John 11:45-52 (NRSV)
“Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what he had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and said, 'What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation.' But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, 'You know nothing at all! You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.' He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God.”
What do I do, how do I react, when God is working differently than I think He should? What do I do when I see things happening that I think will hurt the work of God in my world? Perhaps what is happening seems to have some goodness associated with it, but I keep thinking about how it is damaging the system that is set in place. If it is allowed to continue, it will mess up life for us.
The Pharisees knew that which side they would take. They would stand against what God was doing and kill off the messenger. “…it is better for you to have one man die for the people than have the whole nation destroyed.”
God is not in the business of building nations. He gave the Israelites that opportunity, and they decided they didn’t want to follow God, they desired a king – and it all went down hill from there. By the time Jesus came, the state of Israel was merely a piece of the Roman government. The religious and civic leaders were attempting to hold on to the tiny bit of identity they had.
God wasn’t then and isn’t now interested in national pride or identity. God is interested in the redemption and reconciliation of His lost children. He doesn’t care with what nation you are aligned. He doesn’t carry a flag. His pledge is simple: “For God so loved the world that He gave…” His anthem is sung by followers of every nation for almost two thousand years: “Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might; heaven and earth are filled with your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”
The beautiful truth in this story shines through the unknowing prophecy that Jesus would die for the sins, not only of the nation of Israel, but of all of the children of God. God works not only in spite of those who stand against them – sometimes He works through them. I do not give up hope because we seem to be going the wrong way. Our hope is not in religious leaders, but in the ONE to whom our allegiance lies. Our hope lies in God alone.