The text for this morning's sermon is John chapter 11 verses 45 to 52. We want to read verses 45 through 57, but I ask that you back up to the Old Testament to Psalm 2 as well. Let's read together Psalm 2 as well as John 11 verses 45 through 57. Psalm 2, as we hear now the Word of God. Why did the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One. Let us break their chains, they say, and throw off their fetters. The one enthroned in heaven laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, I have installed my king on Zion, my holy hill. I will proclaim the decree of the Lord. He said to me, You are my son. Today I have become your father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter. You will dash them to pieces like pottery. Therefore, you kings, be wise. Be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you be destroyed in your way. For His wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him. In John chapter 11, beginning at verse 45, before this we read about the death of Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, And we also read about Jesus delaying to come. And then finally, He does arrive and He raises Lazarus from the dead. That has taken place just before the beginning of our text. Our text again, verses 45 through 52. Therefore, many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what Jesus did put their faith in Him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. What are we accomplishing? They asked. Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation. Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up. You know nothing at all. You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish. But he did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation, but also for the scattered children of God to bring them together and make them one. So from that day, they plotted to take his life. Therefore, Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the Jews. Instead, he withdrew to a region near the desert to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples. When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple area, they asked one another, What do you think? Isn't he coming to the feast at all? For the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone found out where Jesus was, he should report it so that they might arrest him. beloved congregation of our lord jesus christ when one makes profession of his or her faith what is that one that one is saying i believe but what does he believe what does he believe in according to hebrews 11 verse 1 faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Therefore, that one professes to believe in that which is hoped for and that which is unseen. Now, if you think about it, together we make that same profession when we recite, for example, the Apostles' Creed. We say, I believe in God, the Father and my creation, the Son and my redemption, the Holy Spirit and my sanctification. Indeed, things that we hope for, although we know, as Peter says, it's a living hope. It's a reality already today. But also, in a sense, things that are unseen. After all, today we cannot see with our visible eyes the Lord Jesus Christ, not as those back in the day when He walked. The glory and grace of God indeed is our hope and that which we long to see. Of course, there are visible manifestations of that glory and grace of God all around His people, but it will not be completely seen until He takes His children to their heavenly home. And we consider this. We consider that we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And in many respects, Christianity has always been laughed at because we can't see what it is we believe in. Yet we consider this. And then we turn to this portion of Scripture that we read, including this text, and it's hard to understand then what was the matter with those in the visible church of Jesus' day. Especially the leaders. Because after all, unlike us, the hope of God visibly walked among them. The God-man, Jesus Christ. The unseen God was visible in Christ. And instead of saying, I believe in Him, they said, He must die. They rejected Him. Of course, we would like to think that if we were there in that day, we would know better, huh? certainly we would believe in this Jesus. We would see His miraculous wonders and we would understand that maybe it's by God's grace that we live today, isn't it? Because maybe many of us would have rejected Him too. But this portion of Scripture, you see, lays before us the plot to kill Jesus. We want to consider the rocky soil of the plot cultivated and then also the deceptive seed of the plot planted. And then finally, the divine fruit of the plot to be harvested. Now we know, of course, and we must praise God, of course, that the crowds following Jesus were growing. From the sermons that He preached and from the miraculous signs He did, it was clear that He was no ordinary man. Many were brought by the Holy Spirit to faith in this Jesus who did things that the eye had not seen before and the ear had never heard about before. He healed the sick. He gave sight to the blind. He cast out demons. He fed the multitudes. He raised a little girl from the dead. But the