The Plot to Kill Jesus

John 11:45-57

INTRODUCTION

A. The Rejection of Christ

John 11:45-57 contains the responses to the resurrection of Lazarus. In the beginning of his Gospel, John said this about Jesus: "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not" (1:11). The rejection of Christ by the people of Israel became the pattern for the rest of the book. After ministering and doing miracles for about three years, faith was the response of a few, and hatred and indifference was the response of the rest. Jesus Christ, the God-man, the lover of all men, the gentle healer, the bread of life, the living water, the resurrection and the life, and the good shepherd was finally rejected and nailed to a cross. But before universal humiliation reached its climax on the cross, God--who is always jealous for the Son's glory-- designed that Christ should do one climactic miracle in the face of all the rejection. That miracle was the resurrection of Lazarus. It was a dynamic expression of power that reversed the death process and made a man live again who had been dead four days.

That miracle was for Israel to recognize that even if they rejected Christ, He was still who He claimed to be and able to manifest divine power. God defied Israel's unbelief by demonstrating that Jesus was God and that He had almighty power. He gave glory to Himself and His Son in this miracle of resurrection. The miracle also brought faith to the hearts of the disciples (v. 15). It revealed Jesus' identity to them and strengthened their faith, which was waning in the face of increasing rejection. The miracle had the dynamic effect of causing some unbelievers to become believers. It elicited different reactions from the people who saw or heard about it. In fact, those first- century reactions are no different than how men today react to Christ.

1. The Return to Bethany

Jesus returned to Bethany, a village just two miles from Jerusalem, because He planned to raise Lazarus from the dead. It had been necessary for Him to retreat to the east side of the Jordan River because of increasing opposition in Judea. Jesus needed to protect Himself from being killed prematurely because the time for Him to die had not yet arrived. Jesus, have received a request to come and heal Lazarus, moved toward Jerusalem to perform a miracle so public and so dynamic, it couldn't be overlooked. It must have become the topic of conversation. He knew people would believe in Him because of it. But He also knew it would throw an incendiary spark to the opposition that was already smoldering in the hearts of the religious leaders.

2. The Refusal to Believe

It's a paradox that there is no record of anyone denying the miracle. Evidently, not even those who opposed Christ denied it. How could such a notable miracle have been challenged? Everyone knew Lazarus was dead, but the religious leaders had already made up their minds to reject Christ in spite of any evidence. They might as well have said, "Don't confuse us with the facts; we know He's not the Son of God. It doesn't matter if He raised the dead. That only confuses our unbelief." Rather than denying the miracle, they denied that Jesus was who He claimed to be, which was even more ridiculous.

3. The Requirement for Belief

The key to understanding the different reactions of John 11 is contained in verse 40: "Jesus saith unto [Martha], Said I not unto thee that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?" He was saying, "If you want to get the most out of this miracle and see its true value, you've got to come to it in the right frame of mind. If you come to the miracle believing it's going to manifest God's glory, then that's what you'll have the capacity to see. If you come to the miracle preoccupied with a corpse, all you're going to see is a corpse brought to life and you won't recognize the glory of God. If you come to the miracle blinded with an unbelieving, hardened heart, you're going to walk away in confused unbelief." Whatever attitude you bring to such an event will color the decision you make about what happens. That's true of anything we experience. If you have the right attitude and an open heart, you will come to the right conclusion.

In John 7:17, Jesus said, "If any man is willing to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself" (NASB). God reveals truth to those who are open to it. If your mind is closed, you haven't got a chance. Both kinds of mindsets were represented at Bethany. The open hearts responded by believing and experienced love and truth. The closed minds walked away filled with hate, unable to comprehend the significance of the miracle.

The miracle had differing effects on the four groups of people that were involved in John 11: Many observers believed in Jesus; the soon-to-be murderers had a new excuse to kill Him; the multitudes for the most part only watched as spectators; and Mary, Martha, and the disciples had their faith strengthened. Two of the groups were believers and two were unbelievers. There is always division over Christ. He said, "I am the Son of God. I came to bring the message of salvation. I came to reveal Myself and the Father to you." If you believe in Christ, you're on the side of truth. If you don't believe in Him, you're on side opposing Christ. He brought a sword to divide men so their attitude toward God might be made clear (Mt. 10:34-37). The theme of division is repeatedly mentioned in John.

I. THE MANY (v. 45)

A. Their Comforting of Mary (v. 45a)

"Then many of the Jews who came to Mary ..."

