It Is Better for You
John 11:45–54 – That You May Believe
Fourth Sunday in Lent – March 30, 2025 (am)
We can truly wonder in our day and age how we’ve come to the place where things that seem irrational, completely nonsensical, are actually held as a majority opinions. Even with hearts full of mercy and grace for those who struggle in such areas, we can truly wonder how it is that gender has come to be understood, even by the medical and scientific communities, as a matter of psychology more than biology. We move away from biological science (the design of our bodies) and favor our psychological disposition (the inner impulses we feel) to determine who we truly are. But yet more strange, we then look toward biological science (surgery and hormone therapy) and away from psychological assessment and assistance as the best response to this complicated dilemma.
We can truly wonder how it is that the definition of marriage has been rewritten to include those whose coupling has moved away from the realm of procreation to that of recreation, whose relational pairing is based on individual self-expression and self-gratification alone without even the possibility that their love will contribute to the public wellbeing either in the propagation of human life more broadly, or even in the enculturation of the next generation within biologically related family units.
But these matters are not the target of my preaching today. They’re just illustrations of irrationality that we can see even inside the body of Christ. How is it, for instance, that churches which hold a high view of Jesus, Scripture, and the gospel can think it’s necessary to move away from preaching God’s living and active word (Heb.4:12) toward addressing felt needs and hot topics, preceded by driving music with lights and mist, believing these methods are more likely to win people to Christ?
How can we who’ve seen what Jesus did to accomplish our salvation, we who truly trust Him, still worry about whether He’ll actually provide for our needs today, or whether He truly understands our present struggle or suffering, or whether He’s actually listening to us, and answering, when we pray? The irrationality in this world even seeps into the church unless we’re vigilant to identify and oppose it, unless we press hard to keep believing Jesus, not just believing in Him (as we saw last week). Today’s takeaway is going be a refreshed insight into just what we’re up against in our gospel witness in this world.
In today’s text we listen in on an utterly amazing, honestly dumbfounding, series of responses to an absolutely unprecedented miracle from Jesus. The raising of Lazarus (1-44) demonstrated God’s power in the NT era like the dividing of the Red Sea did in the OT. It displays without question just what Jesus has been telling people about Himself. It shows us some of what John meant when he wrote: 1:4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And it surely shows us what he meant in the next verse where he added: 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it (niv).
John is describing the initial response of the Jews (both positively and negatively) and of Israel’s leaders to Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, His final and most dramatic sign-miracle in this Gospel marking the nearing end of His public ministry. The second half of John (cc.12-21) is then given to the final week of Jesus’ life (which includes the additional miracle of His resurrection [c.20]). But something dramatic is happening here as this opening half comes to a close. The signature contrasts in John, the ironies, hit their high point and plans are finally made to put [Jesus] to death (53), [to kill] the Author of life (Act.3:15), and also then Lazarus whom He’d just raised! (12:10) The most ironic expression of all comes from the high priest (49-50); we’ll look at that in a moment.
In brief, though, John is narrating here the stunning heights of the Jews’ irrationality and arrogant unbelief regarding Jesus after He raised Lazarus. All that we’re seeing in our day is not at all new. This passage illustrates well what the church is up against in her gospel witness today—the astounding strength of irrationality and the ‘innocent’ arrogance of unbelief in its confident assertions rejecting God and the gospel. It recalls the words of Abraham to the recently deceased rich man who was suffering in hades while the poor man, also recently deceased (and ironically named Lazarus), was comforted at Abraham’s side (Luk.16:19-31). In response to the rich man’s plea that if someone from the dead would visit his family and warn them to repent, they’d do so, Abraham replied: If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead (Luk.16:31). Surely we see that point clarified here in Joh.11! Let’s ask and answer just two questions.
What Do We See in This Passage?
Having just read it, this isn’t a hard sequence to follow. The flow of the dialogue makes sense. You can hear the contrast and irony, especially as the high priest speaks. But no part of this exchange is either subtle or incidental—John’s next narrative words after Jesus’ command to unbind [Lazarus], and let him go (44). Let’s read through the text again and point out seven ironies along the way.
45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. There’s the first one. Almost certainly these folk aren’t running to Pharisees hoping they’ll trust in Jesus due to His great miracle. They know there’s conflict, and this is really going to fire it up! If the leaders were angry enough to excommunicate a man born blind for bearing witness that Jesus had done it and so must be from God (c.9), what will they do in response to a man four days dead who comes walking out of his tomb still wrapped in his graveclothes? (1-44) That aside, how do you watch what Jesus did and not just drop to your knees in worship? Palpable Irony #1—10:26 but Jesus has already answered: you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.
