Saturday in the 5th Week of Lent, April 9, 2022

John 11, 45-56

Many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what Jesus had done began to believe in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do?  This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God. So from that day on they planned to kill him. So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews, but he left for the region near the desert, to a town called Ephraim, and there he remained with his disciples.  Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before Passover to purify themselves. They looked for Jesus and said to one another as they were in the temple area, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast?”

“Many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what Jesus had done began to believe in him.”  The Vulgate text has “to Martha and Mary”, but the Greek text has only “Mary”.  The verse refers to the raising up of Lazarus by Jesus.  It was a wondrous miracle the Lord performed before a large crowd.  The household of Lazarus and his two sisters was evidently a prosperous one, and so the witnesses of this miracle were certainly well-placed and influential people whose word could not be doubted.  This alarmed the Pharisees.  The Lord had begun his Public Life with preaching and miracles in obscure towns and villages in Galilee, but now he was performing great signs in and around Jerusalem.  “If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.”  The Greek word translated here as “leave him alone” actually means “permit him”: If we permit him (to continue performing signs), all will believe in him.  The distinction is that the lectionary translation indicates a lack of action; the literal translation “we permit” indicates an acquiescence to what he is doing, a permission to continue performing these signs.  The people would see this as giving their approval.  Now, the Pharisees and the chief priests are convinced that the Lord intends to overthrow Roman rule and reestablish the kingdom of Israel.  They also know that the time for that has not come.  They realistically fear that “the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.”  The Greek verb translated here as “take away” has the more specific sense of “carrying away that which was raised up”.  That is, Israel had been enjoying relative peace and stability, but that would be “carried away” by the Romans if a rebellion broke out.  The Greek word translated as “land” actually means “place”, and in this context it means “power”: The Romans will take away our power and our nation.  The Jewish leaders and the Romans have a tacit agreement: the Romans will allow the Jewish priesthood to continue, and the Jewish priesthood would keep the people from rebelling.  This arrangement seems in danger now.  We note, however, the adamant refusal of the Jewish leadership to consider the miracles of the Lord as signs from the Father.  This brings to mind the situation between Moses and Pharaoh, in which God performed many signs, particularly the ten plagues, to convince Pharaoh to release the Hebrew slaves, and only with the coming of the Angel of Death did he do so, though he quickly changed his mind and sent his chariots after them.

“You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.”  The cynical high priest proposes the utilitarian answer: the greatest good for the greatest number.  This contradicts the Christian principle that no one may commit a wicked act that a (supposed) good result may follow.  St. John comments, “He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation.”  That is, even a wicked member of the clergy, priest, bishop, or pope, may perform a good act or speak a prophecy through the agency of the Holy Spirit.

“So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews, but he left for the region near the desert, to a town called Ephraim, and there he remained with his disciples.”  Ephraim was a town thirteen miles northeast of Jerusalem, located in wild, hilly country.  Its surroundings made it a good place to hold out while at the same time remaining close to Jerusalem.  The Lord must have had followers living there with whom he could stay.  That, or he and his Apostles could sleep in the caves that abound in the rocky locale.  The Lord does this in order to keep his Apostles safe and to give them a chance to rest before his triumphal entrance into the city.

“They looked for Jesus and said to one another as they were in the temple area.”  Anticipation was high that Jesus would announce himself as the successor of King David at this Passover, and the people watched anxiously for him.  We would do well to imitate their anticipation as we await the coming of our King on the last day.