Lazarus and his sisters were were well known. That many Jews came to mourn his death indicates he was a prominent citizen. Although the use of the word Jews by the Apostle John generally refers to the religious leadership of Israel, it also referred to the common people. You will notice verse 45 indicates that they "came to Mary" but doesn't mention Martha. Evidently Mary was the most sorrowful and disconsolate of the two. Verse 31 records the Jews comforting Mary, not Martha, who always took the role of a hostess and was preoccupied with her duties. When Jesus arrived at Bethany, Martha ran out to meet Him while the Jews were comforting Mary. In verse 33, Jesus saw Mary weeping along with the Jews who were comforting her. She appears to have needed more comfort than Martha did because of her weaker faith.

B. Their Commitment to Jesus (v. 45b)

"... and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on Him."

1. The Object of Faith

The Jews who came to comfort Mary had witnessed an astounding miracle by Christ. As a result, "they believed on Him." The key to that phrase is in the last two words: "on Him." For faith to be meaningful, it must be placed in the right object. Believing in nothing in particular is not true faith. One theological perspective today emphasizes having faith in faith. An advocate of such a philosophy might say, "I believe in believing. I believe that God is in control." But Faith in nothing is nothing! It doesn't mean anything to believe in believing. Such a philosophy was captured in the song "I Believe," which says, "I believe for ev'ry drop of rain that falls, flowers grow. I believe that somewhere in the darkest night, a candle glows.... Ev'ry time I hear a new born baby cry, or touch a leaf, or see the sky, then I know why I believe!" Well, so what! If you can't believe in something substantial, then you're belief is ridiculous. Who cares whether you believe a candle glows or flowers grow? That's unimportant. God will not say to you someday, "Enter into My Kingdom because you believed a candle glowed!"

Faith is nothing unless it is placed in Jesus Christ. Peter said, "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Ac. 4:12). If a man does not put his faith in Christ, his faith is meaningless. John 1:12 says, "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the children of God, even to them that believe on His name." Christ is the essential object of faith for salvation. There aren't other options. You can't believe anything you want.

It's amazing how people can affirm that God is a God of order and absolute precision in everything He does in the natural world, yet believe He unconcerned about the moral world. The scientist in the laboratory operates on the basis that his chemical mixtures are not going to violate a known truth and blow the building to bits. The astronauts who blast off into space count on the absolute immutability and accuracy of scientific laws. If God is a God of law and order in the natural realm, He's not going to say, "Oh, just do your own thing. Believe anything you want." Such inconsistency is absurd!

2. The Question of Faith

The phrase "believed on Him" does not always infer genuine saving faith. I can say, "I believe" as an expression of true faith. Someone else, however, can say the same thing and not be saved. James 2:19 says, the "demons also believe, and tremble." Although many people saw Christ's miracles in John 2, Jesus did not commit Himself to them because He knew the character of their belief was not legitimate (vv. 23-25). Belief can refer to either genuine heart knowledge or mere mental assent. Christ showed the difference between the two in John 8:30-31, "As He spoke these words, many believed on Him. Then said Jesus to those Jews who believed on Him, If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed." In other words, "Your initial assent to believing does not necessarily mean you've totally committed your life to Me." There are millions of people who would not deny that Jesus is the Son of God, but they don't really know Him with the kind of belief that issues in salvation.

3. The Evidence of Faith

a. The Context of the Verse

I think the belief of the Jews in John 11:45 infers genuine salvation for several reasons. First, verse 52 states that the death of Christ, which resulted from the His miracle of John 11, would "gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad." Since Jesus' ministry had been primarily directed toward the nation of Israel, I believe the miracle of Lazarus's resurrection brought about salvation in the lives of some of God's chosen people. Second, the Jewish leaders feared that unless they got rid of Jesus, everyone would "believe on Him" (v. 48). Evidently, they were convinced of the genuineness of those people's faith. Third, Jesus made the statement in verse 4 that the sickness of Lazarus was "for the glory of God that the Son of God might be glorified by it." When people believe in Him, Jesus receives the greatest glory.

I also believe they exercised genuine faith because of ...

b. The Contrast of Unbelief

The reaction in the rest of chapter 11 is unbelief. Whenever Christ presented Himself, there was a division of belief and unbelief. Therefore, to balance the unbelief at the end of the chapter, it is logical to assume that the beginning deals with honest belief to show that dichotomy.

c. The Convincing Nature of the Miracle

If a man's heart was open when such a convincing miracle happened, he most likely would have believed. May I hasten to say that the "many" refers only to those Jews who were at the funeral, not to all Israel. It was the group of Jews attending the funeral that believed in Christ.

