The contrast between the two men could not have been more striking. Caiaphas, the high priest, was among the rich and famous, arguably the most powerful Jew alive in A.D. 30. He had married into the high priest's family and now was himself high priest for a year by Roman appointment. With a PhD-level rabbinic education, Caiaphas was urbane and sophisticated.
His counterpart was said to be a craftsman from a hick town in the Galilee who some three years before had quit his job to take up preaching. He had no powerful connections; his popularity might be as fleeting as that of any of the other messianic pretenders succeeding each other year by year. Yet his miracles did arrest one's attention, and this latest one was outstanding. He had raised a dead man back to life in a suburb of Jerusalem where it could be witnessed by many from the Holy City--respected men whose testimony could not easily be set aside.
Caiaphas must have watched the hand-wringing of the council members with some amusement. It was perfectly clear to him what must be done. When he had enough of the unanswered questions and the shoulder-shrugging, he probably raised his hand demanding and receiving instant silence. "You know nothing at all!" he said. "You don't realize that it's better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish" (John 11:49-50).
Caiaphas's words ended all debate and set the course of official Jewry regarding the Nazarene. He must become the nation's sacrificial lamb. Caiaphas apparently never knew how prophetic his analysis was. Jesus truly was the sacrificial Lamb whose death benefited not only His nation, but all of humanity (1 John 2:2). Caiaphas's murder plot became the means by which God blessed the world.
In 1992 archaeologists announced they had discovered the ossuary (bone box) of the family of Caiaphas. This ornately carved, stone container is the only remaining memorial to the man most responsible for putting Jesus on the cross. His wealth is dissipated, his influence gone, his name all but forgotten. He could easily have been the model of the Nazarene's word-sculpture of a man who gained the whole world and lost his soul (Matt. 16:26).
Copyright ?2005 Steve Singleton, All rights reserved.
Steve Singleton has written and edited several books and numerous articles on subjects of interest to Bible students. He has taught Greek, Bible, and religious studies courses Bible college, university, and adult education programs. He has taught seminars and workshops in 11 states and the Caribbean.
Go to his deeperstudy.org for Bible study resources, no matter what your level of expertise. Explore "The Shallows," plumb "The Depths," or use the well-organized "Study Links" for original sources in English translation. Sign up for Steve's free "DeeperStudy Newsletter."
Chicago limo Skokie ..Prayer. It's the foundation of a Christian mom's life. Why?... Read More
His name sounds as Finn. He has beautiful blue eyes... Read More
The concept of integrity has arisen often in discussions of... Read More
A year ago, a beautiful woman came to see me.... Read More
Recently I was watching a re-run of "Everybody Loves Raymond".... Read More
Liam says to Joe; "where is your God now, when... Read More
One cannot ask why bad things happen to good people... Read More
A few men and women are universally successful but such... Read More
The Angelic realms have been very active throughout the human... Read More
AN ARISTOCRATIC UPBRINGING:There are many people who write about sex... Read More
In Feng Shui, water symbolizes wealth. The word "fish" in... Read More
In God's world, everything can be used as an anology... Read More
All of my life I had heard, read and sang... Read More
Before we dwell on the subject of Self Realization we... Read More
The fastest way to raise your frequency is to do... Read More
There was this TV commercial a couple of years back... Read More
You can think of your Animal Totems as imaginary guides... Read More
Let us face reality squarely in the face by acknowledging... Read More
We as human beings consider ourselves the most intelligent species... Read More
It's not exactly a news flash that we live in... Read More
It was in the middle of the night and the... Read More
"I learned I was not, as most Africans believed, the... Read More
We want to hear from God so that we may... Read More
Even though our lives progressively moves forward on occasion it... Read More
In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the... Read More
limo O'Hare Bonfield ..Acknowledgement of our need of God and reliance upon Him... Read More
African-American people are natural caretakers. We do a great job... Read More
In Corrogue it is frosty.The ramp into our "acre of... Read More
The word "gravity" is a word coined by Sir Isaac... Read More
Love is mentioned well over 350 times in the Bible.... Read More
Most of us think of what a wonderful world this... Read More
Christianity: White man's religion?Martin Luther King referred to Sunday as... Read More
Let's say that you have discovered your purpose but you... Read More
On one side there is a dark cloud. It is... Read More
Action dakini gets everything done. When wanting and grasping hold... Read More
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself... Read More
Are you looking for a way to improve your accuracy... Read More
The Bible tells us that we need to be led... Read More
In my yard are quarter-circles of grass growing taller than... Read More
Unless God has changed the way he does things it... Read More
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- =-Excerpt From The Relationship Handbook: How to Understand and... Read More
Let me say that marketing can be a corrupting experience.... Read More
God made humans in his image but these days very... Read More
Mormons like to give testimonies. Unlike Mormon testimonies, I will... Read More
Among some of us who deem ourselves spiritual, the use... Read More
Human beings originally have three forms of existence. The first... Read More
Part Two ContinuedIn addition to numerous philosophical problems relating to... Read More
The famous prayer of Jabez, where Jabez prayed for prosperity,... Read More
Matthew 2:13-15 The Flight to Egypt13 Now when they had... Read More
As I sat down today to write this article, I... Read More
Spirituality |