47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council, the Sanhedren (the seventy-member ruling body of the Jews, the majority Sadducees, which the chief priest led as the seventy-first member [cf. Carson 1991 420; Mounce 524]), and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. Think about this! They didn’t even consider believing in Jesus; they couldn’t hear His voice. His miracles of deliverance presented them with a problem, not with promised salvation finally arriving! We can’t have our blind people regaining their sight! We can’t have our dead people coming back to life! We don’t want that level of deliverance! We just want to be free of Roman occupation and have our own king like the other nations, except that we dominate them. But if the blind start seeing and the dead start rising, there’s going to be trouble! We can’t have that! What are we to do? Irony #2.
And #3 is just the next step in their worry. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him! Isn’t it amazing that they wouldn’t think to pause here and ponder this point? First, what are they going to do to stop Him? Killing Him is the only real option (cf. 53), but this Guy raises the dead! And second, if He helps the lame walk (5:2-9), the blind see (9:1-37), and the dead live (1-44), why shouldn’t everyone believe in him? Surely they knew the words of Isaiah: Isa.35:4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompence of God. He will come and save you.” What will that be like? 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then shall the lame man leap like a dear, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. … 10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Yet, even with all this happening, the council couldn’t see it! They couldn’t hear the voice of the shepherd (10:26-27). They were only afraid that 48 … the Romans [would] come and take away both [their] place (the temple) and [their] nation.”
And that walks right into Irony #4, the opening words of the chief priest that display his confidence in the rightness of his assertion that followed.49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. You guys just don’t get it, do you? If Israel’s chief priest makes a statement like this, you’d expect the wisdom of God to follow. But what we hear is precisely the opposite.
Irony #5 is the high-water mark for such statements in the whole of John’s Gospel. The high priest speaking his understanding of wisdom in this situation is at once a precise description of the heart of the gospel and also 180° out from the truth of God. It makes sense to him to kill Jesus so that Rome won’t crush Israel, and likely more so that they as leaders wouldn’t lose their power (Carson 1991 422). But what a statement! It’s so accurate that it’s nearly believable Caiaphas was setting them all straight! But in context it can only be that Caiaphas’ words, which affirmed God’s plan, were spoken by him with the spiritual blindness of arrogant unbelief—opposition with prejudice. He continued: 50 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.” This is so rich that John had to explain; he couldn’t risk this irony being missed, and his point lost. 51 [Caiaphas] did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation….
52 … and that leads into Irony #6: not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. Most immediately we’d hear this as a calling in of the Jews from their dispersion among the nations, just as Scripture promises (Isa.43:5; Eze.34:12; 36:24ff.; cf. Rom.11:25-32). But in the wake of Jesus’ statement in c.10, we need to hear the ingathering of believing Gentiles in this prophesy as well. He said: 10:16 I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. Caiaphas’ words affirmed God’s great salvation. But at the same time they were as irrational and arrogantly rebellious as Pharaoh’s persistent denials to Moses.
53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. Irony #7. They’re going [to kill] the Author of life (Act.3:15). And that actually makes sense to them! But it was not quite time. So: 54 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.
What Do We Learn from This Passage?
We learn yet again that people don’t reject Jesus because of something they don’t know or understand. They reject Him because they just don’t believe in Him (cf.48). As we saw in c.10, unbelief leads to ignorance. Ignorance doesn’t lead to unbelief. We get uneasy when we share the gospel and people don’t believe, so we think there must be something wrong with our method. There must be something we need to know or understand or say more clearly—there’s something we need to learn that can change our outcome. But that simply isn’t true. Sure, it’s wonderful to learn more, and to share it with love and gentleness, but it’s not going to turn the heart of anyone who doesn’t hear the shepherd’s voice (10:26-27).
In those cases, there’s just no limit to the level of irrationality and arrogant unbelief that can flow from human minds and hearts in opposition to the truth of God/the gospel. It’s not just the examples we gave as we began. For nearly 200 years some of our most brilliant scientists have felt driven to explain without reference to God how this universe, with all its symmetry and beauty and immense range of life, not only sprang into existence out of nothing but also randomly fell into the perfect balance that is essential to sustain the intricately interdependent existence of all life. We need just the right temperature range, just the right food and water to consume, just the right combination of elements in the air we breathe, etc., etc., etc. And all that just happened?
No, God made this world to fulfill His purpose. That’s the most fundamental truth about our universe. If we choose not to believe it, then there’s no limit to the irrationality we’ll embrace to keep from being forced back toward Him.
