Amen and good morning. Please take your copy of God's Word and join me in John chapter 11.
If you were here with us last week, rest assured, my blood sugar is doing well, and I have nothing but water to drink.
We're going to begin reading in verse 45 and continue through the end of the chapter for our study this morning.
And as we do, we're going to be in a passage that in one sense feels almost like an epilogue to the raising of Lazarus.
Though John intends us to understand that what happens here is actually much more significant than just that.
The raising of Lazarus is finished.
The stone has been removed. Jesus has prayed to his father.
He has cried out with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out.
And the man who had been dead for four days has walked out of his tomb still wrapped in his burial cloths.
As we saw last week, that miracle is not merely an extraordinary display of raw power, but a sign revealing the identity of Jesus Christ.
Jesus had told Martha, I am the resurrection and the life.
Then he demonstrated that his words were not religious sentiment spoken to comfort a grieving woman,
because the one who claimed to be the resurrection stood outside of the grave and commanded the dead to live.
And Lazarus lived.
Now, if we were writing the story, I suspect most of us would expect John to conclude chapter 11 differently.
We might expect something like this.
Lazarus comes out of the tomb.
Everyone falls down in worship.
The religious leaders finally admit that they have been wrong about Jesus all along.
Jerusalem welcomes her Messiah.
And the chapter ends in universal celebration.
We, of course, know this is not how the story goes.
But what more evidence could anyone possibly require that Jesus is the Christ?
Jesus turned water into wine.
He has healed the sick.
He has given sight to a man born blind.
He has fed thousands with a small amount of food.
He has walked upon the sea.
And now, if there were any uncertainty remaining about the kind of authority he possesses,
Jesus called a man out of a grave after four days dead.
Surely, this should settle the question.
Surely, everyone would believe now, but that is not at all what happens.
And what John shows us in the remainder of chapter 11 is something profoundly important about belief.
Excuse me, about unbelief.
The fundamental problem of unbelief is not a lack of evidence.
The problem is that the human heart does not want the conclusion to which the evidence points.
There are people in this passage who have just watched Lazarus walk out of his grave,
and rather than falling before Jesus in worship,
they begin participating in a process that will lead to his murder.
But there's even greater truth running behind the surface of these verses,
because while sinful men begin plotting the death of Jesus for their own wicked purposes,
God is simultaneously accomplishing his own righteous purpose through their plot.
The leaders intend murder.
God intends salvation.
Caiaphas intends political expediency.
God speaks through him of substitutionary atonement.
The council concludes that Jesus must die to preserve their nation,
while God has determined that Jesus will die to save his people,
not only from Israel, but from among the nations of the world.
And so this passage becomes one of the clearest examples in all of Scripture of the mysterious sovereign providence of God,
who is so completely Lord over human history that even the wicked actions of sinful men cannot overthrow his purposes,
but are, without excusing their wickedness in any way,
made to serve the very plan they intend to destroy.
So let's look at this passage together after a word of prayer.
Father, we thank you for your word this morning,
this end of John chapter 11,
the opportunity for us to take some time to take it up,
to read it,
to consider all of its implications.
We humbly recognize that we need your help to do this.
We are feeble in our own thinking.
We have varied distractions in all of our minds,
even now.
We need your help to believe its promises and obey its commands,
to have affection for you, its author.
So we pray that you'd help us to do this.
We pray it in Jesus' name.
Amen.
John chapter 11, I'll begin reading in verse 45.
Many of the Jews, therefore, who had come with Mary
and had seen what he did, believed in him.
But some of them went to the Pharisees
and told them what Jesus had done.
So the chief priests and the Pharisees
gathered the council and said,
What are we to do?
For this man performs many signs.
If we let him go on like this,
everyone will believe in him.
And the Romans will come and take away
both our place and our nation.
But one of them, Caiaphas,
who was high priest that year,
said to them,
You know nothing at all.
Nor do you understand that it is better for you
that one man should die for the people,
not that the whole nation should perish.
He did not say this of his own accord.
But being a 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.
So from that day on,
they made plans to put him to death.
