The Prophetic Words of Caiaphas

Lesson #185

In out last lesson, Caiaphas presented a plan that would sacrifice one man and thus protect them and the whole nation from danger at the hands of the Romans. “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 11:51 – 52 ESV). When Caiaphas spoke he spoke as with two tongues. With one tongue he spoke of a cruel design, which he had formulated in his mind, of putting Christ to death, but the words spoken were influenced by God, as a second tongue, to utter a prediction. God chose Caiaphas, who was high priest at the time, to say that Jesus would die for the people.

I am sure Caiaphas saw that death as a means of providing safety for the Jewish people and their nation by removing a growing problem seen by the Romans, not what God intended to purchase with that death. Little did he understand that sacrificing Jesus on the cross would purchase the salvation of many, gathering into one body, the church, the children of God. God’s plan was to send his Son into the world as Jesus, who would reveal who he was through the spoken word backed up with miracles. He knew that sinful people would turn against one who lived a sinless life and would thus provide the means of delivering Jesus to his death on the cross to complete the work necessary for our salvation. As we have followed Jesus in our lessons, we see God’s hand insuring that his plan would be carried out exactly. In the beginning when God the Father decided who he would choose for salvation, he also determined what we would be at the end of our life. We have the freedom to determine how we will walk with God through life, but the course we take will be under his guidance and control. As Jesus was sent into the world to accomplish work for God, he likewise sends us into the world to accomplish work. The end points of Jesus and us has been determined and assured by God. The clearer I see this through these studies, the more desirous I am to do his work.

“So from that day on they made plans to put him to death” (John 11:53 ESV). The evil workers of darkness would be employed by God to provide the means to get Jesus to the cross, but as we will see later, they did not have the authority to actually kill him. Jesus would, at the point his work was finished, voluntary give up his life at the time appointed by God.

Prayer

Father, in preparing this lesson I realize how little is said today about the sovereignty of God. In the western church it seems as though we are focused on ourselves, not on what work God had planned for us to do. We seem to think that life is for our pleasure and comfort, not in possible hard work and suffering to advance the kingdom of your beloved Son. With these studies I learn more and more about your plan for Jesus and as I look back in my life, I see how your plan was for me to teach Bible in China over an eight-year period. Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined doing that, but it was part of your sovereign will for me. Thank you for the experience and the joy of spending that time with you and people in a foreign culture.