What must you believe about Christ to be saved?

You must believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He came into the world in human flesh to die on the cross and rise again. Now that He has ascended to the Father, He can come into your life and forgive your sins.

II. THE MURDERERS (vv. 46-54)

A. The Collaborators (v. 46)

"But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done."

This group of informers were stool pigeons for the Pharisees. They came to the miracle in unbelief and left the same way. They didn't even bother to find out a plausible explanation for the miracle. They ran to inform the Pharisees what trouble they were in.

Some commentators have assigned a pure motive to these individuals, believing they went to testify to the Pharisees. I don't think that's the case because nothing was ever said of them after verse 46. Had they been believers, they would have likely been quizzed, like the blind beggar in John 9. Also, the fact that this section talks about the hatred of those who seek to murder Christ leads me to believe they were associated with the Pharisees. I believe they came with the sinister intention of warning the Pharisees that the crowds might follow Jesus. Perhaps they wanted to activate the leaders in some way against Him. If so, they were successful.

That is the predictable result of people who have hard hearts. You can show them all the truth of God there is, but they still won't respond to it. There is no capacity in an unbelieving person to perceive the truth. As long as a person refuses to accept new information, you will be unable to communicate it. They can't understand because they won't understand. Such predetermined unbelief doesn't even bother to rationalize, let alone investigate the evidence. The Jews who collaborated with the Pharisees didn't even worry about the miracle. Anyone who could stand by a grave and watch a man walk out who had been dead four days and not believe is a hopeless case. That is why "no man can come to [Jesus], except the Father ... draw him ..." (Jn. 6:44). No one can come to Christ until God reaches into his heart and melts away the unbelief. Therefore, before you ever witness for Christ, you need to pray that God will till the soil so the Word can take root in a person's heart. Before I preach, I ask God to prepare hearts to receive truth, because an unbelieving hard heart has no fertilized ground that faith can take root in. God has to till the soil by the Holy Spirit so a person can be prepared to receive the truth.

B. The Council (vv. 47-54)

1. Their Identification (v. 47a)

"Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council ..."

The chief priests were ex-high priests, mostly of the politically oriented sect of the Sadducees, who were theological liberals who didn't believe in resurrection or angels. The other members of the council were the religious legalists known as the Pharisees. These two strange bedfellows got together to determine what they should do. They agreed on one thing: getting rid of Jesus.

2. Their Inquiry (v. 47b)

"... and said, What do we? For this man doeth many miracles."

Notice there was no denial of the miracles. You can imagine someone saying, "Why don't we believe in Him? It seems logical to do so. We've got to do something because He has done many miracles." But instead of recognizing Him, they decided to kill Him because He was a threat to the status quo.

3. Their Intimidation (v. 48)

"If we let Him thus alone, all men will believe on Him; and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation."

a. Explained

The council members were concerned only about protecting their own interests. They figured that if Jesus got a big following and the people pushed Him into being a political Messiah, Rome would come down and squash the rebellion, taking away their religious and political authority.

Don't confuse me with the facts--my mind is made up!

It is interesting that the religious leaders didn't discuss Lazarus. They were unable to explain his resurrection. They were masters at ignoring miracles. Every time they tried to look into a miracle, they got baffled and humiliated. Back in chapter 9 the Pharisees asked the beggar who had been born blind how he had been enabled to see. The beggar explained that Jesus had anointed his eyes with clay and made him wash it off so he could be healed. The unbelieving Pharisees concluded He was unqualified to do anything miraculous because they didn't know where He had come from. The man who had been blind replied, "Why here is a marvelous thing, that ye know not from where He is, and yet He hath opened mine eyes" (v. 30). He couldn't believe the Pharisees didn't recognize that Jesus had been sent from God.

John 9 demonstrates how unbelief investigates a miracle. It starts out with a presupposition and comes to the same conclusion it started with by disregarding all the facts. The Pharisees ignored the fact that Lazarus had been resurrected. They were afraid they were going to lose their seats of authority and therefore refused to believe anything that might expose their darkness to the light of truth. 

