Lesson 6

The Decision to Kill Jesus

Schwäbisch, “Auferweckung des Lazarus”, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bayerische Pinakothek

Synopsis

In the final two chapters of the Book of Signs, the tension between Jesus and his adversaries continues to rise. The Evangelist masterfully highlights the drama of the moment by portraying a very somber tone. Death is the dominant theme throughout these two chapters. This section opens with the death of Lazarus. Jesus returns to Judea to raise him up. Ironically, his gift of life will become the cause of his condemnation and death. Because of this miracle, the authorities decide to kill Jesus. They will succeed in this, but throughout the Gospel, John lets us know that Jesus always remains in control of the situation. Jesus will willingly lay down his life because this has been his plan all along.

Learning Objectives

You will have successfully completed this lesson when you can:

Explain how the raising of Lazarus led to the decision to kill Jesus.
Explain why the sudden arrival of the Greeks marked the coming of Jesus’ hour.

Introduction

In this lesson we will study the last section of the Book of Signs (chapters 11 and 12). In it, the author of the Gospel develops the plot further by raising up another notch the tension between Jesus and his adversaries. We read how the chief priests and Pharisees convoke the whole Sanhedrin to conspire to kill Jesus.

This is not the first time they have wanted to do so. We have already seen on several occasions how Jesus’ actions, especially his attitude towards the Sabbath and his claims to be the Son of the Father, provoked a series of confrontations between him and his adversaries. At times, these became so heated that they even tried to kill him on the spot. But these were just sudden impulses. That is why Jesus was always able to slip away. The difference now is that their decision to kill him is both willful and premeditated.

The Evangelist masterfully highlights the drama of the moment by portraying a very somber tone. Death is the dominant theme throughout these two chapters.

Lazarus dies (11:1–44).
The chief priests and Pharisees plot to kill Jesus (11:45–54).
Jesus speaks of his burial (12:1–8).
The chief priests decide to kill Lazarus as well (12:9–11).
Jesus speaks of his death (12:27–36).

The Raising of Lazarus

Chapter 10 had ended with Jesus fleeing Judea because of an attempt to arrest him. But now that his friend Lazarus has died, he decides to go back to raise him up, despite the danger of this. By doing so, Jesus demonstrates his love for Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Ironically, his gift of life will become the cause of his condemnation and death.

Although at moments it may appear that Jesus’ opponents have the upper hand, Jesus words and actions show that he always remains in control of the situation.

“This illness is not unto death; it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by means of it.” (11:4)

As we have seen before, for John, “glory” refers to Jesus’ death and resurrection. The sign of the raising of Lazarus is, therefore, a bridge that connects the Book of Signs and the Book of Glory.

Jesus had previously said that he was the source of living water, the light of the world, and the good shepherd. Now, he adds another saying: he is the resurrection and the life. And to prove it, he will raise Lazarus from the dead.

Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.” (11:24–27)

When Jesus heard of Lazarus’ sickness, he deliberately delayed coming to his aid to ensure that Lazarus would be dead for four days. This delay not only adds drama and suspense to the story, it also highlights the authenticity of Lazarus’ resurrection.

According to Jewish belief, the soul only left the body of a dead person after three days. So, having died four days earlier, everyone would have now considered Lazarus to be truly dead, as his body would have already begun to decay. That is why, when Jesus commands the people to open the tomb, “Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days’” (11:39).

This contrasts with her earlier confession: “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world” (11:27), when Jesus said: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (11:25–26). Although Martha was surely sincere when she said this, she obviously didn’t understand the full meaning of her words.

After praying to his Father to thank him, Jesus performed his greatest sign by crying out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out” (11:43). We then read how the dead man came out, with his hands and feet still bound with bandages, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Regarding the significance of this miracle, Andreas Köstenberger writes:

Thus the significance of Jesus’ raising of Lazarus transcends the event itself. To be sure, Lazarus’ life had been miraculously restored. But for John, what is even more important is that the raising of Lazarus is a sign, that is, a demonstration of Jesus’ true identity: he is the Messiah, the Son of God. In particular, this, the seventh, climactic sign in John’s gospel, foreshadows Jesus’ own resurrection. No more powerful sign could be given. Thus the period of Jesus’ signs, confided to the first twelve chapters of John, concludes.[1]

As usual, people responded to this miracle in different ways. John tells us that many believed in Jesus because of the sign he had just performed. Others, on the contrary, reported Jesus to the Pharisees. In the passages that follow, we will see the consequences of these reactions. On the one hand, the Pharisees respond with hatred and decide to kill Jesus. On the other hand, Mary responds with love and anoints his feet.

The Decision to Kill Jesus

The Pharisees convoke a meeting of the Sanhedrin, the chief court and highest authority under the Romans. They cannot deny that Jesus has performed many signs but are worried that if they do nothing, the Romans will destroy the temple.

“What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on thus, every one will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation.” (11:47–48)

In response, Caiaphas, the high priest says:

“You know nothing at all; you do not understand that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish.” (Jn 11:50)

The Evangelist adds an editorial comment to say that, “He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they took counsel how to put him to death" (11:51–53).

The whole passage is full of irony. On the one hand, it seems like their concern is sincere. They want to protect the nation and the temple. But the wording John uses suggests that they are more interested in themselves and in maintaining their special privileges. The original Greek only says “the Romans will come and destroy… our place…” The term “our place”, could mean the temple; but it could also refer to the privileged status of the high priest and the other members of the Sanhedrin.

