One Man Should Die

Today’s reading: John 11:1-54

You don’t know what you’re talking about! 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. - John‬ ‭11:49-50‬

Caiaphas’ words are demeaning, literally “you brainless and witless creatures” — everything to him is so obvious. Their ultimate goal as Jewish leaders was to protect their religious freedom from the juggernaut known as Rome. He wanted to reign everyone in, to control the situation. In his mind, Jesus had to die to protect them from Rome. Little did he know that his prophecy was for a much larger scale: the entire world. God is always thinking larger than we are. The ironic thing about these comments is that, in AD 70, Rome would invade Jerusalem to completely destroy the city and their beloved Temple.

The more that we attempt to gain control, the more that we lose control.

This is why a surrendering faith in Jesus is so important. He is always planning for something much larger and more effective!