most recent miracle was the most wonderful yet. Yes, he brought Jairus' daughter back to life from the dead. But Lazarus, his dear friend Lazarus, had been dead for a number of days. He had already been buried. His body had already begun to go through the normal process of decay. But Jesus reveals His divine power and spoke the words of life as only He could do. He says, Lazarus, come out. We know, of course, that's exactly what happened. With the burial coverings and all, He comes back to life. What was the result? Verse 45 is clear. Therefore, many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what Jesus did put their faith in Him. Many were added to the flock. Many were added to the church of Jesus Christ. But, there were others, those who couldn't see that there was something special about Him because they were spiritually blind. There were others who couldn't see past the fact that He was just the son of a carpenter and from Nazareth of all places. And everybody knows that nothing good ever comes out of Nazareth. For many of those people, talk of this Jesus being the Messiah was frightening to them because He didn't fit the bill. He didn't fit their expectations. there was nothing about this guy that made him look like one who had royal power to deliver the Jews from the powerful hand of Rome he hung out with the sick he dined with sinners he had fellowship with the lowest of the low what kind of army is that? if this Jesus is the Messiah then certainly something's not right here and for those who didn't believe the best place to go was to the Pharisees because everybody knew that there was no love lost on the part of the Pharisees toward Jesus. Jesus had gone head to head over and over again with the Pharisees at the debating table and He continued to tell these religious leaders that they really didn't understand their theology like they thought they did. The Pharisees hated Jesus. They wanted to get rid of Him. And if anyone was able to cultivate the rocky soil of the plot to kill Jesus, They could. And the cultivation, beloved, continues as the text says, the chief priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. Now this too is interesting because the chief priests were Sadducees, and the Sadducees and the Pharisees, they couldn't stand each other. They hated each other too. Yet here, they joined forces together against Jesus, kind of like King Herod and Pilate during the trial of Jesus. these opposing rulers became friends. It's kind of amazing, isn't it, how Jesus brings opposing sides together. But unfortunately, in these cases, we're talking about opposing forces that came together in the name of sin to try to destroy the Savior. But the Sanhedrin was the supreme court, we might say, the supreme council in the life of Israel. It governed all secular and religious matters. It had power to try capital cases and impose sentences, at least normally. However, under the hand of Rome, their power was limited to religious matters and even with those, the Sanhedrin did not have the power to carry out capital punishment. Yet they were still the highest religious body of the church at that time. And the Supreme Court, the Sanhedrin, they didn't know what to do. Notice the end of verse 47 and verse 48. They say, what are we accomplishing? Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place, and another version says our temple, and our nation. In other words, if he keeps this stuff up, the people are going to leave us. They're going to go to him. And the result will be that Rome and Caesar are going to think that this is a political revolution against them. They're going to come and destroy us and we're going to lose everything we have worked so hard for. Beloved, Jesus was a threat to their job security and to their very life, they thought. They make it seem like they're honorable. They make it seem like they're worried about their place, their temple, and that they're worried about the name of the nation and that they're worried about the condition of the people. And notice, too, that they could not argue about the fact that Jesus had indeed done many miraculous wonders and signs That was unarguable. That was not debatable. It was clear for them to see, but they didn't believe. Their hearts were hardened even more. We are reminded somewhat of the parable, Jesus' parable, about the rich man and the beggar Lazarus. Another Lazarus. And Jesus says in Luke 16, verse 31, If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rise from the dead. And that's what had just happened. This other Lazarus had just been raised from the dead. This is a clear illustration of the fact, beloved, that unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven. Unless the Holy Spirit of God regenerates a dead heart, that heart will not believe in the signs of the Messiah. And by the very fact that they acknowledge his many signs, which they do in the text, They had no choice but to conclude that these signs were either the work of God or they were the work of the devil. They said, what are we accomplishing, they said. And the answer that is expected is nothing. We aren't accomplishing anything as if they actually thought they could stop the