The same can be said about Caiaphas’ response. When he says “… it is expedient for you…” it is unclear whether the “you” refers to the nation or his colleagues. Furthermore, as Raymond Brown notes:

Caiaphas, high priest in that fateful year of Israel’s history, speaks in even more ironical, but unconscious, prophecy: one man dying for the people—he mean “instead of”; John means “on behalf of.” The decision of the Sanhedrin is death.[2]

Chapter 11 ends with a cliffhanger as Jesus is confronted with a difficult dilemma. The Passover feast was approaching. As a faithful Jew, he was obliged by law to go up to the temple in Jerusalem. Yet the Sanhedrin had just decided to kill him. Therefore, the people “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?’” (11:56).

Throughout the Gospel, John lets us know that Jesus has always been in control of the situation. The Pharisees will have Jesus put to death, but, unbeknownst to them, this has been his plan all along. Previously Jesus had said: “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again” (10:17). Now, we see that he is fully aware of their plans, and he will freely choose to die.

Mary Anoints Jesus

If the Pharisees responded to the raising of Lazarus with hatred, Mary responds by showing her love for Jesus. The scene takes place during dinner. It is unclear whether they were at Lazarus’ house or not, although one could suppose so. At least Lazarus was at the table with Jesus, and Martha, true to character, served. Then, Mary came in and anointed Jesus’ feet with costly ointment.

Much can be said about the spiritual meaning of this gesture, but the point we want to emphasize here is that Jesus’ reply to Judas shows that he is fully aware of what he is scheming behind his back.

Jesus said, “Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” (12:7–8)

Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

The next day, Jesus went up Jerusalem, showing once again that he was the master of the situation. If he had previously snuck into the city unnoticed (see 7:10), this time his entrance couldn’t have been more conspicuous. John tells us that those who had witnessed the raising of Lazarus and had come to believe in Jesus bore witness to him so that a very large crowd came out to meet him as he was approaching the city.

They took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (12:13)

Although the Old Testament doesn’t prescribe waving palm branches during the Passover feast, by the first century, these branches had become a national symbol. By waving them and crying out in this way, the people were expressing their hope in Jesus as the coming Messiah. This would have had strong political overtones that would not have gone unnoticed by the authorities.

To calm things down, Jesus found a young donkey to ride on. Instead of entering the city on a warhorse, he chose a humble donkey. His disciples only recognized the meaning of this gesture after the resurrection. Jesus was fulfilling one of Zechariah’s prophecies.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Lo, your king comes to you;

triumphant and victorious is he,

humble and riding on an ass,

on a colt the foal of an ass. (Zec 9:9)

Jesus did come as king, but he came in humility and in peace and not as a political messiah looking to overthrow the Roman authority.

Jesus’ Hour

Despite the fact that Jesus’ gestures signify that he was coming in humility and peace, his actions upset the Pharisees even more. They complain that “the world has gone after him” (12:19). This is another one of John’s ironic plays on words. On the one hand, it could have been just a hyperbolic exaggeration, the result of their frustration. On the other hand, in the very next passage, we read that some Greeks wanted to speak with Jesus. Truly the whole world truly was beginning to follow him!

Jesus interprets this to mean that his hour had come. Up until now, we have frequently been told that Jesus’ hour, although coming, had not yet arrived.

And Jesus said to her [Mary during the wedding at Cana], “O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” (2:4)

Jesus said to her [The Samaritan woman], “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. (4:21)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live… Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come forth (5:25–29)

So they sought to arrest him [during the festival of booths]; but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come. (7:30)

These words [that he was the light of the world] he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. (8:20)

But now, with the arrival of the Greeks, Jesus says, “The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified” (12:23). This is remarkable. Why the sudden change?

In the Old Testament, the conversion of the Gentiles was one of the signs for the coming of the Messiah.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities; the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts; I am going.’ Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’” (Zechariah 8:20–23)

It shall come to pass in the latter days

that the mountain of the house of the Lord

shall be established as the highest of the mountains,

and shall be raised above the hills;

and all the nations shall flow to it,

and many peoples shall come, and say:

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

to the house of the God of Jacob;

that he may teach us his ways

and that we may walk in his paths.” (Isaiah 2:2–3)

John tells us that the Greeks were in Jerusalem to worship at the feast. This detail is significant. It means that even though they were pagans, they also worshipped the God of Israel. For Jesus, the fact that even pagans were now coming to him was the sign that his public ministry to the Jews had come to an end. His hour had arrived and he was now ready to die.

It is not clear from the text whether the Greeks ever got to see Jesus because, as is John’s custom, in this moment, the dialogue turns into a monologue. Jesus now speaks about his coming death. His words reveal that he certainly doesn’t see himself as the victim or his life as a failure. On the contrary, this was the hour for which he had come and through which he would be glorified.

“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify thy name.” (12:27–28)

And Jesus reveals that it is not the world that will judge him, but rather he will be the one doing the judging. And this will happen when he is crucified.

Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out; and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” He said this to show by what death he was to die. (12:31–33)

Now that his hour has come, he is ready to give up his life and he calls on his followers to do the same.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him. (12:24–26)

Conclusion to the Book of Signs

Jesus then goes away and hides himself from the people. John interrupts the narrative to give us his own interpretation of the facts. Despite all the signs Jesus had performed, his people still do not believe in him. John had already prepared us for this in the Prologue.

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. (1:10–11)

This should not surprise us because Isaiah had already prophesied that this would happen. The Evangelist ends the Book of signs by giving us a summary of Jesus’ teaching.

And Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And he who sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If any one hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects me and does not receive my sayings has a judge; the word that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has himself given me commandment what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has bidden me.” (12:44– 50)

Assignments

Explain how the raising of Lazarus led to the decision to kill Jesus.
Explain why the sudden arrival of the Greeks marked the coming of Jesus’ hour.

Footnotes

[1] Andreas Köstenberger, Encountering John, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, p. 116.

[2] Raymond Brown, The Gospel and Epistles of John, The Liturgical Press, Minnesota, 1988, p. 65.

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