Movatterモバイル変換

Exodus 28:30
And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.

Judges 20:27,28
And the children of Israel inquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of Godwas there in those days, …

1 Samuel 23:9
And David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.

he prophesied.

Numbers 22:28
And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?

Numbers 24:2,14-25
And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abidingin his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him…

Matthew 7:22,23
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? …

that Jesus.

John 10:15
As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Isaiah 53:5-8
But hewas wounded for our transgressions,he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peacewas upon him; and with his stripes we are healed…

Daniel 9:26
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereofshall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

Instead, as high priest that year,
The role of the high priest was central in Jewish religious life, serving as a mediator between God and the people. Caiaphas held this position during a critical time in Jewish history, around AD 18-36. The high priesthood was a position of both religious and political power, often appointed by Roman authorities, which added complexity to Caiaphas's role. His position gave his words weight and authority, even as God used his office to deliver a prophecy.

he was prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation,
Caiaphas's statement unwittingly pointed to the sacrificial death of Jesus, which was central to God's redemptive plan. This prophecy aligns with Old Testament predictions of a suffering Messiah, such asIsaiah 53, which speaks of one who would bear the sins of many. Jesus's death was not just for the Jewish nation but for all humanity, fulfilling the promise to Abraham that through his offspring all nations would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). This highlights the typology of Jesus as the ultimate Passover Lamb, whose sacrifice brings salvation.

John tells us that the words which came from Caiaphas’ lips were not merely the product of political calculation or personal irritation. God was at work behind the scene:

•2 Peter 1:21 reminds us that “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit,” even when they were unaware of His influence.

• Balaam, hired to curse Israel, could only bless them (Numbers 22:38); similarly, Caiaphas’ sentence of death became a declaration of salvation.

•Proverbs 16:1 shows that “the reply of the tongue is from the LORD,” assuring us that divine sovereignty can steer even hostile voices toward His redemptive end.

Caiaphas occupied the highest spiritual office in Israel, the one man who entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:32-34). God chose that officeholder—however corrupt—to pronounce a truth about the ultimate atonement:

•Hebrews 5:1 notes that every high priest is appointed “to act on behalf of people in matters relating to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.”

• InMatthew 26:3, Caiaphas is again identified as high priest during Jesus’ trial; the Gospel writers underscore his role so we will connect his office with Jesus’ sacrificial work.

• Just as the breastplate of the high priest bore the names of Israel’s tribes (Exodus 28:29), Caiaphas unknowingly bore their greatest need on his tongue.

Though intending political expediency (John 11:50), Caiaphas spoke forth God’s plan. Prophecy here is not ecstatic speech but an authoritative declaration directed by the Spirit:

• Peter tells the Jerusalem crowd that Jesus was “delivered up by God’s set plan and foreknowledge” (Acts 2:23). Caiaphas’ words reveal that plan before it unfolds.

• John later remarks that Isaiah “saw His glory and spoke about Him” (John 12:41), linking Old Testament prophecy with this New Testament moment—one continuous stream of divine revelation.

• Paul observes that rulers “did not understand” God’s wisdom, “for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:8). Caiaphas prophesied without understanding, yet his ignorance did not annul God’s purpose.

The heart of the prophecy is substitution: one Man dying so the nation might live.

•Isaiah 53:8 foresees the Servant “cut off from the land of the living…for the transgression of My people.”

• Jesus Himself says, “The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (John 10:15).

• Paul later explains, “Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness” (Romans 15:8), affirming that His death holds special significance for Israel.

• Yet John immediately adds that Jesus would also “gather into one the children of God who were scattered abroad” (John 11:52), echoingEphesians 2:14 where His cross unites Jew and Gentile.

Practical takeaways:

– Jesus’ death is no accident; it fulfils God’s deliberate, prophetic plan.

– God can speak through anyone, even an enemy, to announce His saving purposes.

– The substitutionary nature of the cross assures us that judgment fell on Christ so life could arise for His people.

John 11:51 unveils God’s sovereign artistry: the high priest, intent on political survival, unwittingly becomes a mouthpiece for divine prophecy. His office lends weight, the Spirit supplies the words, and the message spotlights Jesus’ substitutionary death for Israel—and ultimately for all God’s scattered children. What Caiaphas meant for expedience, God meant for redemption, confirming that every detail of the cross was scripted by heaven for our salvation.

Being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation.--He stood, therefore, in a relation which made him the official representative of God to the people, and gave him an official capacity to convey God's truth. This was represented in the days of Samuel by the Urim and Thummim; and John, himself a Jew, still thinks of the high priest's breast as bearing the oracle which declared the will of God, whatever unworthy human thoughts may have filled the heart beneath. It may be that another reference to the high priest's office is present in these thrice-written words. It was the high priest's duty to "enter within the veil," and "make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year" (Leviticus 16). In that year the veil was rent, and the first step taken by which the holy place was destroyed, and the high priest's office ceased to exist. With the destruction of the holy place the Jewish day of Atonement lost its significance, but the high priest that year, by his counsel and action in the Sanhedrin, was causing the sacrifice which should be presented by another high priest, in the Holy of Holies as an Atonement for the world--"Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption" (Hebrews 9:11-12).