John 11:45-57

Amen and good morning. Please take your copy of God's Word and join me in John chapter 11.

John 11 · chapter mention

If you were here with us last week, rest assured, my blood sugar is doing well, and I have nothing but water to drink.

We're going to begin reading in verse 45 and continue through the end of the chapter for our study this morning.

And as we do, we're going to be in a passage that in one sense feels almost like an epilogue to the raising of Lazarus.

Though John intends us to understand that what happens here is actually much more significant than just that.

The raising of Lazarus is finished.

The stone has been removed. Jesus has prayed to his father.

He has cried out with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out.

And the man who had been dead for four days has walked out of his tomb still wrapped in his burial cloths.

As we saw last week, that miracle is not merely an extraordinary display of raw power, but a sign revealing the identity of Jesus Christ.

Jesus had told Martha, I am the resurrection and the life.

Then he demonstrated that his words were not religious sentiment spoken to comfort a grieving woman,

because the one who claimed to be the resurrection stood outside of the grave and commanded the dead to live.

And Lazarus lived.

Now, if we were writing the story, I suspect most of us would expect John to conclude chapter 11 differently.

We might expect something like this.

Lazarus comes out of the tomb.

Everyone falls down in worship.

The religious leaders finally admit that they have been wrong about Jesus all along.

Jerusalem welcomes her Messiah.

And the chapter ends in universal celebration.

We, of course, know this is not how the story goes.

But what more evidence could anyone possibly require that Jesus is the Christ?

Jesus turned water into wine.

He has healed the sick.

He has given sight to a man born blind.

He has fed thousands with a small amount of food.

He has walked upon the sea.

And now, if there were any uncertainty remaining about the kind of authority he possesses,

Jesus called a man out of a grave after four days dead.

Surely, this should settle the question.

Surely, everyone would believe now, but that is not at all what happens.

And what John shows us in the remainder of chapter 11 is something profoundly important about belief.

Excuse me, about unbelief.

The fundamental problem of unbelief is not a lack of evidence.

The problem is that the human heart does not want the conclusion to which the evidence points.

There are people in this passage who have just watched Lazarus walk out of his grave,

and rather than falling before Jesus in worship,

they begin participating in a process that will lead to his murder.

But there's even greater truth running behind the surface of these verses,

because while sinful men begin plotting the death of Jesus for their own wicked purposes,

God is simultaneously accomplishing his own righteous purpose through their plot.

The leaders intend murder.

God intends salvation.

Caiaphas intends political expediency.

God speaks through him of substitutionary atonement.

The council concludes that Jesus must die to preserve their nation,

while God has determined that Jesus will die to save his people,

not only from Israel, but from among the nations of the world.

And so this passage becomes one of the clearest examples in all of Scripture of the mysterious sovereign providence of God,

who is so completely Lord over human history that even the wicked actions of sinful men cannot overthrow his purposes,

but are, without excusing their wickedness in any way,

made to serve the very plan they intend to destroy.

So let's look at this passage together after a word of prayer.

Father, we thank you for your word this morning,

this end of John chapter 11,

John 11 · chapter mention

the opportunity for us to take some time to take it up,

to read it,

to consider all of its implications.

We humbly recognize that we need your help to do this.

We are feeble in our own thinking.

We have varied distractions in all of our minds,

even now.

We need your help to believe its promises and obey its commands,

to have affection for you, its author.

So we pray that you'd help us to do this.

We pray it in Jesus' name.

Amen.

John chapter 11, I'll begin reading in verse 45.

John 11 · chapter mention

Many of the Jews, therefore, who had come with Mary

and had seen what he did, believed in him.

But some of them went to the Pharisees

and told them what Jesus had done.

So the chief priests and the Pharisees

gathered the council and said,

What are we to do?

For this man performs many signs.

If we let him go on like this,

everyone will believe in him.

And the Romans will come and take away

both our place and our nation.

But one of them, Caiaphas,

who was high priest that year,

said to them,

You know nothing at all.

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.

He did not say this of his own accord.

But being a high priest that year,

he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation.

And not for the nation only,

but also to gather into one

the children of God who are scattered abroad.

So from that day on,

they made plans to put him to death.

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.

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand,

and many went up from the country to Jerusalem

before the Passover to purify themselves.

