March 13, 2026 | Be Connected
The Plot to Kill Jesus
Scripture: John 11:45-57(NIV)
45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.
“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”
49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”
51 He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, 52 and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. 53 So from that day on they plotted to take his life.
54 Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.
55 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. 56 They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” 57 But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.
Devotional
I have often wondered why the Christians in Germany didn’t oppose Hitler when he came to power. At that time nearly everyone in Germany was either a Protestant or a Catholic. Certainly, they should have feared God more than a dictator.
In today’s reading, we see that the Jewish high priest and the Sanhedrin had one main concern about Jesus. They were worried that the Roman rulers would take away their power and influence in the Jerusalem temple and the Jewish nation. If Jesus and His miracle road show got any more popular, they would be displaced.
It’s easy to look at German Christians in the 20th century and Jewish religious leaders in the 1st century with disdain. Perhaps we should point a finger at them while holding up a mirror.
When I was a teenager, I was fairly open about my faith, with a focus on the word “fairly.” I wore a cross to school sometimes and didn’t participate in some of the activities that my classmates or teammates did. But I didn’t really share my faith about Jesus that much. And I don’t remember inviting too many of my friends to church or youth group.
Before you are too hard on me, think about your own life. Are you reluctant to share your faith at work out of fear of losing your job? Are you unwilling to talk about Jesus at the gym, figuring that physical health should be separated from spiritual health? Are you afraid (yes, afraid) to invite people to church, just because they might ridicule or reject you?
The high priest and his buddies were so paranoid about losing their authority that they decided killing Jesus was the only answer. Pretty harsh.
Is it just as harsh when we turn our back on Jesus because we are so dependent on money, friends, and our reputation?
If you had been in the Sanhedrin, what would you have done?
What will you do now?