progress of the gospel. But what should they have done? The same thing each one of us is to do when our faith is challenged. The same thing each one of us is to do when our understanding of Scripture is challenged. They should have searched the Scriptures to see what the Messiah would be like. These guys were supposed to be the experts in the Word of God. Didn't they know that Isaiah had prophesied that the Messiah would be recognizable through the blind receiving sight, the lame being made to walk, the deaf to hear, the dead being raised up, the poor having the Gospel preached to them. That's what Jesus said to the disciples of John the Baptist when they came to Him and said, Are you the one? Or do we look for another? And His reply in Luke 7 was, Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the Gospel preached to them. Beloved, didn't these religious leaders, these Bible scholars, Didn't they know that the prophet Zechariah had said that false prophets would abandon the people and feed only themselves, but the true ones would come not to be served, but to serve, just as this Jesus was doing? Didn't they recognize the Messiah? Didn't they recognize the Messiah? Do you recognize him? I can't help but to begin to wonder if these folks really believed the Scriptures. Did they really believe that there would be a Messiah even if He would have been one that they were looking for, one that they had expected, an earthly kind of ruler? Or did these religious leaders simply figure that talk of a Savior in the future gave them job security for today? But it's clear that the chief priests who were a major part of the Sanhedrin, they tried to bury the glory of God revealed in the signs of Christ. They did not see His work as divine, but they saw it as from the devil. You know, God may, in a sense, wink at them for a time. He may, in a sense, appear to turn and look the other way. Yet, He laughs at their foolish arrogance until the time comes for His executing His wrath. As we read about in Psalm 2, where the kings and the rulers take up sides against God, Verse 4 again says, The one enthroned in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. Scoffs at their foolishness, really. And verse 12, Kiss the Son or do homage to the Son. Pay homage to the Son, lest He be angry and you be destroyed in your way. See, beloved, there are many who use the gospel as a means to their own personal selfish end, whatever that end may be, whether it's a financial end or whether it's a popularity thing or whatever the case may be. So many use the gospel when it's convenient for them as a means to their own selfish gain. But to do that is to laugh at the grace of God and to cast a dark shadow over His plan of redemption and salvation. You see, the Sanhedrin here did not want to let God get in the way of their so-called work for God. And thus the rocky soil of the deadly plot was cultivated. And then all of a sudden it seems during their closed-door meeting, you see, they were probably in executive session by this time. And during their closed-door meeting, the chairman of the board, the chairman of the group, speaks out. Caiaphas, the high priest, says in the last part of verse 49 and 50, You know nothing at all. You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish. Now, we need to understand that Caiaphas was not saying this on behalf of Christ or to benefit Christ at all. He, too, was against Him. It's as if he's saying, you guys are talking in circles, you're not getting anywhere. And if you would only open your eyes, the solution to the problem is clear. Kill him. Kill him. Get rid of him. Caiaphas, the high priest, the one who held the highest religious position among God's people, plants the deceptive seed of the plot. Caiaphas indeed had a high position, but who gave it to him? We would say, of course, ultimately God gave it to him. But in those days, the Roman governors appointed the religious leaders over the Jews. For those of you who read Table Talk, you just read a little bit about this in Friday's devotion, that the religious leaders were given their positions not based on family or religious credentials as it was supposed to be. But they were given their positions based on bribes maybe they had given or some sort of political favors they had done. But the Bible gives us a clear description of what Caiaphas was really like. He was ambitious to be sure, but he used his ambition in a manipulative way. He was sly. He was ruthless. He was an opportunist who did not know the meaning of fairness and justice. He was bent on having his own way by hook or by crook. He did not shrink back from shedding innocent blood. And what he craved for selfish purposes, he was able to glaze and gloss over as if it was something needful for the welfare of the people. He was clearly a hypocrite. For example, at Christ's final trial, when no doubt Caiaphas was filled with jumping for joy inside because he had finally found what he considered to be the ground for Christ's condemnation and death. Publicly, the Bible tells us he tore his priestly robes as if he was overcome with sorrow. But he wasn't. Boys and girls, I think sometimes we do the same thing, don't we? Especially