They were looking for Jesus

and saying to one another as they stood in the temple,

What do you think?

that he will not come to the feast at all?

Now the chief priests and the Pharisees

had given orders that if anyone knew where he was,

he should let them know

so that they might arrest him.

All right.

I'd like to consider this passage this morning

under four headings.

Number one, the sign produces division.

Number two, the leaders protect their position.

Number three, the priests proclaim more than he knows.

And number four, the Passover points us toward the cross.

Well, number one, the sign produces division.

We see this in verses 45 and 46.

Look first at verse 45.

Many of the Jews, therefore, who had come with Mary

and had seen what he did, believed in him.

That is the response that we want.

That's what we would expect.

These are the people who had come to Bethany

to console Mary and Martha.

And after the death of Lazarus,

and because they were present with the sisters,

have witnessed the events that John just described.

John tells us that many of them responded

exactly as the signs in this gospel

are intended to lead us to respond.

Perhaps these are some of the disciples

in the upper room after Jesus' death.

They believed in him.

Remember again the purpose statement

John will give us near the end of this gospel.

These signs have been written so that you may believe

that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,

and that by believing, have life in his name.

So the sign, the miracle of the raising of Lazarus

points beyond itself to Christ.

The miracle is not merely saying,

look what Jesus can do.

The miracle is saying, look who Jesus is.

And many saw the sign,

understood something of what it revealed

concerning Jesus.

He is the resurrection and the life.

And they believed in him.

But then verse 46 introduces

one of those contrasts John uses repeatedly

throughout the gospel.

We've seen this theme again and again and again.

Those who receive, those who reject.

Verse 46 says,

But some of them went to the Pharisees

and told them what Jesus had done.

Now John does not explicitly tell us

the motives of these people

and therefore we should be careful

not to pretend that we know

more than the text tells us.

It is possible that some of them

simply reported the event

without understanding what the consequences would be.

But given what immediately follows,

the contrast is really difficult to miss.

Some see Lazarus raised and believe.

Others see Lazarus raised and go to those

who have already demonstrated their hospitality,

excuse me, their hostility toward Jesus.

They've been openly hostile toward him.

Same Christ, same sign, same evidence,

different responses.

And that pattern has appeared

all throughout John's gospel.

Jesus reveals himself

and people divide.

Some believe, others reject,

some worship, others oppose.

Some recognize the shepherd's voice.

Others accuse him of having a demon.

The light shines into the darkness,

but not everyone loves the light.

And this raises an important question for us.

Why does one person see the signs of Christ

and believe while another encounters

the same testimony

and remains hardened?

We are often inclined to assume

that unbelief is primarily

an intellectual problem.

And certainly there are

intellectual questions worth answering.

Christianity does not ask people

to turn off their minds.

The Christian faith

makes historical and theological claims

which should be examined carefully.

But scripture teaches us

that unbelief goes deeper

than just a lack of information.

Jesus has already said in John 3

that light has come into the world,

but people loved darkness

rather than light

because their works were evil.

The issue is not merely

that they cannot see.

The issue is that

they do not want the implications

of what they see.

That is precisely what becomes apparent

in the verses that follow.

The religious leaders

are not going to deny

that Jesus has done

extraordinary things.

In fact,

they will openly acknowledge it.

The problem is not

that the evidence for Jesus

is insufficient.

The problem is that

if Jesus really is

who the evidence indicates he is,

then they can no longer remain

the unquestioned rulers

of their own lives.

And that remains

one of the great obstacles

to faith.

People sometimes say,

if God would just show me

enough evidence,

I would believe.

Perhaps.

But the Bible makes us

ask another question.

If God showed you

enough evidence,

would you worship him

or would you resent the fact

that the evidence requires you

to surrender yourself

to him?

Because Christianity

does not merely ask you

to add Jesus

to an otherwise

unchanged life.

It tells you

that Jesus

is Lord.

If you're to have him

as your Savior,

he will also

be Lord.

If Jesus

is the Christ,

the Son of God,

then he possesses

rightful authority

over you

for your eternal good.

and it is entirely

possible for a person

to resist Christianity

not because the evidence

is weak,

but because the implications

are costly.

Sin does not

merely make us

ignorant.

Sin makes us

rebellious.

And so the question

the text places

before each of us

is not merely

have I seen enough

concerning Christ,

the more searching

question is

what have I done

with what God

has shown me

concerning his Son.