Jesus, therefore, no longer walked openly among the Jews,
but went from there to the region near the wilderness
to a town called Ephraim.
And there he stayed with the disciples.
Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand,
and many went up from the country to Jerusalem
before the Passover to purify themselves.
They were looking for Jesus
and saying to one another as they stood in the temple,
What do you think?
that he will not come to the feast at all?
Now the chief priests and the Pharisees
had given orders that if anyone knew where he was,
he should let them know
so that they might arrest him.
All right.
I'd like to consider this passage this morning
under four headings.
Number one, the sign produces division.
Number two, the leaders protect their position.
Number three, the priests proclaim more than he knows.
And number four, the Passover points us toward the cross.
Well, number one, the sign produces division.
We see this in verses 45 and 46.
Look first at verse 45.
Many of the Jews, therefore, who had come with Mary
and had seen what he did, believed in him.
That is the response that we want.
That's what we would expect.
These are the people who had come to Bethany
to console Mary and Martha.
And after the death of Lazarus,
and because they were present with the sisters,
have witnessed the events that John just described.
John tells us that many of them responded
exactly as the signs in this gospel
are intended to lead us to respond.
Perhaps these are some of the disciples
in the upper room after Jesus' death.
They believed in him.
Remember again the purpose statement
John will give us near the end of this gospel.
These signs have been written so that you may believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that by believing, have life in his name.
So the sign, the miracle of the raising of Lazarus
points beyond itself to Christ.
The miracle is not merely saying,
look what Jesus can do.
The miracle is saying, look who Jesus is.
And many saw the sign,
understood something of what it revealed
concerning Jesus.
He is the resurrection and the life.
And they believed in him.
But then verse 46 introduces
one of those contrasts John uses repeatedly
throughout the gospel.
We've seen this theme again and again and again.
Those who receive, those who reject.
Verse 46 says,
But some of them went to the Pharisees
and told them what Jesus had done.
Now John does not explicitly tell us
the motives of these people
and therefore we should be careful
not to pretend that we know
more than the text tells us.
It is possible that some of them
simply reported the event
without understanding what the consequences would be.
But given what immediately follows,
the contrast is really difficult to miss.
Some see Lazarus raised and believe.
Others see Lazarus raised and go to those
who have already demonstrated their hospitality,
excuse me, their hostility toward Jesus.
They've been openly hostile toward him.
Same Christ, same sign, same evidence,
different responses.
And that pattern has appeared
all throughout John's gospel.
Jesus reveals himself
and people divide.
Some believe, others reject,
some worship, others oppose.
Some recognize the shepherd's voice.
Others accuse him of having a demon.
The light shines into the darkness,
but not everyone loves the light.
And this raises an important question for us.
Why does one person see the signs of Christ
and believe while another encounters
the same testimony
and remains hardened?
We are often inclined to assume
that unbelief is primarily
an intellectual problem.
And certainly there are
intellectual questions worth answering.
Christianity does not ask people
to turn off their minds.
The Christian faith
makes historical and theological claims
which should be examined carefully.
But scripture teaches us
that unbelief goes deeper
than just a lack of information.
Jesus has already said in John 3
that light has come into the world,
but people loved darkness
rather than light
because their works were evil.
The issue is not merely
that they cannot see.
The issue is that
they do not want the implications
of what they see.
That is precisely what becomes apparent
in the verses that follow.
The religious leaders
are not going to deny
that Jesus has done
extraordinary things.
In fact,
they will openly acknowledge it.
The problem is not
that the evidence for Jesus
is insufficient.
The problem is that
if Jesus really is
who the evidence indicates he is,
then they can no longer remain
the unquestioned rulers
of their own lives.
And that remains
one of the great obstacles
to faith.
People sometimes say,
if God would just show me
enough evidence,
I would believe.
Perhaps.
But the Bible makes us
ask another question.
If God showed you
enough evidence,
would you worship him
or would you resent the fact
that the evidence requires you
to surrender yourself
to him?
Because Christianity
does not merely ask you
to add Jesus
to an otherwise
unchanged life.
It tells you
that Jesus
is Lord.