with our close friends. If we have a friend who's good at sports or studies or music or something, we root for them. We say, go, you can do it. But secretly, we want them to fail. And if they do fail, we say, I'm sorry, I feel so bad for you. But inside, we're kind of happy. Because maybe that gives us a little bit of an edge on them. We kind of do the same thing. But Caiaphas also reminds me a little bit of a mob chief. A mob leader. See, a mob leader does not think twice about removing those who get in his way or are no longer profitable. And this Jesus was getting in the way. And he certainly wasn't profitable. Kill him. It's better that one die than that many die. And after all, you see, it's our job to protect and look out for the welfare of all the people under our care. We have the majority to worry about. So certainly we can't be worrying about this one. And that was true. They had to care for all the people. But Caiaphas' motive was to look out for himself and no one else. His claim was that national security was in danger and their center of worship was in trouble and that if Jesus didn't disappear, then the people would be scattered. But again, these leaders led by Caiaphas were really worried about their own power and glory, not about God's power and glory. Caiaphas knew who gave him his position. It was the Roman governor. And as long as he could keep the peace, then everything would be fine. Everything would run smooth. But this Jesus, you see, He was a threat to that so-called peace. In Caiaphas' mind, if we remove this Jesus, then we remain, we retain the status quo, everything will be fine, there will be no difficulties, everyone will be happy. In other words, if Christ is not destroyed, the church will not be saved. The fact, according to Caiaphas, is follow Jesus, the result is the nation perishes. Put Him to death, and the nation is saved. However, history, at least for the nation of Israel, proved the opposite. When the Jews murdered Jesus, they sealed their own doom. Rome, about 30 years later, destroyed the city and the temple and really the nation. Beloved, today so many see Christianity as a threat to the joys of this world, to their rights. Christianity is a threat to abortion, to homosexuality, to living together outside of marriage, to getting ahead in life by deceptive practices, whatever it takes, you see. Christianity cramps my style. And therefore so many trade the eternal glory of heaven for the eternal thrill, or the eternal glory of heaven for the temporary thrill that this life affords. And many would be happier if Jesus Christ and His teaching never existed. So there's no question. No one can challenge me and how I live and how I work and the speech that I use. Everything is relative. What's good for me is good for me. What's good for you is good for you. See, Caiaphas says, in essence, never mind about his miracles. Don't pay attention to his teaching. Don't focus on the beauty of his character because that which is really important is that his life is a perpetual danger to our rights and our goals. I make a motion for his death. It's seconded, unanimously carried. And verse 53 says, So from that day on they plotted to take his life. You see, now Rome will see that we have no intention of revolting against them. We are loyal to Rome. We are loyal to Caesar. Well, finally then notice the divine fruit to be harvested. Verses 51 and 52. He, that is Caiaphas, did not say this on his own. But as high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation. And not only for that nation, but also for the scattered children of God to bring them together and make them one. I think it's fascinating that the inspired word of God includes this phrase. He did not say this on his own. We think back to Psalm 2, and in this phrase, we can hear a little bit of the Lord's laughter, I believe. God molded the sinful opinion of Caiaphas for his own purpose, his own divine purpose. God's intention was much higher than Caiaphas' sinful motive. We can almost hear Joseph's words to his brothers, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. And the words of Caiaphas, you see, had a deeper, more profound meaning than even he could have ever realized. He had one meaning, but God had another meaning. Caiaphas had his sinful meaning and he was indeed responsible for it. Yet in God's wonderful providence, the choice of words is so directed that these same words were used to express God's glorious plan of salvation by substitutionary atonement. Boys and girls, in a very simple way, atonement means to restore a broken relationship with all that that restoration includes. To restore a broken relationship. Our relationship with God was broken. And substitutionary means we needed another to take our place to restore it. However, the sinful point of view of Caiaphas and the righteous point of view of God regarding the substitution didn't match up. God sent His Son to be the substitute for His people, that He might suffer and bear the wrath and punishment of God in their place instead of them. Indeed, it was better that one die instead of many. And in this substitution, Jesus takes with Him into the grave the old man and His people and He