Because exposure

to truth

does not automatically

produce faith.

These people

watched a resurrection.

The account is clear.

It's undoubted.

Lazarus was dead.

They witnessed

a man

come to life

with words.

Some believed.

Sadly,

some did not.

You can sit

under faithful

preaching for years

and remain unchanged.

You can know

Christian doctrine

and get it all

just right.

You can learn

Christian vocabulary.

You can understand

what the Bible

teaches about Christ

and still refuse

to entrust yourself

to him.

The question

is not whether

Christ has been

sufficiently revealed.

The question

is whether

you will

believe.

he is the Christ.

Second heading.

The leaders

protect

their position.

So John

goes on

after this

account

has been reported.

Verse 47.

So the chief

priests

and the Pharisees

gathered the council

and said,

what are we to do?

For this man

performs

many signs.

The council

here is

what's known

as the Sanhedrin.

the ruling

Jewish council

made up of

the principal

religious

authorities

of the nation.

It was a

mix of both

Pharisees

and Sadducees,

predominantly

Sadducees.

And I want you

to notice

the extraordinary

admission they make.

They do not say

this man's signs

fraudulent.

They do not say

Lazarus was never

actually dead.

They do not

attempt to produce

some natural

explanation for

what has occurred.

They just say

this man

performs

many

signs.

I'll pass over

that

too quickly.

These are

Genesis' enemies.

They're the men

who want

to

stop him.

And their

strategy is not

to deny

that he is

doing signs

because apparently

the evidence

has become

too public

and too

overwhelming

for that

to be

plausible.

Their question

is,

not did he

do it,

their question

is,

what are we

going to do

about him?

That's a

remarkable

picture

of unbelief.

I'm not

doubting

that he has

done these

things,

that he is

powerful.

What they're

doing is saying

it's going to

be a problem.

We've got to

get rid of

them.

They have

reached the

point where

the problem

in their

minds is

no longer

the evidence.

The problem

is Jesus

himself.

Verse 48

explains why.

If we let

him go on

like this,

everyone will

believe in

him.

The evidence

will stack

and stack

and stack.

Everyone will

believe and

the Romans

will come

and take

away both

our place

and our

nation.

Do you

hear the

fear

underneath

these

words?

If Jesus

continues,

people will

follow him.

If people

follow him,

Rome may

interpret the

movement as

a political

rebellion.

If Rome

intervenes,

we may

lose our

place and

our nation.

Now,

there is a

measure of

historical

realism in

their concern.

Israel lived

under Roman

occupation,

and Rome

had little

patience for

disturbances that

threatened imperial

order.

They very

wisely allowed

religious practice

to go on,

kind of some

puppet governance

that felt

local.

They didn't

strip people

that they

conquered entirely

of their

identity,

but it could

not threaten

the rule

of Rome.

A large

messianic

movement could

certainly attract

Roman attention,

but John

wants us to

see that their

concern for

national survival

is entangled

with something

far more

personal.

They are

afraid of

losing,

quote,

our place.

That may

include the

temple,

but it almost

certainly

includes their

position,

influence,

privilege,

and authority

within the

existing religious

order.

Caiaphas was

appointed high

priest by a

Roman ruler.

father.

Jesus

threatens what

they possess,

and suddenly

the issue

becomes very

clear.

They do not

ask whether

Jesus is

true.

They ask

what Jesus

might cost

them.

That is one

of the most

dangerous ways

the human

heart can

approach

Christ.

We begin

calculating.

If I believe

him, what

will happen

to the life

I have

constructed?

What

relationships

might change?

What ambitions

might have

to die?

What sins

would I need

to abandon?

What control

would I have

to surrender?

What will

people think

of me?

What might

obedience

cost?

And if the

preservation

of our

present life

becomes our

highest good,

we will

eventually find

reasons to

reject anything

that threatens

it, even

Christ

himself.

Jesus said

earlier in the

gospel that

whoever loves

his life

loses it.

The religious

leaders are

demonstrating

exactly what

he means.

Their

overriding

concern is

preservation.

And therefore,

Jesus must be

dealt with.

There is an

irony here that

John's original

readers could

hardly miss.

They fear that

if they do not

kill Jesus, the

Romans would

come and destroy

their place and

nation.