If you're to have him
as your Savior,
he will also
be Lord.
If Jesus
is the Christ,
the Son of God,
then he possesses
rightful authority
over you
for your eternal good.
and it is entirely
possible for a person
to resist Christianity
not because the evidence
is weak,
but because the implications
are costly.
Sin does not
merely make us
ignorant.
Sin makes us
rebellious.
And so the question
the text places
before each of us
is not merely
have I seen enough
concerning Christ,
the more searching
question is
what have I done
with what God
has shown me
concerning his Son.
Because exposure
to truth
does not automatically
produce faith.
These people
watched a resurrection.
The account is clear.
It's undoubted.
Lazarus was dead.
They witnessed
a man
come to life
with words.
Some believed.
Sadly,
some did not.
You can sit
under faithful
preaching for years
and remain unchanged.
You can know
Christian doctrine
and get it all
just right.
You can learn
Christian vocabulary.
You can understand
what the Bible
teaches about Christ
and still refuse
to entrust yourself
to him.
The question
is not whether
Christ has been
sufficiently revealed.
The question
is whether
you will
believe.
he is the Christ.
Second heading.
The leaders
protect
their position.
So John
goes on
after this
account
has been reported.
Verse 47.
So the chief
priests
and the Pharisees
gathered the council
and said,
what are we to do?
For this man
performs
many signs.
The council
here is
what's known
as the Sanhedrin.
the ruling
Jewish council
made up of
the principal
religious
authorities
of the nation.
It was a
mix of both
Pharisees
and Sadducees,
predominantly
Sadducees.
And I want you
to notice
the extraordinary
admission they make.
They do not say
this man's signs
fraudulent.
They do not say
Lazarus was never
actually dead.
They do not
attempt to produce
some natural
explanation for
what has occurred.
They just say
this man
performs
many
signs.
I'll pass over
that
too quickly.
These are
Genesis' enemies.
They're the men
who want
to
stop him.
And their
strategy is not
to deny
that he is
doing signs
because apparently
the evidence
has become
too public
and too
overwhelming
for that
to be
plausible.
Their question
is,
not did he
do it,
their question
is,
what are we
going to do
about him?
That's a
remarkable
picture
of unbelief.
I'm not
doubting
that he has
done these
things,
that he is
powerful.
What they're
doing is saying
it's going to
be a problem.
We've got to
get rid of
them.
They have
reached the
point where
the problem
in their
minds is
no longer
the evidence.
The problem
is Jesus
himself.
Verse 48
explains why.
If we let
him go on
like this,
everyone will
believe in
him.
The evidence
will stack
and stack
and stack.
Everyone will
believe and
the Romans
will come
and take
away both
our place
and our
nation.
Do you
hear the
fear
underneath
these
words?
If Jesus
continues,
people will
follow him.
If people
follow him,
Rome may
interpret the
movement as
a political
rebellion.
If Rome
intervenes,
we may
lose our
place and
our nation.
Now,
there is a
measure of
historical
realism in
their concern.
Israel lived
under Roman
occupation,
and Rome
had little
patience for
disturbances that
threatened imperial
order.
They very
wisely allowed
religious practice
to go on,
kind of some
puppet governance
that felt
local.
They didn't
strip people
that they
conquered entirely
of their
identity,
but it could
not threaten
the rule
of Rome.
A large
messianic
movement could
certainly attract
Roman attention,
but John
wants us to
see that their
concern for
national survival
is entangled
with something
far more
personal.
They are
afraid of
losing,
quote,
our place.
That may
include the
temple,
but it almost
certainly
includes their
position,
influence,
privilege,
and authority
within the
existing religious
order.
Caiaphas was
appointed high
priest by a
Roman ruler.
father.
Jesus
threatens what
they possess,
and suddenly
the issue
becomes very
clear.
They do not
ask whether
Jesus is
true.
They ask
what Jesus
might cost
them.
That is one
of the most
dangerous ways
the human
heart can
approach
Christ.
We begin
calculating.
If I believe
him, what
will happen
to the life
I have
constructed?
What
relationships
might change?
What ambitions
might have
to die?