The Pharisees feared Rome, which was a relatively tolerant authority, because it had been known to scatter people who had been involved in insurrections. They were aware the resurrection of Lazarus could increase public excitement over Jesus. He had been at the last two Passovers and had caused a stir. The first time He came, He cleansed the Temple. They knew such a person was a spark among the straw; they'd have a political conflagration on their hands if the people idolized Jesus as they had at the second Passover (Jn. 6:14-15). Their analysis of the situation was accurate. In John 12:13, when Jesus finally got to Jerusalem, the crowd started crying, "Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel" as they threw palms branches at His feet. However, their attraction to Him was only superficial because by the end of the week they were shouting, "Crucify Him!" (Mk. 15:14). But in John 11, the Jewish leaders had something to fear because the people were enamored with Jesus. They decided the best thing to do was to get rid of Him.

b. Exemplified

There is an interesting philosophy of solving problems that is popular today. Many people judge things not by what is right or wrong but by how it affects them: "How will such-and-such affect my income, status, or happiness, and will it relieve the pressure I'm under?" In fact, someone told me, "You can't be a lawyer and be honest." I disagree. However, if you can't do what's right in the career you're in, then you need to get out of it. Someone might say, "I've done many wrongs but I haven't lost yet." The Bible says, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering ..." (2 Pet. 3:9). The reason you haven't lost yet is that God is lovingly patient with you. But don't be like the people in the same chapter who said, "Where is the promise of His coming?..." (v. 4). In other words, "He hasn't come yet, and He never will." Judgment may not come today, but it will come.

The Pharisees were operating on situation ethics. They wanted to preserve their own comfort. Jesus illustrated their self- serving character in the parable of Matthew 21, in which Israel is likened to a vineyard. God sent His servants, the prophets, to instruct the nation. But the religious leaders persecuted them. Finally God sent His Son, assuming those who were entrusted with the spiritual care of His nation would respect Him. But the religious leaders, according to the parable, decided to kill the Son that they might steal His inheritance. They were out for what they could get. They had no ability to discern truth.

4. Their Intention (vv. 49-54)

a. Advanced by Caiaphas (vv. 49-52)

1) His Personality (v. 49)

"And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all"

Caiaphas criticized the council for their ignorance. He was a disgusting person--an egotistical, rude opportunist. He was a godless hypocrite bent on getting what he wanted at any cost. He was the son-in-law and puppet of Annas, who had previously been high priest.

2) His Prophecy (vv. 50-52)

a) Expressed (v. 50)

"Nor [do you] consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not."

Caiaphas didn't care about shedding innocent blood; he was the biggest hypocrite that ever was. He said, in effect, "If we don't get rid of Jesus, He will lead a rebellion. Rome will squash it and we'll all die. So, men, either Jesus dies or the nation perishes. Don't you know that?" Caiaphas was suggesting murder under the guise of patriotism. But He was a phony. He hated Jesus, who presented a threat to his popularity, so he intended to get rid of Him. There was no threat of revolution. The Romans didn't seem too concerned when the crowds were throwing palms branches at His feet.

When Christ was brought to trial in Matthew 26:63, Caiaphas said, "... tell us whether Thou be the Christ, the Son of God." Jesus answered, saying, "... Thou hast said; nevertheless, I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (v. 64). Caiaphas hoped Jesus would say something he considered blasphemous so the council could justify killing Him. Verse 65 reveals the high priest's hypocritical concern: "Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy!..." In Jewish culture, people tore their clothes as a symbolic expression of sorrow or anger. As high priest, Caiaphas appeared to express indignation at the words of Jesus, but inwardly rejoiced that He now had reason to kill Him. He feigned religious zeal and patriotism in his desire to get rid of Jesus.

Following a common strategy of presenting two extreme alternatives as if there were no other, Caiaphas pressured the council into agreeing with him. He said, "Either Christ dies, or we all die." Illogical as it was to think that Rome would kill them and destroy the nation, they followed his reasoning. No one apparently raised any objections or offered other alternatives. Intimidated by his power, the council agreed to kill Jesus to save the nation, even though the nation was not in any real danger. The sad part was that killing Jesus didn't ultimately save the nation. A few decades later, Rome smashed the nation into oblivion-- 1,100,000 Jews were killed under Titus Vespasian. Caiaphas was wrong: Killing Jesus didn't save the nation; it destroyed it.

b) Explained (vv. 51-52)

(1) A Substitutionary Death (v. 51)

"And this spoke he not of himself; but, being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation"

The following words came out as a prophecy of Christ's death: "Nor consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not" (v. 50). That was an accurate prophecy. Christ died for the nation that its people might not perish. Out of the degenerate mouth of that high priest came the truth of God. The words he uttered in blasphemy were transformed by God into a prophecy with a deeper meaning. Caiaphas was totally unaware that He was speaking the truth of God. I'm glad God can even take someone opposing His purposes and use him for His glory.