So they arranged

for Jesus to

be killed.

And approximately

40 years later,

in AD 70, Rome

comes and

destroys Jerusalem

and the temple

anyway.

The very thing

they attempt to

prevent by

rejecting Christ

eventually overtakes

them.

Now, we should

be careful about

drawing overly

simplistic lines

between every

historical judgment

and specific

acts of sin,

but John

certainly wants

us to recognize

the tragic

blindness of

their reasoning.

They believe

they can save

themselves by

eliminating

Jesus, but

no one saves

himself by

rejecting the

Savior.

And that applies

far beyond

first century

Judaism.

Sin always

makes promises

about

preservation.

If I obey

Christ here, I

will lose too

much.

If I tell the

truth, I will

lose this

opportunity.

If I confess

this sin, I'll

lose my reputation.

If I obey

Scripture, I may

lose this

relationship.

If I follow

Jesus faithfully, I

may lose the

approval of

people whose

approval I

value.

And the lie

underneath all

of it is that

disobedience will

preserve what

obedience

threatens.

Sometimes,

beloved,

obedience does

cost us.

Jesus has

never promised

otherwise.

there are

things Christians

lose because

they follow

Christ.

But whatever

obedience costs,

disobedience

ultimately costs

more.

The safest

place in

all of

creation is

not the

place where

you have

successfully

protected

yourself from

every earthly

loss.

The safest

place is

obedience to

the Lord

Jesus Christ.

Christ.

These leaders

are trying to

control the

future without

submitting

themselves to

the Lord

of that

future.

And whenever

we do that,

fear rules

us.

That is worth

considering,

particularly for

us as a

church.

Churches, I

think, can

begin thinking

exactly like

the Sanhedrin.

God

how do we

preserve our

place, our

influence, our

institution?

How do we

keep people?

How do we

protect the

organization?

It begins to

exist just to

exist.

Those questions

are not always

in every form

illegitimate.

Stewardship does

in fact matter.

But the

moment institutional

survival becomes

more important than

faithfulness to

Christ, the

church has

begun to

protect the

wrong thing.

Christ did

not promise

that every

local church

would exist

forever.

He promised

that His

church would.

Our

responsibility is

not to preserve

ourselves at any

cost.

Our

responsibility

is to be

faithful.

If Providence

Baptist Church

exists, the

Lord tarries for

another hundred

years, but

abandons the

truth, we have

failed miserably.

And if

faithfulness to

Christ ever

costs us

influence,

reputation,

attendance,

money, comfort,

or cultural

approval, then

let those things

go before we

let the truth

go.

The church

belongs to

Christ.

He will

build it.

Our task is

to be faithful.

Third

heading.

The priest

proclaims more

than he knows.

See this in

verses 49

down through

53.

Beginning in

verses 49, we

come to one of

the most

astonishing

examples of

divine providence

anywhere in

John's

gospel.

There he

says, but

one of them,

Caiaphas, who

was the high

priest that

year, said

to them,

you know

nothing at

all, 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.

Caiaphas has

apparently had

enough of the

discussion.

You can hear

the arrogance

in these words,

you know

nothing at

all.

You know

nothing.

You understand

nothing.

This is not

kindness that

he's starting

with here.

in essence,

Caiaphas

believes the

answer is

obvious.

Stop

talking.

There's a

simple political

solution.

Jesus is

one man.

The nation

is many

people.

If one

man threatens

the security

of the

nation, then

eliminate the

one man.

From

Caiaphas'

perspective,

that is

straightforward

utilitarian

reasoning.

one life

is expendable

if sacrificing

that life

preserves the

larger group.

And notice

that there is

no concern

here for

justice.

He simply

calculates

outcomes.

Jesus has

become inconvenient.

Jesus is

dangerous to

their political

arrangement.

Therefore,

Jesus must

die.

This is what

happens when

political expediency

becomes detached

from righteousness.

Once survival,

power,

security,

or social

stability

becomes the

highest good,

human beings

become remarkably

capable of

justifying evil

in the name

of something

supposedly

greater.

Political

expediency

disregards

decorum

and principle.

Things can go

terribly awry,

and I'll now

digress.

Caiaphas

believes himself

to be the

clearest

thinker

in the room.

And from

one perspective,

his statement

is utterly

wicked.

He is

advocating for

the murder

of an innocent

man.