What sins
would I need
to abandon?
What control
would I have
to surrender?
What will
people think
of me?
What might
obedience
cost?
And if the
preservation
of our
present life
becomes our
highest good,
we will
eventually find
reasons to
reject anything
that threatens
it, even
Christ
himself.
Jesus said
earlier in the
gospel that
whoever loves
his life
loses it.
The religious
leaders are
demonstrating
exactly what
he means.
Their
overriding
concern is
preservation.
And therefore,
Jesus must be
dealt with.
There is an
irony here that
John's original
readers could
hardly miss.
They fear that
if they do not
kill Jesus, the
Romans would
come and destroy
their place and
nation.
So they arranged
for Jesus to
be killed.
And approximately
40 years later,
in AD 70, Rome
comes and
destroys Jerusalem
and the temple
anyway.
The very thing
they attempt to
prevent by
rejecting Christ
eventually overtakes
them.
Now, we should
be careful about
drawing overly
simplistic lines
between every
historical judgment
and specific
acts of sin,
but John
certainly wants
us to recognize
the tragic
blindness of
their reasoning.
They believe
they can save
themselves by
eliminating
Jesus, but
no one saves
himself by
rejecting the
Savior.
And that applies
far beyond
first century
Judaism.
Sin always
makes promises
about
preservation.
If I obey
Christ here, I
will lose too
much.
If I tell the
truth, I will
lose this
opportunity.
If I confess
this sin, I'll
lose my reputation.
If I obey
Scripture, I may
lose this
relationship.
If I follow
Jesus faithfully, I
may lose the
approval of
people whose
approval I
value.
And the lie
underneath all
of it is that
disobedience will
preserve what
obedience
threatens.
Sometimes,
beloved,
obedience does
cost us.
Jesus has
never promised
otherwise.
there are
things Christians
lose because
they follow
Christ.
But whatever
obedience costs,
disobedience
ultimately costs
more.
The safest
place in
all of
creation is
not the
place where
you have
successfully
protected
yourself from
every earthly
loss.
The safest
place is
obedience to
the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Christ.
These leaders
are trying to
control the
future without
submitting
themselves to
the Lord
of that
future.
And whenever
we do that,
fear rules
us.
That is worth
considering,
particularly for
us as a
church.
Churches, I
think, can
begin thinking
exactly like
the Sanhedrin.
God
how do we
preserve our
place, our
influence, our
institution?
How do we
keep people?
How do we
protect the
organization?
It begins to
exist just to
exist.
Those questions
are not always
in every form
illegitimate.
Stewardship does
in fact matter.
But the
moment institutional
survival becomes
more important than
faithfulness to
Christ, the
church has
begun to
protect the
wrong thing.
Christ did
not promise
that every
local church
would exist
forever.
He promised
that His
church would.
Our
responsibility is
not to preserve
ourselves at any
cost.
Our
responsibility
is to be
faithful.
If Providence
Baptist Church
exists, the
Lord tarries for
another hundred
years, but
abandons the
truth, we have
failed miserably.
And if
faithfulness to
Christ ever
costs us
influence,
reputation,
attendance,
money, comfort,
or cultural
approval, then
let those things
go before we
let the truth
go.
The church
belongs to
Christ.
He will
build it.
Our task is
to be faithful.
Third
heading.
The priest
proclaims more
than he knows.
See this in
verses 49
down through
53.
Beginning in
verses 49, we
come to one of
the most
astonishing
examples of
divine providence
anywhere in
John's
gospel.
There he
says, but
one of them,
Caiaphas, who
was the high
priest that
year, said
to them,
you know
nothing at
all, nor
do you
understand that
it is better
for you that
one man should
die for the
people, not
that the
whole nation
should perish.
Caiaphas has
apparently had
enough of the
discussion.
You can hear
the arrogance
in these words,
you know
nothing at
all.
You know
nothing.
You understand
nothing.
This is not
kindness that
he's starting
with here.
in essence,
Caiaphas
believes the
answer is
obvious.
Stop
talking.
There's a
simple political
solution.
Jesus is
one man.
The nation
is many
people.
