Immediately following the raising of Lazarus the Jews in the area around Bethany were divided into these two groups. Those who put their faith in Christ (John 11:45) and those who opposed him (John 11:46). It's on this latter group that we will fix our attention. Some of the Jews went to the Pharisees and reported what Jesus had done. As a result, a special meeting of the Sanhedrin was called, to decide what they should do to curb the influence of Jesus. Caiaphas, the High Priest, took control and said in effect, "Why waste time discussing this Jesus? There's only one thing to do - kill him. Don't you realise that it is better for one man to die rather than the whole nation to be attacked by the Romans." The Sanhedrin agreed with him and (John 11:53) they plotted to kill Jesus.

So here then we have a group of men, headed up by Caiaphas the High Priest, who were opposed to Jesus. There are many people like that today.

A. Caiaphas and the Pharisees were religious.
The greatest opponents of Christ and true Christianity are often religious people. They get angry because the true gospel of Christ shows up the sheer emptiness, uselessness and tawdriness of mere religion.

B. Why was it so tragic that Caiaphas and others opposed the Lord Jesus Christ?

1. Because he is the Son of God. The Pharisees refer to him in a dismissive way as "This man" (John 11:47). Jesus was more than a mere man. He is the eternal Son of God and had given them ample proof of that by "performing many miraculous signs".
2. Because he's also the Saviour who came into this world to die for sinful men and women that they might be forgiven and rescued. This passage teaches us that in a very remarkable way (John 11:50). Caiaphas remarked that it was better for one man to die for the people than that the whole nation should perish. But John, the inspired writer of this gospel, makes a striking comment in John 11:51-52. "He [Caiaphas] did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one." Without realising what he was doing, Caiaphas was giving a prophecy of how in a much deeper way Jesus would die to save men and women of the Jewish nation, and others, not from the punishment of the Romans but the punishment of God.
3. Because, if ever a man needed Christ, Caiaphas did! He was very arrogant and rude (John 11:49). He was also unjust: more concerned with expediency than with justice. In addition he was selfish, claiming to be interested in the nation and the good of the people but in fact he was only concerned about himself and his position and power.
4. Because following this opposition Jesus distanced himself from them (John 11:54).

C. Why did Caiaphas and others oppose the Lord Jesus Christ and try to get rid of him?

1. They thought they didn't need him. They went to the temple and observed all the rituals (John 11:55).
2. Christ and his message made them feel uncomfortable. Have you ever wondered why people get so annoyed about Christ and Christianity? Caiaphas wanted to kill him and so did the other priests and Pharisees (John 11:57). Jesus disturbed them.
3. Caiaphas and the Pharisees rejected Christ because they regarded him as a threat to their own personal interests (John 11:48). The Pharisees said "If we let this Jesus alone and allow him to carry on his ministry, everyone will believe on him and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." Notice what comes first, "our place. our position". They were afraid that in some way Christ would cause them to lose their position in the Jewish nation and all the perks that went with it. That's certainly a reason why many people today reject Christ. They fear that he will interfere with their own selfish interests and cost them too dear.
4. The main reason why Caiaphas and the Pharisees opposed was because they were spiritually blind (2 Corinthians 4:4).

D. What was the outcome of the opposition? It didn't thwart God's plans in any way.

• God overruled their wicked words for good. Caiaphas uttered John 11:50 in anger and hostility but God overruled it and turned it into one of the most remarkable prophecies in Scripture about the meaning of the death of Jesus.
• God also overruled their evil actions. Caiaphas and the Pharisees conspired to put Jesus to death and when they succeeded they must have been pleased, but in fact they were just pawns in the hand of God, God overruled them and used them to bring about his eternal plan that Christ should die to bear the punishment of our sin (see Acts 4:26).
• This opposition from Caiaphas and the others had no disastrous effects on the Lord but it had disastrous consequences for them. The thing that Caiaphas and the Pharisees tried to prevent did happen. The Romans came in AD 70 and attacked the city and the temple and virtually destroyed them. That's an illustration. If we continue to regard Jesus Christ as a threat to our position and pleasure in this world and carry on opposing him, then the result will be just as disastrous for us. One day there will be an event ten thousand times times more serious than the fall of Jerusalem.

But if we turn to Christ and trust in him, as did those Jews who are mentioned in John 11:45: if we believe the statement which Caiaphas made, all unwittingly, that Christ died to save the people, then we will be gathered into this great family which consists of believing Jews and believing gentiles from all over the world.