“And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad” (John 11:51,52).
TEXT — John 11:47-57
The truth about Christ as the redeemer is covertly woven into the fabric of the prophetic utterance of Caiaphas, the high priest. Speaking out of malice and a wicked plot to kill Jesus, Caiaphas became a tool in God’s hand to foretell the sacrificial death of Jesus, the Messiah. He suggested that Jesus should die instead of the Jews, unaware that he was indeed predicting that Jesus would die for the whole world.
The Jewish religious leaders panicked as they received the report of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. The news that many people believed in Jesus because of the miracle rattled the Pharisees and Sadducees. Though they could not deny this and many other miracles of Jesus, they were equally determined not to acknowledge or believe in Him, and they conspired to kill Him out of envy. But by carrying out their plot, they would play right into God’s hand and would become tools to accomplish His purpose. These leaders exemplified deliberate unbelief and rejection of plain truth for fear of losing their cherished position and control over others.
As it was with the Pharisees and Sadducees of old, so it is with many people today. People still turn their back on the truth for selfish reasons. They deliberately reject the truth and hold on to their false opinions or false faith even when confronted with incontrovertible evidence of Christ’s deity and redemption. Are you sincere and humble enough to admit and forsake your erroneous stand as God brings you face-to-face with His truth? Don’t continue in deliberate rejection of Jesus as the only Messiah. The truth about Christ as the Saviour is too obvious and too compelling to be denied! Believe and enjoy the blessedness of belonging to Him.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