Psalm 76:10 says that "the wrath of man shall praise [Him] ...." Psalm 2:4 says, "He who sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision." The council thought by killing Jesus, they'd save the nation. Ironically, they killed Jesus and lost the nation too.

God can use anything to accomplish His purposes. He had Caiaphas unwittingly prophesy that Jesus must die. That elevated Caiaphas to the stature of Balaam's donkey. Balaam would be a good illustration of Caiaphas because he too made an unwilling prophecy (Num. 22--23). However Caiaphas made a prophecy without even knowing it. That's how God can use someone to speak His truth. Proverbs 19:21 says, "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless, the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand."

Verse 51 says Caiaphas spoke "not of himself; but, being the high priest that year ...." Historically, the high priest was God's spokesman, as Caiaphas was in this case, except he was unaware he was prophesying. The very words of evil by which Caiaphas condemned himself were the same ones the Holy Spirit used to convey the truth of God. Using the evils of Satan to His own end, God was able to use Caiaphas's own words to declare the effect of Christ's death. God uses human instrumentation--even the hatred of men. Christ's crucifixion on the cross is an enduring illustration of that. It was the worst thing men could do, yet it accomplished the greatest blessing on their behalf.

Who crucified Christ?

Who was responsible for Christ's death? Acts 4:26-28 says, "The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ. For of a truth against Thy holy child, Jesus, whom Thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the nations, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, to do whatever Thy hand and Thy counsel determined before to be done." God used the hatred of the Jews and the Gentiles to bring about salvation. The Jews and the Romans both crucified Christ. In fact, any unbelievers who ultimately reject the truth about Christ "crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame" (Heb. 6:6). According to 1 Corinthians 11:27, a Christian can also "be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord" when he partakes of communion unworthily. The guilt for crucifying Christ encompasses everyone. However, predetermining the outcome, God used the wrath of men to accomplish their salvation. 

Caiaphas was just a link in the divine decree. He fulfilled the counsel of God without even knowing it.

(2) A Unifying Death (v. 52)

"And not for that nation only, but that also He should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad."

Jesus not only died for Israel, but for the Gentiles also--the other children of God scattered throughout the world--so He might make those groups into one. That is the great mystery of the church. Ephesians 2:14 says Christ's death "hath broken down the middle wall of partition" between Jew and Gentile. All who place their faith in Christ become one in Him: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28). That's the Christian's positional unity. Jews and Gentiles were brought together into one body, the church. Christianity is not a system of religious activities; it is actually a love relationship with Jesus Christ and other believers.

b. Accepted by the Council (v. 53)

"Then from that day forth they took counsel together to put Him to death."

The council concluded that the giver of life deserved death, and began to plot how to do it. The people, however, weren't part of the plot until the very end, when they cried, "... Crucify Him!" (Mk. 15:14).

c. Avoided by Christ (v. 54)

"Jesus, therefore, walked no more openly among the Jews, but went from there unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with His disciples."

The end of Jesus' public ministry was approaching. Because of increasing opposition, Jesus found it necessary to escape for His life because it was not yet His time to die (Jn. 7:30). He was driven out of Jerusalem for the last time.

We have seen the many who believed and the plotting of the murderers. But how did the multitudes of Israel who weren't in on the plot respondto Lazarus's resurrection?

III. THE MULTITUDES (vv. 55-57)

A. The Rising Excitement (vv. 55-56)

"And the Jews' passover was near at hand; and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves. Then sought they for Jesus, and spoke among themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye, that He will not come to the feast?"

There was an excitement brewing among the multitudes as the people began arriving in Jerusalem in preparation for Passover. Jewish law required that ceremonial cleansings be performed prior to participating in the feasts. Many wondered if Jesus would show up in Jerusalem with the tension in the air and the boiling hatred of the Jewish leaders. He had been to the last two Passovers, and since His popularity made Him quite an attraction, the people sought Him.

Many people today have a similar attitude toward Christianity. They view it as a spectator sport--they don't participate; they just watch. Liberal churches are filled with Jesus watchers who look at Him with detached interest. They have no commitment and faith in Christ; therefore, they have no salvation and no love for others or a desire to serve. They superficially get involved in religion only to watch. Ironically, the same type of people also cried, "Crucify Him!" (Mk. 15:14). Jesus said, "He that is not with Me is against Me ..." (Mt. 12:30). So many people want to watch Jesus without making a commitment to Him.

B. The Requested Extradition (v. 57)

"Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment that, if any man knew where He were, he should show it, that they might take Him."

The religious leaders wanted the people to inform them of Jesus' whereabouts so they could get rid of Him. What an interesting climax to a resurrection! With a glorious display of power, Jesus restored life to Lazarus. Because Jesus was glorified in that miracle, the religious leadership felt threatened and wanted to kill Him. That is why God had to send His Son. His death had to reach to such depths of sin and unbelief. The grace of God melts the hardness of hearts into faith.

Whenever Jesus displays His glory, you can expect Satan to activate his forces against Him. The pawns of the prince of darkness wanted to do away with Jesus. The people who were spectators were not much better. Once during the week they were acknowledging Him as King (Lk. 19:38), and later, when instigated by the religious leaders, they were yelling, "Kill Him!" (Mk. 15:11-14). The fickle mob was led by the emotions of the moment. They were content just to watch Jesus, even when He was hanging on the cross.

CONCLUSION

There was another group present in John 11: Mary, Martha, and the disciples. Although their reactions weren't specifically recorded, I believe their faith was strengthened. On the way to Bethany to raise Lazarus, Jesus said to His disciples that the miracle was "to the intent [they] may believe ...." (v. 15). He desired to strengthen their faith. Furthermore, I believe the hospitality of Martha and the devotion of Mary in chapter 12:1-8 demonstrates that their faith had been strengthened as well.

How do you react to Christ? Do you believe in Him? Do you reject Him like that second group did? Are you one of the crowd that hangs around just to watch? Or, are you a Christian who has now had your faith strengthened by seeing Christ display His power in John 11? What's your reaction to the miracle of resurrection?

Focusing on the Facts

1. Rather than denying the miracle of Lazarus's resurrection, what did the religious leaders deny?

2. Explain how the attitude of a person's heart would color the conclusion he would make about the significance of a miraculous event.

3. To whom does God reveal truth (Jn. 7:17)?

4. What is the twofold division that results over Christ? Why did Christ come to establish that division?

5. How did the the Jews who had come to comfort Mary respond to Christ (Jn. 11:45)?

6. What must happen for faith to be meaningful?

7. What is the proper object of faith, according to Acts 4:12?

8. Does belief in Christ always indicate saving faith? Explain.

9. What must a person believe about Christ to be saved?

10. What is the predictable result of a hard heart? According to John 6:44, what is necessary for a person to come to Jesus? What should we pray for before witnessing to others about Christ?

11. Of whom did the council consist? What were they concerned about, according to verse 48? Why?

12. Why did the Pharisees conclude in John 9 that Jesus wasn't qualified to perform any miracles (Jn. 9:29-30)?

13. Rather than determining if something is right or wrong, how do many people solve problems?

14. Who was Caiaphas? What did he appear to be concerned about?

15. How did Caiaphas pressure the council into agreeing with Him?

16. What was the prophecy that Caiaphas gave? Explain what he meant by it as well as the deeper meaning it had.

17. How does the cross illustrate that God can use unwilling men to accomplish His purposes?

18. Who is responsible for Christ's death?

19. In what sense was Jesus' death unifying? Support your answer with Scripture.

20. What conclusion did the council come to after Caiaphas's prophecy? As a result, what was Jesus forced to do? Why?

21. What was the reaction of the mulititudes to the resurrection of Lazarus? How is that similar to what is found in many churches today?

22. How did Mary, Martha, and the disciples benefit from the miracle Jesus performed?

Pondering the Principles

1. Saving faith is trust that has been placed in Jesus Christ. Are you trusting in His death and resurrection for the forgiveness of your sins? If you have never done so, memorize Acts 4:12 and John 1:12. Make a point of finding out what the people you converse with are counting on for salvation. Consider asking them the following question: If you died today and God asked you why He should let you into heaven, what do you think you would tell Him? On a piece of paper, list what you think would be the five most likely answers people would give. Meditate on the parable of the two builders in Matthew 7:24-27. The quality of the foundation of one's faith will determine the level of security one can experience in this life, as well as their eternal destiny. Praise God that we can know Him personally through His Son, the "living stone" (1 Pet. 2:4), who is "the same yesterday, and today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8). He is the only foundation that never changes.

2. What determines how you solve the problems you face? Is it primarily by how the situation will affect your income, status, or happiness? Or are you mainly concerned about discovering the right thing to do? The next time you are looking for a solution, immediately try to view the problem through the eyes of Christ by wondering, "What would He have done in this situation?" To do that you will need to be reading the Bible regularly and studying the life of Christ so your responses can be Christlike in character.