But then

John does

something

astonishing.

He tells us

that Caiaphas

has said

something far

more profound

than Caiaphas

himself

understands.

He gives us

commentary in

verse 51.

He did

not say

this of

his own

accord,

but being

high priest

that year,

he prophesied

that Jesus

would die

for the

nation.

Caiaphas

speaks.

Caiaphas

means one

thing.

God

means something

much greater

through his

words.

That does

not mean that

Caiaphas was

secretly

faithful.

It does

not mean

God approves

his murderous

intention.

It means

that God

is so

completely

sovereign

that he

can take

even the

words of

a wicked

man who

is conspiring

against his

son and

make those

words bear

testimony to

the very

salvation

that man's

conspiracy

will accomplish.

That's

astounding.

Caiaphas

says it is

better for you

that one

man should

die for

the people.

And heaven

says in

effect,

Caiaphas

you have

no idea

how right

you are.

One

man will

die for

the people.

But not

because he

is expendable,

not because

Rome must

be appeased,

not because

your political

position needs

to be

preserved,

he will

die as

a substitute

for sinners.

The heart

of the

gospel.

Jesus

would die

for the

nation.

That little

word carries

enormous

theological

weight

for.

He dies

for his

people,

in their

place,

for their

benefit,

as their

substitute.

The doctrine

we're dealing

with here,

Caiaphas'

wicked words,

is what we

call penal

substitutionary

atonement.

The heart

of the

gospel.

Penal

means that

there's

sin that

deserves

judgment,

penalty for

sin.

Substitutionary

means that

Christ stands

in that

place.

He takes

on that

punishment

for his

people.

The word

atonement

means that

through his

sacrifice,

our guilt

is dealt

with,

it's atoned

for,

and reconciliation

with God

is accomplished,

restored back

to God

in Christ.

Jesus dies

the death

sinners deserve,

so that sinners

who are united

to him by faith

receive the life

and righteousness

that they

do not

deserve.

It's

Christianity.

At the

cross,

God does

not simply

overlook

sin.

If God

merely ignored

evil,

he would

not be

righteous.

The judge

of all

the earth

must do

what is

just.

And

therefore,

the wonder

of the

gospel is

not that

God stops

being just

in order

to become

merciful.

The wonder

of the

gospel is

that at

the cross,

justice

and mercy

meet.

Our sin

is truly

judged.

Our Savior

truly bears

that judgment.

Isaiah

had said

centuries

earlier,

he was

pierced

for our

transgression.

He was

crushed

for our

iniquities.

And the

Lord has

laid on

him the

iniquity

of us

all.

Peter

will later

say,

he himself

bore

our sins

in his

body

on the

tree.

Paul

says,

for our

sake,

he made

him to

be sin

who knew

no

sin.

The

consistent

testimony

of

scripture

is that

Jesus

Christ

died

not

simply

to die,

he died

for

sinners.

He stood

where his

people

deserved

to stand.

He bore

what his

people

deserved

to bear.

He

satisfied

the

righteous

judgment

of God.

And

because he

did,

there is

now no

condemnation

for those

who are

in

Christ

Jesus.

Caiaphas

thought he

was proposing

a political

execution.

God

was preparing

a sacrifice.

And then

John takes

the purpose

of Christ's

death even

farther in

verse 52.

And not

for the

nation

only,

Israel,

but also

to gather

into one

the children

of God

who were

scattered

abroad.

God

there's

John

10.

Again,

do you

remember

what Jesus

said about

himself as

the good

shepherd?

I have

other sheep

that are not

of his fold.

I must

bring them

also and

they will

listen to

my

voice.

So there

will be

one

flock,

one

shepherd.

Now,

John tells

us that

the death

of Jesus

is the

means by

which those

scattered

people will

be gathered

into one.

Jesus is

not merely

dying for

ethnic

Israel.

The saving

purpose of

God extends

to the

nations.

Men and

women from

every tribe

and tongue

and people

will be

gathered to

Christ.

The cross

creates

a people.

Jesus

creates

a church,

one flock,

one shepherd.

The cross

reconciles

sinners to

God and

because it

reconciles

sinners to

God,

it also

reconciles

those

sinners

to one

another.

That means

the local

church is

not merely

a convenient

gathering

place for

Christians

who happen

to enjoy

the same

style of

preaching

or music.

