John 11:50

50 You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed."

John 11:50 Meaning and Commentary

John 11:50

Nor consider that it is expedient for us
Priests, Levites, Pharisees, the sanhedrim, and ecclesiastical rulers of the people; who, as Caiaphas apprehended, must suffer in their characters and revenues, must quit their honourable and gainful posts and places, if Jesus went on and succeeded at this rate: wherefore it was most expedient and advantageous for them, which was the main thing to be considered in such a council, so he thought it was,

that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation
perish not;
he proceeded entirely upon this political principle, that a public good ought to be preferred to a private one; that it was no matter what the man was, whether innocent or not; common prudence, and the public safety of the nation, required him to fall a sacrifice, rather than the Romans should be exasperated and provoked to such a degree, as to threaten the utter ruin and destruction of the whole nation.

John 11:50 In-Context

48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation."

49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all!

50 You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed."

51 He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation,

52 and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God.