How could any of us top what these folk have seen over the last four chapters in John’s narrative? They’ve heard Jesus Himself speaking the truth (8:39-47). They’ve watched Him heal a man born blind (9:1-41) and raise a man four-days in the grave! (1-44) No matter how eloquently you share the gospel, you’ll never top that witness! Yet, not only did these folk not believe—some did (45), but they’re not the ones John’s wiring about here—for those who don’t hear [His] voice (10:26-27), all these works just cemented their plans to put him to death (53).
Two weeks ago I gave you two things we can be thankful for as we consider the truths John is putting before us as Jesus’ life and ministry starts moving toward the cross, things that can help us understand the responses we’re seeing to His compelling words and works, and then to know what we can do with them. (1) God is the One Who makes it all work. He’s the active Party in calling people to saving belief. And that’s proving to be clear in what we see. And (2) God is entirely trustworthy in His saving work. He’s good and wise and merciful and just in perfect proportion. He knows all and is able to do all this perfectly well even though we can’t even imagine how.
Today I want to add a third item to this list that’s important for us to learn about Him and His ways. (3) God told us all this not to engage us in theological conflict and debate but to provide us with deep, rich, lasting comfort in the complete reliability of the salvation He’s provided for us. Our salvation is entirely in His hands. And we need to see how the leaders, the people of power and influence, as well as the rank and file responded to Jesus in this world in order for us to be prepared to face the very same things He faced.
At the end of the day, not only does every embracing of Jesus by faith require the same plan God used to save the Apostle Paul (even if a bit less dramatic), it requires the same expression Jesus used with Lazarus. Unless God calls us just like that—with just that authority, just that specificity, just that clarity—we will not believe. We will not see. We will not hear and respond and rise from the dead to follow our shepherd (10:26-27). And if we don’t keep believing each word He speaks to us, the same irrationality and arrogant unbelief that we see all around us will start creeping back into our hearts as well.
Conclusion
I believe that’s what we can learn not just from today’s passage, but from the last three or four or eleven chapters of this Gospel that’s written so that [we] may believe (20:31).
__________________
Resources
Arnold, Clinton E., gen. ed. 2002. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary. Vol. 2, John, Acts. John, by Andreas J. Köstenberger, 2-196. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
Barclay, William. 1975. The Daily Study Bible Series. The Gospel of John, Revised Edition. Louisville: Westminster John Knox.
Beale, G. K., & D. A. Carson, eds. 2007. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. John, by Andreas J. Köstenberger, 415-512. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.
Bruce, F. F. 1983. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
, Gordon D. Fee, & Ned B. Stonehouse, gen. eds. 1995. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. The Gospel According to John, Revised Edition, by Leon Morris. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
Calvin, John. 1553. Commentary on the Gospel According to John, trans. by, William Pringle. Logos.
Carson, D. A., gen. ed. 1991. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. The Gospel According to John, by D. A. Carson. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham, eds. 1994. New Bible Commentary 21st Century Edition. John, by Donald Guthrie, 1021-1065. Leicester, Eng.: InterVarsity.
Clendenen, Ray E., gen. ed. 1996. The New American Commentary. Vol. 25, John, by Gerald L. Borchert. Nashville: Broadman & Holman.
Dever, Mark. 2005. The Message of the New Testament. Ch. 4, The Message of John: Jesus, the Son of God, 101-122. Wheaton: Crossway.
Grudem, Wayne, ed. 2008. ESV Study Bible. Study notes on John, 2015-2072, by Andreas J. Köstenberger. Wheaton: Crossway.
Longman III, Tremper, & David E. Garland, eds. 2007. Revised Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 10, Luke-Acts. John, by Robert H. Mounce, 357-661. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
Martin, Ralph P., & Lynn Allan Losie, NT eds. 1999. Word Biblical Commentary. Vol. 36, John, Second Edition, by George R. Beasley-Murray. Dallas: Word.
Morris, Leon, gen. ed. 2003. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Vol. 4, John, by Colin G. Kruse. Downers Grove: InterVarsity.
Osborne, Grant, ed. 1993. Life Application Bible Commentary. John, by Bruce B. Barton, Philip W. Comfort, David R. Veerman, & Neil Wilson. Wheaton: Tyndale.
Tasker, R. V. G. 2000. Tyndale New Testament Commentary. Vol. 4, John. Leicester, Eng.: InterVarsity.
Tenney, Merrill C. 1976. John: The Gospel of Belief. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
NEXT SUNDAY: Six Days Before the Passover, John 11:55–12:11