Vessels

Reading Amount:

John 11:1-12:50

Central Verse:

He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God. John 11:51-52 NRSV

Central Truth:

God uses imperfect, even conniving, vessels to speak of the work that Jesus would complete. Jesus work was not just for the salvation of the people of Israel but for all the children of God!

Food for Thought: (Questions about the Text)

The office of high priest was intended to be a lifelong position. John seems to remark that Caiaphas was only shortly in office this may have been noticing the reality of living under Roman rule. In fact a number of years later Caiaphas was removed from leadership.

There is a marriage of political wisdom with a strong underlying of prophecy in the wisdom of Caiaphas. The political wisdom was contained in their precarious set-up with Rome.

Connections: (Time with our Society)

Often political leaders make decisions not based on their care for the people but on the basis of what will happen to their power if a certain event were to happen. Even now we have political leaders vilifying an issue or position because it’s a good idea and the result would be a gain in popularity for the other side.

In Jesus' day the stakes were slightly different. Here the ruling class of Sadducees and Pharisees along with the High Priest risked their lively hood. Under the excuse of their lively hood was that they risked any and all power that they had achieved. In this setting Jesus is a threat to their power. Caiaphas hid all of this in a statement about the good of the many out weighing the worth of one mans life. We know because we're reading the story that what he says holds double meaning and John himself points that out. That Jesus' death is for the salvation of all.

So often people concerned with their own wealth and their own position don't realize the nature of their actions nor that what they are doing is something God wants done. This is not an excuse for us to do whatever we want but a statement of the reality of our existence. God is at work using imperfect vessels to complete his goals.