If one
man threatens
the security
of the
nation, then
eliminate the
one man.
From
Caiaphas'
perspective,
that is
straightforward
utilitarian
reasoning.
one life
is expendable
if sacrificing
that life
preserves the
larger group.
And notice
that there is
no concern
here for
justice.
He simply
calculates
outcomes.
Jesus has
become inconvenient.
Jesus is
dangerous to
their political
arrangement.
Therefore,
Jesus must
die.
This is what
happens when
political expediency
becomes detached
from righteousness.
Once survival,
power,
security,
or social
stability
becomes the
highest good,
human beings
become remarkably
capable of
justifying evil
in the name
of something
supposedly
greater.
Political
expediency
disregards
decorum
and principle.
Things can go
terribly awry,
and I'll now
digress.
Caiaphas
believes himself
to be the
clearest
thinker
in the room.
And from
one perspective,
his statement
is utterly
wicked.
He is
advocating for
the murder
of an innocent
man.
But then
John does
something
astonishing.
He tells us
that Caiaphas
has said
something far
more profound
than Caiaphas
himself
understands.
He gives us
commentary in
verse 51.
He did
not say
this of
his own
accord,
but being
high priest
that year,
he prophesied
that Jesus
would die
for the
nation.
Caiaphas
speaks.
Caiaphas
means one
thing.
God
means something
much greater
through his
words.
That does
not mean that
Caiaphas was
secretly
faithful.
It does
not mean
God approves
his murderous
intention.
It means
that God
is so
completely
sovereign
that he
can take
even the
words of
a wicked
man who
is conspiring
against his
son and
make those
words bear
testimony to
the very
salvation
that man's
conspiracy
will accomplish.
That's
astounding.
Caiaphas
says it is
better for you
that one
man should
die for
the people.
And heaven
says in
effect,
Caiaphas
you have
no idea
how right
you are.
One
man will
die for
the people.
But not
because he
is expendable,
not because
Rome must
be appeased,
not because
your political
position needs
to be
preserved,
he will
die as
a substitute
for sinners.
The heart
of the
gospel.
Jesus
would die
for the
nation.
That little
word carries
enormous
theological
weight
for.
He dies
for his
people,
in their
place,
for their
benefit,
as their
substitute.
The doctrine
we're dealing
with here,
Caiaphas'
wicked words,
is what we
call penal
substitutionary
atonement.
The heart
of the
gospel.
Penal
means that
there's
sin that
deserves
judgment,
penalty for
sin.
Substitutionary
means that
Christ stands
in that
place.
He takes
on that
punishment
for his
people.
The word
atonement
means that
through his
sacrifice,
our guilt
is dealt
with,
it's atoned
for,
and reconciliation
with God
is accomplished,
restored back
to God
in Christ.
Jesus dies
the death
sinners deserve,
so that sinners
who are united
to him by faith
receive the life
and righteousness
that they
do not
deserve.
It's
Christianity.
At the
cross,
God does
not simply
overlook
sin.
If God
merely ignored
evil,
he would
not be
righteous.
The judge
of all
the earth
must do
what is
just.
And
therefore,
the wonder
of the
gospel is
not that
God stops
being just
in order
to become
merciful.
The wonder
of the
gospel is
that at
the cross,
justice
and mercy
meet.
Our sin
is truly
judged.
Our Savior
truly bears
that judgment.
Isaiah
had said
centuries
earlier,
he was
pierced
for our
transgression.
He was
crushed
for our
iniquities.
And the
Lord has
laid on
him the
iniquity
of us
all.
Peter
will later
say,
he himself
bore
our sins
in his
body
on the
tree.
Paul
says,
for our
sake,
he made
him to
be sin
who knew
no
sin.
The
consistent
testimony
of
scripture
is that
Jesus
Christ
died
not
simply
to die,
he died
for
sinners.
He stood
where his
people
deserved
to stand.
He bore
what his
people
deserved
to bear.
He
satisfied
the
righteous
judgment
of God.
And
because he
did,
there is
now no
condemnation
for those
who are
in
Christ
Jesus.
Caiaphas
thought he
was proposing
a political
execution.
