Political Calculations

Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. ⁴⁶But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what he had done. ⁴⁷So 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. ⁴⁸If 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.” ⁴⁹But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all! ⁵⁰You 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, ⁵²and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God. ⁵³So from that day on they planned to put him to death.” John 11:45-53

The raising of Lazarus was definitive proof that Jesus was the Messiah. All those who witnessed Lazarus, dead four days, coming out of the tomb believed in Jesus because of it. This word spread fast, as one might expect, and found the ears of the Pharisees and other religious leaders. This would be a pivotal moment for the Jewish leadership. Would they, finally, give credence to the belief that Jesus was the Messiah? Or would they obstinately insist Jesus was a fraud who needed to be destroyed?


The text suggests that for a moment they considered their options. If they allowed Jesus to go forward with his ministry, then all the people would believe in him and it would upset the political peace with the Romans. This could possibly lead to a revolt and the Romans destroying the Temple and all of Jerusalem (which happened later in 69 BCE). Or they could destroy Jesus and keep the peace with Rome. This became the preferred option. If the Jewish leaders were right, they could save Jerusalem and the Temple. If they were wrong, they would be responsible for handing over the Messiah God has promised and sent for them. In the end, they made a decision based on political expediency rather than principled faith.


It is tempting to judge the Jewish leaders harshly for their political calculations and lack of faith. Yet, when faced with difficult decisions and choices between competing needs, we often follow the same path. It is much more tempting to choose the easy path even when we know it is wrong. The religious leaders knew that acknowledging Jesus as Messiah would cause pain. It would mean a repudiation of their own leadership positions and a potential crackdown by the Roman army. If they chose to persecute Jesus they could keep their lifestyle and maintain the status quo. They will possibly lose either way, but they could be right and keep their privilege. How many would choose differently?


How often do we face such choices? Do we take the risk of leaving a comfortable job we hate to follow the nudge of God to an unknown venture? Do we speak out against injustice when it might risk the loss of friendships? Do we choose the lesser or two evils or find a different path? Life is full of choices and our character is formed by the choices we make over time. The path of faith puts love of God and love of neighbor at the center of our choices. We may make choices we regret or miscalculations, but if God is at the center of our discernment we will make good choices more often than not. When we put ourselves and our own self-interest at the center of our decisions, we will cross the moral line over and over again. The choice is ours and ours alone. What will you choose?


Prayer: Lord, help me to make choices that are faithful and God pleasing. Help me discern the difficult decisions with the power of your Spirit, in Jesus' name, AMEN.