It is a

visible

expression

of what

Christ

purchased

by his

blood.

Do you

come here

thinking

about that?

This is

why divisions

in the

church are

so serious.

We belong

to one

another

because first

we belong

to him.

It's a

divine

reality

that we

are united.

God

and

notice

again

the

providence

of God

in all

of this.

Caiaphas

intends

evil.

God

accomplishes

good.

That pattern

should remind

us of

Joseph

in

Genesis

who

says

to his

brothers,

you meant

evil against

me,

but God

meant it

for good.

Not merely

God

responded

to your

evil and

found a

way to

make

something

useful

out of

it.

The text

says you

meant it

for evil,

God

meant it

for

good.

God

has a

plan

and

God's

plan

will

prevail.

So

John

records

in

verse

53,

so

from

that

day

on

they

made

plans

to put

him

to

death.

It's not

the first

time we've

seen

Jesus'

life

threatened.

There

were

instances

where

Jewish

leaders

rose

up

against

him,

but

this

is

kind

of

formalizing

and

finalizing

a plan

is in

place

now.

This

will

in

fact

take

place.

God

has

a

plan.

It's

going

to

prevail.

Fourth

and

last

heading.

The

Passover

points

us

toward

the

cross.

This

is

54

to

the

end

of

the

text.

Jesus

therefore

verse

54

no

longer

walked

openly

among

the

Jews

but

went

from

there

to

the

region

near

the

wilderness

to

a

town

called

Ephraim

and

there

stayed

with

his

disciples.

This

is

about

20

miles

northeast

of

Jerusalem.

Now

someone

might

read

that

and

think

that

Jesus

is

frightened

that

once

the

plot

becomes

sufficiently

serious

he

retreats

because

he

is

afraid

to

die.

But

everything

John

has

told

us

makes

that

interpretation

impossible.

Jesus

has

repeatedly

walked

away

from

danger

not

because

he's

unwilling

to

die

but

because

he

will

die

only

at

the

time

appointed

by

his

father.

Jesus

functions

on a

divine

timeline.

He

is not

controlled

by the

Sanhedrin's

timetable.

They cannot

kill him

one moment

before the

appointed

hour.

And when

that hour

comes

they will

not need

to drag

him

unwillingly

toward it.

He will

go.

His enemies

are making

plans but

they do

not possess

ultimate

authority

over the

schedule.

Jesus

withdraws

because

the

hour

is

approaching

but

it

has

not

yet

arrived.

And then

John

says in

verse 55

now the

Passover

of the

Jews

was at

hand.

That's

significant

not merely

a

calendar

note.

John

wants us

thinking

about

Passover.

The

Passover

feast

commemorated

God's

deliverance

of Israel

from

slavery

in

Egypt

when

judgment

fell

upon

the

land

but

passed

over

those

homes

marked

by the

blood

of a

lamb.

A

lamb

dies

blood

was

shed

judgment

passed

over

God's

people.

And now

as Jerusalem

filled with

pilgrims

preparing to

celebrate

Passover

the true

Passover

lamb

is preparing

to enter

the city.

John

the Baptist

identified him

at the

beginning

of this

gospel

behold

the

lamb

of God

who

takes

away

the

sin

of

the

world.

The

religious

authorities

think they

are arranging

a political

execution

God

is preparing

the

sacrifice

to which

every

Passover

lamb

ultimately

pointed.

The timing

here is

not

accidental.

Jesus

will die

at Passover

because he

is the

greater

Passover

!

lamb.

The

blood of

animals

can never

finally

remove

human

guilt.

These

sacrifices

pointed

beyond

themselves.

A

greater

lamb

was

needed,

a

sinless

substitute.

one

whose

sacrifice

would

not

need

to

be

repeated

year

after

year

because

he

would

offer

himself

once

for

all.

Verse 55

continues,

and many

went up

from the

country

to Jerusalem

before the

Passover

to purify

themselves.

There's some

profound irony

in that

description.

The crowds

are preparing

ceremonially

for Passover.

they're

concerned

with

purification.

In the

middle

of all

that

religious

activity,

the

one

who

alone

can

truly

cleanse

sinners

is being

hunted

by the

religious

leaders.

It is

possible

to become

so

occupied

with

religious

observance

that you

miss

Christ.