The sanhedrim consulting how to deal with Jesus. and when our case appears to be remediless, then is the time for his almighty hand to save. 251 SECT. cxl. ver. 43,44 Let us adore and trust in him who was armed with so divine a power as to be able to rescue the prisoners of death, and to recover the trophies of the allconquering and devouring grave. 26 And if we are true believers, let us learn to take our part in the triumph with a joyful assurance, that though we putrify in the dust, and after the skin worms devour our bodies, yet in our flesh we shall at length see God. (Job xix. 26.) It was surely a happy time that succeeded all the lamentations. of these affectionate mourners. With what mutual congratulations and unutterable endearments did Lazarus and his sisters behold each other! With what humble gratitude and adoration did they all prostrate themselves at the feet of their Almighty Saviour! But who can conceive the greater transports which shall run through the whole redeemed world at the resurrection day, when piety and friendship shall be perfected, and those who were dearest to each other, both in the bonds of nature and of grace, shall spring up together to an immortal undivided life! In the mean time, let us trust our friends with him (with whom, if we are Christians indeed, we have trusted our souls), believing that the separations he appoints are prudent and kind, and that even our prayers for their recovery are denied in mercy. SECT. CXLI. The sanhedrim being informed of the resurrection of Lazarus, by the advice of Caiaphas, agree that Jesus should be put to death. He retires to Ephraim, and they issue an order for apprehending him. John XI. 47, to the end. JOHN XI. 47. THEN gathered It JOHN XI. 47. 39 SECT. xi. 47 T was before observed (at the close of the the chief priests last section) that some who had been pres- cxli. and the Pharisees a council, and said, ent at the resurrection of Lazarus, instead of being duly wrought upon by the miracle, went John away and made an invidious report of it to the Pharisees the chief priests therefore and the Pharisees, who were united in their enmity to Christ, being exceedingly alarmed at so astonishing an information, convened the sanhedrim, which was the great council of the Jewish nation, and said, What are we doing in this strange conjuncture of affairs? and why do we seem to be dreaming, when things are come to such a crisis? It is of absolute necessity that some effectual method should immediately be taken; 252 Caiaphas advises that one should die for the people. miracles. SECT. for it is not to be denied that, by some means What do we? for cxli. or other, this man, whom we have been so solic- this man doth many itous to suppress, does many of the most surxi. 47 prising miracles that were ever seen or heard John 48 49 of: and nation. And if we suffer him [to go on] thus 48 If we let him uncontrouled, all the populace will believe on thus alone, all men will believe on him; him as the promised Messiah, and will ac- and the Romans knowledge him as the king of Israel; and what shall come and take can we expect will be the consequence of this, away both our place but that the power of the Romans, so vastly superior to ours, will be armed against us, and their legions will come and take away both our place and nation; they will destroy Jerusalem, and this sacred temple where we are now assembled, and will extirpate all the people who are committed to our guardianship and care. them named Caia all, same And, while some of the council seemed ap- 49 And one of prehensive of the danger of attempting any phas, being the high thing against Jesus, one of them, [even] Caiaphas, priest that who, among the many sudden revolutions which year, said unto them, happened in the government about that time, Ye know nothing at was high priest that year in which Christ was crucified, said to them, while they were thus deliberating, You seem to know nothing at all of what the present urgency of affairs requires, or you would easily find out a remedy in the death of this Jesus, who occasions such an 50 alarm: Nor is this to be scrupled, because he does not appear to have committed any crime which is made capital by our law; for do you should die for the not consider that the extreme danger of a state people, and that the will justify such extraordinary steps as are whole nation perish necessary for its preservation; and that it is undoubtedly much better for us, that one innocent man should die for the security of the people, than that the whole nation he belongs to should perish by our scrupling to take away his life? -51 50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man not. Now this, by the way, was a very remarkable 51 And this spake saying; and it is to be observed, that he spake it he not of himself: not merely of himself, but being high priest that but being high priest year, and so a person of the greatest dignity and authority, he was moved by a secret impulse Was high priest that year.] It is well known that the high priesthood among the Jews was not annual, but the many rev. olutions about that time might justify such a manner of speaking, which signi fies no more than in those days, or at that time. (Compare Deut. xxvi. 3; Josh. xx. 6; Ezek. xxxviii. 8; and Mal. iii. 4.) See Dr. Lardner's Credibility, Part. i. Vol. II. p. 878, 879. They resolve on his death, and Jesus retires to Ephraim. 258 that year, he pro- from God to utter these words, which might be sECT. phesied that Jesus esteemed as an oracle, and were capable of a cxli. should die for that much higher sense than he apprehended; and by them he in effect prophesied that Jesus xi. 51 should shortly die for the security, redemption, nation : John And in- 52 52 And not for and happiness of the Jewish nation: that nation only, but deed, not for the Jewish nation alone, but for all that also he should the nations of the earth, even that he also might gather together in one the children of gather together into one glorious and happy soGod that were scat- ciety all the chosen children of God that are distered abroad. 53 Then from that day forth they took council together for to put him to death. 