God
was preparing
a sacrifice.
And then
John takes
the purpose
of Christ's
death even
farther in
verse 52.
And not
for the
nation
only,
Israel,
but also
to gather
into one
the children
of God
who were
scattered
abroad.
God
there's
John
10.
Again,
do you
remember
what Jesus
said about
himself as
the good
shepherd?
I have
other sheep
that are not
of his fold.
I must
bring them
also and
they will
listen to
my
voice.
So there
will be
one
flock,
one
shepherd.
Now,
John tells
us that
the death
of Jesus
is the
means by
which those
scattered
people will
be gathered
into one.
Jesus is
not merely
dying for
ethnic
Israel.
The saving
purpose of
God extends
to the
nations.
Men and
women from
every tribe
and tongue
and people
will be
gathered to
Christ.
The cross
creates
a people.
Jesus
creates
a church,
one flock,
one shepherd.
The cross
reconciles
sinners to
God and
because it
reconciles
sinners to
God,
it also
reconciles
those
sinners
to one
another.
That means
the local
church is
not merely
a convenient
gathering
place for
Christians
who happen
to enjoy
the same
style of
preaching
or music.
It is a
visible
expression
of what
Christ
purchased
by his
blood.
Do you
come here
thinking
about that?
This is
why divisions
in the
church are
so serious.
We belong
to one
another
because first
we belong
to him.
It's a
divine
reality
that we
are united.
God
and
notice
again
the
providence
of God
in all
of this.
Caiaphas
intends
evil.
God
accomplishes
good.
That pattern
should remind
us of
Joseph
in
Genesis
who
says
to his
brothers,
you meant
evil against
me,
but God
meant it
for good.
Not merely
God
responded
to your
evil and
found a
way to
make
something
useful
out of
it.
The text
says you
meant it
for evil,
God
meant it
for
good.
God
has a
plan
and
God's
plan
will
prevail.
So
John
records
in
verse
53,
so
from
that
day
on
they
made
plans
to put
him
to
death.
It's not
the first
time we've
seen
Jesus'
life
threatened.
There
were
instances
where
Jewish
leaders
rose
up
against
him,
but
this
is
kind
of
formalizing
and
finalizing
a plan
is in
place
now.
This
will
in
fact
take
place.
God
has
a
plan.
It's
going
to
prevail.
Fourth
and
last
heading.
The
Passover
points
us
toward
the
cross.
This
is
54
to
the
end
of
the
text.
Jesus
therefore
verse
54
no
longer
walked
openly
among
the
Jews
but
went
from
there
to
the
region
near
the
wilderness
to
a
town
called
Ephraim
and
there
stayed
with
his
disciples.
This
is
about
20
miles
northeast
of
Jerusalem.
Now
someone
might
read
that
and
think
that
Jesus
is
frightened
that
once
the
plot
becomes
sufficiently
serious
he
retreats
because
he
is
afraid
to
die.
But
everything
John
has
told
us
makes
that
interpretation
impossible.
Jesus
has
repeatedly
walked
away
from
danger
not
because
he's
unwilling
to
die
but
because
he
will
die
only
at
the
time
appointed
by
his
father.
Jesus
functions
on a
divine
timeline.
He
is not
controlled
by the
Sanhedrin's
timetable.
They cannot
kill him
one moment
before the
appointed
hour.
And when
that hour
comes
they will
not need
to drag
him
unwillingly
toward it.
He will
go.
His enemies
are making
plans but
they do
not possess
ultimate
authority
over the
schedule.
Jesus
withdraws
because
the
hour
is
approaching
but
it
has
not
yet
arrived.
And then
John
says in
verse 55
now the
Passover
of the
Jews
was at
hand.
That's
significant
not merely
a
calendar
note.
John
wants us
thinking
about
Passover.
The
Passover
feast
commemorated
God's
deliverance
of Israel
from
slavery
in
Egypt
when
judgment
fell
upon
the
land
but
passed
over
those
homes
marked
by the
blood
of a
lamb.
A
lamb
dies
blood
was
shed
judgment
passed
over
God's
people.