gives new life to the new man. This Jesus would die and give to His people that which they didn't have but they desperately needed. While in Caiaphas' eyes, which were Satan's eyes, Jesus had to die in order to rid the people of something He thought they didn't need. He saw Jesus as nothing more than a cancerous tumor that needed to be cut out and destroyed for the welfare of the people. In God's view, Jesus is the way, truth, and life for spiritual Israel. But in Caiaphas' view, Jesus was not at all that root or that vine that gives life to the branches. Instead, He was a parasite that destroys. The Heavenly Father says one for all as He sees all His branches grafted into that one root in order to save them from eternal hell. But Caiaphas says one for all as He sees that one wild branch cut off in order to save the others from Rome. When God says one for all, His meaning is substitution. But when Satan through Caiaphas says one for all, His meaning is elimination. Caiaphas thought that the Jewish nation would be better off if Jesus died. But John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, points out that it is spiritual Israel, all Israel, including the Gentiles, as Paul says in Romans 11, including all those scattered, as the text says, who will benefit from the grace of God. Our beloved, Jesus would indeed die for a nation, but the nation that Peter speaks of as a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession. God used the high priest, the highest earthly religious office, the one who represented God to the people and the people to God, God used the high priest to announce the greatest sacrifice in the world. And little did Caiaphas know that this great sacrifice was also himself the perfect and final high priest. Therefore, do you hear the laughter again? Do you hear God's laughter? God, through Caiaphas' evil motives, was putting Caiaphas the high priest out of business. And what's interesting is that they want to slay Jesus for their purpose, but God will let them slay Jesus for His purpose, and salvation and redemption for all of the elect in Christ Jesus is the divine fruit to be harvested for those who are children of God. Caiaphas was right. Christ's death was better for me. It was better for you. Because if He had not died, no one would live for eternity in the presence of God. Beloved, the cross and Christ's work are not simply a convenience which may be tapped into by any one of us as a supplemental salvation plan if I think I need it. The cross is a necessity. On the cross is where the one man died for His people. On the cross is where Jesus Christ gathers, as the text says, the scattered children of God to bring them together and make them one. See, our joy is that believers will never have to suffer the punishment and wrath of God on the cross, although the only way to heaven is by way of the cross and the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. If you think that salvation is possible other than through the cross of Jesus, then you are eternally mistaken. And if you feel that Christianity is an inconvenience that keeps you from testing the waters of this life, then beware, because unless you repent of your sins and cling to the old rugged cross, one day Christ, the righteous judge, will conveniently cause you to drink your fill from the water called the lake of fire. But for those who turn to the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance and faith, our joy is real, Because that hope is living and real. And we are called to rejoice in the death of that one for your sake and for my sake. The Sanhedrin's plot to kill Jesus was a part of God's perfect plan to give eternal life to His children. The Sanhedrin's plot was death. But God's plan is life. And because of the perfect work of the Savior, the Holy Spirit cultivates the soil in preparation for new life. He plants the seed of new life and by the grace of God He will harvest the fruit of new life to eternity. Yes, beloved, Christ's death was for our protection from eternal death. Do you believe this? You see, eternal salvation is what we hope for. It is that which is unseen. Yet, beloved, it is so real for you and me today. and we are called to live in the reality of that truth in the reality of that joy every step and every situation of our life what a blessing indeed we can't see it with our naked eye yet it's real for you and me amen shall we pray our gracious God and heavenly Father we thank you and praise you for the blessed truth of your word the truth of the saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ the truth Father that indeed his death, the death of one was for the benefit of so many for your church your people called from before the foundation of the world may that truth give us hope each and every day of our lives. May that truth be that which you use by the power of your Spirit to strengthen our faith as well increase our assurance of eternal life. May that truth be that which drives us every day to desire to share the gospel message of Jesus Christ to those who have never heard. Father, we thank you and praise you for that truth. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray these things. Amen.