54 Jesus therefore walked no persed abroad in the most distant places and From that very day, therefore, the members 53 For this reason Jesus, who knew the secret 54 more resolution they had formed to take away his openly among the life, walked no more openly among the Jews in Jews; but went thence into a coun- those parts till the appointed hour for his suftry near to the wil- fering was come; but, instead of visiting Jeruderness, into a city salem, he went away from thence, even from called Ephraim, and there continued with Bethany where he now was, into the country his disciples. near the wilderness of Judea, to a little city called Ephraim, which lay not far from Bethel on the confines of the tribe of Benjamin; and there he continued a while with a few of his select disciples, and afterwards took a little journey eastward, towards the banks of the river Jordan,d from whence he had lately come to Bethany on account of Lazarus's death. To a city called Ephraim.] This city xiii. 19) is by some called Ephrem, and is (which is mentioned with Bethel, 2 Chron. generally supposed to have lain in the See Reland's Palestin. p. 376, and compare north east part of the lot of Benjamin. note on Luke xiii. 23, p. 134. Being high priest that year, he prophe- coming of the Messiah. See his Hor. Hebr. sied.] The Jewish high priests had in on John xi. 48, 51. former ages been often under the inspiration of a prophetic spirit: there was therefore some peculiar congruity in putting this oracle into his mouth, and the dignity of his office would add some peculiar weight and regard to what he said. It is a strange fancy of Dr. Lightfoot, that Caiaphas knew Jesus to be the Messiah, and that the sanhedrim founded their apprehension of danger from the Romans, in consequence of the regard shewn to him, on a ridiculous interpretation of Isa. x. ult. and xi. 1; whence they inferred that the destruction of the temple should quickly succeed the d Took a long journey eastward, This we have reason to suppose, or Jericho would not have lain in his way to Jerusalem, which yet we find that Jesus passed through in his return. See Luke xix. 1, sect. cxliii. 254 SECT. cxli. John : themselves. feast? The sanhedrim give orders to all to discover him. And soon after this the Jewish passover drew 55 And the Jews near; and many went up from all parts of passover was nigh at hand: and many the country to ferusalem, some little time be- went out of the xi. 55 fore the passover, that they might purify them- country up to Jeruselves by some preparatory sacrifices, in order salem before the to be ready for the celebration of that solemn passover, to purify 56 festival. (Compare 2 Chron. xxx. 17.) Then, 56 Then sought as the people came together, they diligently they for Jesus, and sought for Jesus there, some of them being selves as they stood spake among themdesirous to see and hear him, and others want- in the temple, What ing to discover him to his avowed enemies the think ye, that he Pharisees and as it could not but be generally will not come to the known that the surprising miracle which he had lately wrought had very much inflamed the rage and envy of his persecutors, they were suspicious whether he would venture to appear in public, and said one to another, as they stood in the temple, What think ye of his coming to the passover? Do you suppose that, after this alarm, he will not have the courage 57 to come to the feast? But both the chief 57 Now both the priests and the Pharisees, concluding that he chief priests and the Pharisees had giv would not fail to come according to his usual en a commandment, custom, no longer dissembled their malice, but that if any published a mandate, by which they had given knew where he were, he should an express command, that if any one knew where shew it, that they he was, he should immediately declare [it] to might take him. them, that they might apprehend and bring him to his trial, as a disturber of the public peace, and a person dangerous to the state. man ver 47 48.-50 IMPROVEMENT. WHERE shall we find such restless, such causeless, such incorrigible malice, as was in the hearts of these rulers against our blessed Saviour? What but Divine grace can reclaim men, when to have heard of the resurrection of Lazarus from their own friends and confidents, who had just been eyewitnesses of it, instead of conquering their hearts, served only to inflame their murderous rage! This is an instance where we evidently see the place of judg ment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. (Eccles. iii. 16.) The high priest lays That they might purify themselves by might happen to multitudes which would some preparatory sacrifices.] Dr Light- require purification, so some sort of cleansfoot (in his Hor. Hebr. on this place) has ing required no less than seven days. shewn, that as a variety of circumstances Reflections on the malice and rage of Christ's enemies. per 255 cxli. down a most dangerous, though plausible maxim, which is in SECT effect no other than this, "That the murder of an innocent son by forms of law" (which, as a noble sufferer observed, is surely the worst kind of murder), "nay, even of a person who by miracles demonstrated that he was an ambassador from God, was to be chosen, rather than by protecting and obeying him, to give umbrage to an earthly power, which seemed superior to their own." When will the politicians of this earth learn to trust God in his own ways, rather than to trust themselves, and their own wisdom, in violation of all the rules of truth, honour, and conscience? Till then, like this foolish ruler, they will be caught in their own craftiness; and it is more than possible that they may, in many instances, hasten the very distress they are contriving to avoid. For this was here the event: the Romans (called therefore the people of Messiah the Prince, Dan. ix. 26) were sent as executioners of the Divine vengeance, and the Jews were given up to a spirit of discord and madness, the terrible effects of which were such as cannot be read without horror, till their place and nation were taken away; nor could even the Roman general forbear declaring that the hand of God was apparent in their destruction. Let us attend to this Divine aracle which God saw fit to put Verse, into the mouth of so wicked a man. Jesus has actually died for 51, 52 the people, even for all the children of God that are scattered abroad. His death is substituted instead of theirs; and by it they are redeemed and delivered, and shall ere long be incorporated together, and all the happy colony be raised to an abode of eternal glory. Blessed harvest, which springs up from redeeming blood! Heroic love of the dear Redeemer, which at the proper time brought him to Jerusalem, where he knew that evil was determined against him! Let us follow him, in a courageous 56, 57 adherence to God and our duty, in the midst of danger and opposition; and not wonder if we are set up as the marks of infamy and reproach, when we see Jesus marked out by a public mandate, as if he had been a robber or a murderer; and find so numerous and grand a court of judicature requiring their subjects to seize this most generous Friend of the whole world as the grand enemy of God and his country. |