And now
as Jerusalem
filled with
pilgrims
preparing to
celebrate
Passover
the true
Passover
lamb
is preparing
to enter
the city.
John
the Baptist
identified him
at the
beginning
of this
gospel
behold
the
lamb
of God
who
takes
away
the
sin
of
the
world.
The
religious
authorities
think they
are arranging
a political
execution
God
is preparing
the
sacrifice
to which
every
Passover
lamb
ultimately
pointed.
The timing
here is
not
accidental.
Jesus
will die
at Passover
because he
is the
greater
Passover
!
lamb.
The
blood of
animals
can never
finally
remove
human
guilt.
These
sacrifices
pointed
beyond
themselves.
A
greater
lamb
was
needed,
a
sinless
substitute.
one
whose
sacrifice
would
not
need
to
be
repeated
year
after
year
because
he
would
offer
himself
once
for
all.
Verse 55
continues,
and many
went up
from the
country
to Jerusalem
before the
Passover
to purify
themselves.
There's some
profound irony
in that
description.
The crowds
are preparing
ceremonially
for Passover.
they're
concerned
with
purification.
In the
middle
of all
that
religious
activity,
the
one
who
alone
can
truly
cleanse
sinners
is being
hunted
by the
religious
leaders.
It is
possible
to become
so
occupied
with
religious
observance
that you
miss
Christ.
These
people are
preparing
for a
feast
that points
toward
Jesus
while the
authorities
are plotting
to kill
Jesus.
We should
hear a
warning
like that.
religious
activity
and
saving
faith.
Not
the
same
thing.
You
can do
all of
the
things,
all of
the
trappings,
all the
things you
should do
as a
Christ
follower,
but
still
miss
Christ.
The
Pharisees
and the
Sadducees
are not
secularists.
Caiaphas
is the
high priest.
These
are
deeply
religious
men.
Their
problem
is not
that they
take
God
too
seriously.
The
problem
is that
they have
constructed
a religious
system in
which they
themselves
remain at
the center.
And when
God the
Son stands
before them
threatening
their
authority,
they choose
their religion
over the
Christ.
That's always
a danger.
Beloved,
we can love
reformed theology
without loving
Christ.
We can love
Baptist
distinctives
without loving
Christ.
We can
love
expositional
preaching
and good
true
deep
songs
without
loving
Christ.
We can
love the
routines
and
relationships,
culture,
familiarity
of church
while remaining
strangers
to Christ.
Every
good theological
conviction
must lead
us finally
to
him.
The purpose
of doctrine
is not
that we
become
impressed
with our
theological
precision.
The purpose
of doctrine
is that we
know God
truly,
worshiping
him rightly
and live
faithfully
before him.
Verse 56
says,
they were
looking for
Jesus and
saying to
one another
as they
stood in
the temple,
what do
you think,
that he
will not
come to
the feast
at all?
The city
is waiting.
The tension
in the text
is building.
Everyone
knows the
authorities
are hostile.
Everyone
wonders
whether
Jesus
will
come.
And
John,
riding with
the benefit
of everything
that follows,
knows the
answer.
We know
the answer.
Yes,
Jesus
will
come
because
the good
shepherd
lays down
his life
for the
sheep.
This is
not an
unfortunate
turn of
events that
Jesus
fails to
avoid.
It's
his very
mission.
And
verse 57
closes the
chapter.
Now,
the chief
priests
and the
Pharisees
had given
orders that
if anyone
knew where
he was,
he should
let them
know so
they might
arrest him.
And so
chapter 11
ends with
Jesus,
the resurrection
and the
life under
a death
sentence,
a broadcasted
death
sentence.
Don't
miss,
don't miss
the irony
there.
Jesus
has just
given
life to
a dead
man.
And because
he gives
life to
the dead
man,
men decide
to kill
him.
Lazarus
comes out
of his
tomb and
Jesus
moves
toward
his.
The
life of
Lazarus
will
contribute
to the
death
of Christ.
But the
death of
Christ will
accomplish
everlasting
life for
Lazarus and
for everyone
who believes
in him.
Let's pray
together.