One of the things I love about the bible is that no matter how much time I spend in it I always find something new because it is living and active (Heb. 4:12). In John 11 we find the narrative of Lazarus. He’s the guy that Jesus raised to life after being dead four days. Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha, and all three siblings followed Jesus. Many people witnessed Jesus do this and believed in Him. Not everyone there believed in Jesus that day because some went and told the Jewish religious leaders. So they called together their high council (called the Sanhedrin) to discuss what to do and come to the conclusion that they needed to execute Jesus before more people followed Him instead of following them.
That’s the overall story, and knowing that Jesus raised someone from the dead is amazing. If you put yourself in their shoes and imagined anyone you dearly loved coming back to life after 4 days you would be amazed too. But God isn’t just god of the big stuff, He’s in the details too. Looking at this narrative we might be thinking it’s a bad thing for the Jewish leaders to plot Jesus death until you see how they came to that decision.
As they discussed it they became
concerned that if people follow Jesus then they might lose favour with the Romans (who were ruling and occupying their land at the time) who could do what they had likely done in other countries – tear down the temple and completely overthrow them. At the time the Jewish people still had some governing authority through their religious system and leaders. And then one of the high priests speaks a prophesy and this is where is see God having His way even when the hearts of the people think they are getting their own way (God has his way even when He doesn’t get His way).
John 11:49–53 (NLT)
“Caiaphas, who was high priest at that time, said, “You don’t know what you’re talking about! 50 You don’t realize that it’s better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.” He did not say this on his own; as high priest at that time he was led to prophesy that Jesus would die for the entire nation. And not only for that nation, but to bring together and unite all the children of God scattered around the world. So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death.”
He had no idea what he was talking about actually. Jesus would eventually appear before Caiaphas in the Jewish court and be sentenced for blasphemy. What he said here though was that Jesus would die for the nation and all the Jewish people. What Caiaphas intended as an end to Jesus influence was the very thing that would fulfil many other prophesies in the Old Testament. Jesus would indeed die, but Lazarus would not be the only one raised to life… and when Jesus was raised to life there would be more miracles, and changed lives, and Jesus followers than Caiaphas could have ever imagined. I love that God used someone bent on destroying Jesus to confirm His message, calling, and truth.
Look for ways that God is speaking His message and truth, and your calling in the most unlikely of places. You might be surprised and how unconventional and completely amazing God actually is.