Sermon Tone Analysis

KILLING THE LIFE GIVER

Illustration: John Wilkes Booth

Along with friends Samuel Arnold, Michael O’Laughlin, and John Surratt, George Atzerodt, David Herold, Dr. Samuel Mudd, and Lewis Paine, and John Wilkes Booth the group met in a Washington bar to plot the abduction of the president three days later.

However, when the president changed his plans, the scheme was scuttled.

John Wilkes Booth later still along with several of His friends, being an actor at Ford’s Theatre took advantage of his entrance into the theatre and shot Lincoln in the back of the head, jumping off a balcony severely injuring his leg and escaping.

Isn’t it amazing how all of these people planned this assassination and we are only familiar with one or two names.

Judas Iscariot is often the one we associate with the death of the Jesus but in reality it is a plot devised by the rulers and the Jews of that day as well.

Context- Summary of

Verse 1- Lazarus is sick

Verse 3- The sisters send Word to Jesus

Verse 4- Upon Hearing the situation, Jesus promises the sickness will not end in death, that He will receive glory, and he can do all of that because He is sovereign.

Verse 11- Jesus says its time to go to Lazarus.

Lazarus is dead, and the disciples are not fond of His plan.

Verse 17- Jesus arrives on the scene.

Verses 18-26- Jesus has a conversation with Martha where He tells her that He is the resurrection and the Life.

Verse 27- Martha believes.

Verse 29-34- Jesus has a conversation with Mary.

Verse 43- Jesus calls Lazarus out of the grave by name.

Verse 45- Some people believe in Jesus.

Verse 46- Some go and tattle on him.

In chapter 11, we have read and they witnessed arguably the greatest single miracle that Jesus performed outside of His own resurrection.

And just like usual, some respond in faith, and some respond with hostility.

So we will ask this first question:

How will most respond to the resurrection of Lazarus?

Look at verse 47.

Johnn 11:47

The chief priest and Pharisees have been informed of Jesus’s previous miracle by the Jews who were there.

This is the one with him raising Lazarus from the dead.

So they have a few issues here.

There are eye witnesses to Jesus raising Lazarus.

This is an issue because there’s really no denying a crowd of people and their testimony.

Lazarus is walking around as proof to their story.

That dude over there was dead and Jesus raised him.

By some, Jesus is being heralded as the one who raises people from the dead.

So they come together.

They convene this council.

The word here used for Council is συνέδριον and this is actually the first time in Scripture that it is used.

Sanhedrin- The Supreme court of the Jews under Roman authority, but it was more than just interpreting the Law.

This supreme court had unfortunately morphed into a judiciary, legislative, and even executive branch through the rulership of the high priest.

All that to say, these men were powerful, and what they said really determined the direction of the Jews of that day.

Here they are meeting to discuss Jesus but they aren’t here with good intentions.

These men have observed the ministry of Jesus (his signs and wonders).

They know who he claims to be (The Son of God), and they realize that his signs and wonders authenticate His claims.

He’s no longer ignorable.

He isn’t going away.

If they want to continue to be leaders of the Jews, they realize they have to take care of Jesus.

This is why they are meeting.

“Let’s get a plan together to take him out.”

Look at what they say:

“What are we doing?

For this man is performing many dsigns.

48 “If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

There was probably more said in this meeting, but John gives us a summary of the heart of this council.

So lets see what we can learn from the contents of this meeting.

Inaction is no longer an option.

“What are we doing?”

In other words, what are we going to do?

Or “We have to do something.”

This council is meeting to see what action they will take against Jesus.

They recognize His signs and wonders and that they are many.

The brevity of Jesus’s miracle is undeniable at this point.

It would probably be difficult to find many Jews who haven’t at least heard of Jesus and His miracles.

You would think that these signs and miracles would serve to bolster their own faith in Him, but in reality, it drives them deeper into their hatred of him.

They recognize the twofold result if they continue to allow Jesus to live.

Everyone will believe in Him.

They don’t want that.

Here is where their identity and allegiance truly shows.

Their mindset is Satanic.

Satan opposes Christ and belief in Christ.

They desire to kill Jesus to prevent any more belief in him.

We see this mindset in those who oppose Christ today.

Christians across the world even today are experiencing the reality of hatred to the point of death.

The goal being: to extinguish belief and believers in Christ.

But the reality is that persecution has never served to stifle the church or Christ’s followers, it has actually caused it to increase.

Tertullian said that “Persecution is the seed of the church.”

The same is true here, they think by killing Jesus, that they will kill the rise of Christ’s followers, but in fact, killing him will lead to his resurrection which will ultimately result in the explosion of Christianity.

Secondly, they believe that If Jesus following rises, that the Romans will come and take their positions away.

In other words, these men aren’t looking out for the good of the nation.

They are looking out for the good of themselves.

These Jews aren’t ignorant of their history.

They have seen their authority and power taken away in previous generations.

They believe that if Jesus has a large Messianic following, that the Romans will see this as a threat/uprising and will come and squash it.

We come out of verse 48 sensing a little panic in the minds of the Sanhedrin.

They are worried about Jesus and the result of His ministry .

But one man isn’t.

Caiphas, the High Priest has a plan, and He is about reveal that plan.

“High priest that year.”

Now traditionally, the high priest would remain serving for a lifetime, but the Romans thought that a lifetime term gave one man too much power, so they limited it to one year terms.

Caiphas as High Priest has the highest position of leadership within that sanhedrin council, so what he says will ultimately be what most of them will go with.

Listen to what He says.

“You know nothing at all,

50 nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.”

Essentially Caiphas rebukes the entire Sanhedrin.

He realizes their panic and it seems he takes offense at the notion that he would let one man ruin their positions and life of ease on his watch.

So then he says something very interesting:

it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.”

Here is what Caiphas intended to say:

We are not going to let Jesus ruin our whole nation.

Its better that He die, than for the whole nation to die and perish.

What Caiphas doesn’t realize is that he has just made a prophecy about the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ.