John 11:45-57 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. 46 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. 47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. 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. 49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, 50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. 51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; 52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. 53 Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death. 54 Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples. 55 And the Jews’ passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves. 56 Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye, that he will not come to the feast? 57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him.

Opening Illustration: Take three items, and put a label on them. In my case I’ll take a tube of toothpaste, and put the label “Apple” on it. I’ll take a Maracas, and put the label “Apple Phone” on it. And I’ll take a bottle of DayQuil Cough Syrup, and put the label “Coca Cola” on it. I’ll ask the children to identify the items, and each time tell them “No, look at the label!”

The point? It is not the LABEL or the OUTWARD CLOTHING that identifies the item, but what’s INSIDE. It’s not the LABEL that makes the Christian, but whether God the Holy Spirit is inside or not. And only Jesus Christ can give the Spirit. Only the Father can assign the Holy Spirit to a person’s life. Jesus said:

John 14:6, 16-17 (ESV) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. … 16 And I will {erōtaō, pray to, beseech, ask} the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know Him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

When we REPENT and turn to Jesus, believing that He is the Messiah, the Only Way to the Father, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to us. We then are “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1 Peter 1:23). Jesus said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. You MUST BE BORN AGAIN” (John 3:6-7). The Holy Spirit lives inside the believer, correcting us, encouraging us to obey the Word of God.

We live in a day where there are many RELIGIOUS people, but few RIGHTEOUS people.

The two are not the same, as we’ll see today.

RELIGIOUS people are empowered by the FLESH.
RIGHTEOUS people are INDWELT of God.
RELIGIOUS people KNOW what the Bible says.
RIGHTEOUS people DO what the Bible says.
RELIGIOUS people SAY they love Jesus.
RIGHTEOUS people SHOW they love Jesus.
RELIGIOUS people love other RELIGIOUS people exclusively.
RIGHTEOUS people love ALL, just as Jesus did.
RELIGIOUS people ignore portions of the Bible that they do not like.
RIGHTEOUS people heed ALL SCRIPTURE, knowing it is of God.

Religious People Only Care About Themselves

John 11:45-48 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. 46 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. 47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. 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.

The last time we gathered we saw Jesus stand before an open tomb, and cry out “Lazarus, Come Forth!” (vs 43). As soon as Jesus shouted this, Lazarus came out of the grave, bound hand and foot with grave wrappings. The Living Word of God, Jesus spoke,

“Loose him, and let him go!” (vs 44)

When a person becomes saved, they leave the tomb of their old life. The tomb of sin and death no longer has a hold on them. Leaving that tomb, others who follow Jesus actively help that young believer to understand that they are NOT to follow sin and death. Death has no hold on us – Jesus has conquered that. Sin is not to be a regular part of our lives. The Apostle tells us:

Romans 6:16-18 (ESV) Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

Called out of the Tomb by Jesus, other believers gather around us, and encourage us to follow Jesus. The Apostle says,

1 John 5:16 (ESV) If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.

Imagine the joy that was at Lazarus’ home that night. The brother who was dead, has now been found. “For THIS MY SON WAS DEAD, and is ALIVE AGAIN; he was LOST, and is found. And THEY BEGAN TO BE MERRY” (Luke 15:24). Jesus Christ is clearly the Messiah. Only God can give LIFE. God told Israel in the TORAH, the Book of the Law:

Deuteronomy 32:39 (HCSB) See now that I alone am He; there is no God but Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal. No one can rescue anyone from My hand.

The power of life and death is in God’s hand alone. The Hebrew Hymnbook sings:

Psalm 68:20 (ESV) Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.

By raising Lazarus from the dead, He has proven that He is the Messiah sent from God. There is no Pharisee who studied the Scripture who could deny this. The Sadducees, who only received the first five Books of the Bible, the Books of the Law, could not deny the resurrection of Lazarus. The Scribes who copied and studied the scrolls of the Scripture could not deny it. Jesus is clearly the Messiah. Either God THROUGH Jesus brought Lazarus from the dead, or Jesus Himself as the Son of God did so with the Father’s blessing. The most ancient text of Scripture, the Book of Job, notes

Job 14:5 (NIV) A person’s days are determined; You {O God} have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.

The Psalmist said “all the days YOU {O God} HAVE ORDAINED FOR ME are written in YOUR BOOK” (Psalm 139:16). He also wrote “MY TIMES are in YOUR HAND {O Lord}” (Psalm 31:15).

The enemies of Christ, the PHARISEES, SADDUCEES, and SCRIBES all studied the Torah and the Psalms. They KNEW Jesus raised Lazarus. They KNEW only God could do this. Nonetheless they sought to destroy Jesus. Why?

Religious people have little to no respect for the Word of God. They only cherish the portions that suit them.

John 11:47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.

The “chief priests” and the “Pharisees” got together because of Lazarus resurrection. This is in itself amazing because the “chief priests” in Israel at this time were, according to the Jewish historian Josephus, SADDUCEES and not Pharisees. One source notes:

“The religious responsibilities of the Sadducees included the maintenance of the Temple in Jerusalem. Their high social status was reinforced by their priestly responsibilities, as mandated in the Torah”.

Word Study: Rather than repent and come to Jesus, these two religious groups chose to ignore the clear evidence that Christ is the Messiah. They noted “this man doeth many miracles”. The word translated “miracles” is the Greek sēmeion, which means “a miracle, a sign from God, a supernatural event”. The Pharisees had often asked Jesus, “Master, we would see a sēmeion from you” (Matthew 12:38; Mark 8:11). “The PHARISEES and SADDUCEES came and asked Jesus to show them a sēmeion”(Matthew 16:1; Luke 11:16; John 2:18). Jesus told these people (John 4:48) “Unless you see sēmeion and wonders, you will not believe”. Now Jesus has shown them a clear sign from Heaven, a sēmeion, and they know it. Yet they will not believe. Why?

The only thing religious people care about is
themselves and what they think.

John 11:48 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.

These men did not doubt that Jesus was the Messiah, nor that He had done a miracle. What they were focused on was keeping their “place and nation”. The Christian is to be selfless, not selfish. Religious people are not Christians. God is selfless. Christ is selfless. Though we have offended God repeatedly, chasing after sin, the Scripture declares:

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Had God been selfish, when Adam sinned He would have destroyed the world and started over. But God promised a Redeemer, the Seed of the Woman. God loves the world so much that He comes to “seek and save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10). Jesus Christ came “that we MIGHT HAVE LIFE, and that we MIGHT HAVE IT ABUNDANTLY” (John 10:10). In order to have life, we must “BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST, the Son of God, and that believing we will have LIFE THROUGH HIS NAME” (John 20:31).

The Pharisees and Sadducees saw that Jesus was the Christ, but chose instead to keep their PLACE of elevation above the people, and their POWER in the nation of Israel. They were comfortable where they were. They were satisfied where they were. They did not want Jesus as the Messiah to save Israel from either Her SIN nor from ROME. They did not want to bring GLORY TO GOD. They wanted to maintain the status quo.

God Can Use The Religious Lost,
Whether They Like It Or Not

John 11:49-52 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, 50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. 51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; 52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.

“Caiaphas”, or his full name is Joseph Caiaphas, was the son-in-law of the former High Priest, Annas. Caiaphas was also a Sadducee, and the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, neither angels nor spirits (Acts 23:8). Though the Book of Daniel notes

Daniel 12:2 (NIV) Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

The Sadducees rejected all but the Torah or the first five Books of Scripture (The Law). The fact that Lazarus rose from the grave clearly showed the Sadducees that what they believed was a lie, else Lazarus would still be in the tomb. Further, the Sadducees were

“often wealthy men of high position and, as they sought to appease their Roman rulers, were heavily involved in politics. They held the majority seat in the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court, over which Caiaphas ruled for the 18 years he served as high priest.”.

