an important In Psalm, in Psalm 2, isn't it? The nations of the earth, listen to this. Why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together. There it is. Against the Lord and against his anointed. You don't think the whole Bible is about Jesus? Everywhere. Everywhere. let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us. You know the world says that about Christians today? Let's cast this away. Ultimately, we need to get rid of this thing, this plague. He who sits in the heaven shall laugh. The Lord shall hold them in derision. Then he shall speak to them in his wrath and distress them in his deep displeasure. Yet I have set my king on my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree. The Lord has said to me, you are my son. Today I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will give the nations for your inheritance. What did Caiaphas just say? It's an amazing moment. It's an amazing moment. I want you to notice the Lord promised he will laugh at moments like this. He will laugh. It's a mind-blowing laugh. How does God laugh? He laughed right here. He laughed right here. What do I mean? Caiaphas stands up and he just preached the gospel in the council. Did you know that? He just preached the whole gospel in the council. Caiaphas, to try to get your mind around this, gave the clearest proclamation of the gospel to the whole Sanhedrin. In other words, Caiaphas, words flowing out of a wicked heart to destroy Jesus in the perfect way God wanted them to come out spoke because he didn't speak on his own accord. Who's in charge even of his mouth? Look, we need to kill him because that's how our nation will be saved. And then all the nations are going to be gathered together into one through that. It's mind-blowing. That's why verse 51 says he didn't even speak on his own authority. You see how in control God is of everything. We have to hear that. We really have to hear that. In Acts, this is exactly how they preached. Men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves now know. This Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God. You crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up. Your wicked, evil hearts were constantly attacking God's son. And that was all done in the perfect, predestined plan of God. I think this is trying to emphasize reasons I'm reformed lately. Here's another. How do you look at everything? I forget this. You forget this. I think Christians, what is driving much of us right now in our land is a fear of persecution. I mean, really, if we get down to the heart of what is going on, we're really scared about the future. We're like the disciples running around, don't go there. This is going to be bad. This is going to be bad. This is going to, this terrible thing might happen. This awful thing might happen. what if the worst imaginable thing happened? What if the entire world attacked our belief system and said it's time to put out Christianity all together and they all get together in their councils and decide they're going to do that and persecute us? He who is in the heavens shall laugh. Keep that. Hold on to that. That's why Psalm 2 matters. He who is in the heavens shall laugh. They mess with us. They mess with God's Son. And they can't do that. In all of their persecutions, they serve a greater purpose to showcase the Son. Everything is always undermined and overturned. It always has been. It always has been. Couldn't they stop and see that they would never be able to withhold and prevent the gospel? It's been preached for thousands of years. This name is still held up above every name that is given. It has not stopped. It will not stop. It cannot stop. The worst thing for them would be to try to take our Bibles. All their anger is a fight against God. And through this, what was God doing? Prevailing and bringing faith. Reconciling the world to himself. You see a people overcoming by faith in this passage against all odds. against the greatest amount of opposition you could ever receive in the world, the plan goes. And that's the final brief point I want to leave you with today. Notice the preparation's underway. Preparation's underway. Verse 55 says, Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand. Many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. They were looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, What do you think? You can see these guys, you know, standing around. It's like the city workers who stand around and talk about the potholes. What do you think? Think he's going to come? Now, all the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, they should let them know so that they might arrest him. And that's the end of chapter 11. Picture the scene here of hypocrisy. They're going to go get cleansed now through the Passover. It's all about Jesus. Right at this moment, is Jesus going to come? Is Jesus going to come? Is he going to come up here? Disciples, you don't want to go there. They're going to kill you. What's he doing? What's he doing right now? As they're waiting. Well, you can keep reading. And it says in chapter 12, six days before the Passover, which is where they were waiting, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Mary, therefore, took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. Well, I'll tell you what he's doing. He's being anointed for his death. Will he come? Will he come? Yeah, he's going to come. He is going to ride himself on a donkey, ride into it for you. Right into it for you. That's the next section. That's what the text is showing us. I think the saddest verse in this passage is verse 53. After this plot, Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews. The earthly ministry ended right there. It brings us back to the question that Mary and Martha asked. Jesus asked Mary and Martha, did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God the glory of God in the face of Jesus and I think that's the question for us today a savior who has died the father has raised think about that that he is raised from the dead he is seated today above all principalities and powers he's given the name above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and And every tongue should confess that he is who? Lord. He's the Lord of Psalm 2. He's seated. And what did he do for you? He came. And he died. And he got up out of the grave. All through their wicked plots to save you. I think that's why Paul would say. Seeing Jesus. Praise be to God. for his indescribable gift. What do you have to fear then, really? It's a constant reminder we need in this season where we're all looking to saviors and we're all looking to different saviors. Who's your savior? Who has you? What can they do to you? And the word became flesh and dwelled among us and we beheld his glory. The glory as of the only begotten son, Full from the Father, full of grace and truth. Believe him. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for encouraging us in our dark world, in our dark times of the resurrection of the dead that all who believe the gospel will rise with brand new bodies and that because Jesus is risen, that plan is sure. Nothing can stop it. Thank you for encouraging us with this program and this plan. But we pray, O Lord, as we're often frustrated as a church because we seem to see so little progress in the midst of this and we wonder, it seems that the church is shrinking. It seems that the devil is winning. It seems that darkness is prevailing. It seems that the great apostasy is upon us. The great falling away. Thank you for encouraging us that eyes are being opened. Thank you for showing us that true faith is prevailing. And thank you for showing us the plan is going forward. And as chapter 10 taught us, not one sheep will be plucked from the hand of the Savior. So give us comfort and give us confidence and give us your peace. And may we live in that joy no matter what happens in this world. In Jesus' name, we pray these things. Amen. Thank you.