43
After he had said this, he called out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"
44
He came out, his hands and feet wrapped in grave cloths, and with a cloth around his face. "Untie him," Jesus told them, "and let him go."
45
Many of the people who had come to visit Mary saw what Jesus did, and they believed in him.
46
But some of them returned to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.
47
So the Pharisees and the chief priests met with the Council and said, "What shall we do? Look at all the miracles this man is performing!
48
If we let him go on in this way, everyone will believe in him, and the Roman authorities will take action and destroy our Temple and our nation!"
49
One of them, named Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year, said, "What fools you are!
50
Don't you realize that it is better for you to have one man die for the people, instead of having the whole nation destroyed?"
51
Actually, he did not say this of his own accord; rather, as he was High Priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish people,
52
and not only for them, but also to bring together into one body all the scattered people of God.
53
From that day on the Jewish authorities made plans to kill Jesus.