When Caiaphas called for Jesus’ death, saying:

vs 50 it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not

his fear was that Jesus as Messiah would attempt to overthrow Rome, and in so doing cause Rome to rise up and destroy the Temple and Caiaphas’ job. Though Jesus often told those who would make Him King, “My Kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36), most Jews believed He came to overturn Roman rule, just as a priestly family known as the Hasmoneans or Maccabees fought off the Syrian armies of Antiochus in 168 BC. Jesus came to this earth to conquer sin and its hold on us. The Prophet foretold that this would be the mission of the Messiah:

Isaiah 53:5-6 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Jesus came to close the door on the Temple for animal sacrifices. The purpose of the Law of the shedding of blood was to lead us to Christ. The “Law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be JUSTIFIED BY FAITH” (Galatians 3:24). We do not put the hope of our righteousness before God in our own works, such as circumcision and blood offerings and feast keeping. Our hope is in Jesus. He is the Fulfillment of the Law (Matthew 5:18).

We who are saved by faith in Christ fulfill the Law by walking in love as God has loved us in Christ (Romans 8:4; 13:8; 13:10; Galatians 5:14).

Those who are resting on their own efforts rather than on the finished Work of Christ (Hebrews 7:27; 9:26) is like the man mad with thirst who attempts to drink sand in the desert, or who lost on the ocean seeks to quench his thirst by drinking the ocean dry. Only Jesus can give living water.

And yet, Caiaphas – as lost is he is – can still be used of God. We read:

John 11:50-52 … it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. 51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; 52 And not for that nation only, but that also he {God} should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.

Caiaphas “prophesied”. Prophesy is a spiritual gift, given only by God the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11). King David declared that “the Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue” (2 Samuel 23:2). Ezekiel said that “the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me” (Ezekiel 2:2). God moved on Caiaphas, and Caiaphas prophesied that Jesus our Lord would indeed die for Israel, and for the Gentiles as well.

God used Caiaphas – the Sadducees, the Scribes, the Pharisees, and the Herodians in a wonderful way. We read:

John 11:53-54 Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death. 54 Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.

Those who were at odds with Jesus all joined forces, and made a pact to kill Him. This was necessary if Jesus was going to go to the Cross for our sins. In World War II, Hitler promoted the murder of innocent Jews, though he publicly expressed favorable opinions toward Christianity. One source notes:

“Hitler biographer John Toland offers the opinion that Hitler “carried within him its teaching that the Jew was the killer of God. The extermination, therefore, could be done without a twinge of conscience since he was merely acting as the avenging hand of God …”

Jesus was not stoned to death, which was the Jewish method of execution, but was crucified, a clearly Roman method of death. The Jews were not Christ killers. We all were Christ killers. Jesus died for us all, and every one of us held the hammer that drove the nails!

Jesus stopped ministering openly in Judah, but moved to Ephraim in an attempt to spread the Gospel among the Ten Northern Tribes of Israel. Ephraim is about 15 miles north of Jerusalem, so Jesus could still travel to the required feasts of Israel.

Religious people drove Jesus from the Temple. Religious people drive Jesus from the Church.

John 11:55-57 And the Jews’ passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves. 56 Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye, that he will not come to the feast? 57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him.

The religious do not live in love with God and with one another. They love ceremony. They love doctrine. They love to look superior to others. But they do not love Jesus. Jesus told us,

Matthew 5:20 (ESV) For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

You are not RIGHTeous if you do not honor God RIGHT. You are not RIGHTeous if you mistreat others, treating them harshly. You are not RIGHTeous if you are not walking WITH and in obedience TO Jesus. This is not optional. This is Christianity. True Christianity …

“.. produces men, women, and children who, in union with Jesus and given new hearts, happily do the will of God with a new, childlike aim: to please him (2 Corinthians 5:9)”.

May God touch you with His Word! For His glory, through Christ our Savior and Lord. Amen and Amen.