The Dark Underbelly of Religion
Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash
It’s been said, “appearances can be deceiving.” Perhaps we are used to this with politicians. They make promises they either can’t or won’t keep.
But we want to believe in leaders who appear to represent God. Primarily, we want to trust religious leaders because we want to trust in God. We want some assurances of goodness, integrity, and trustworthiness.
Again, appearances can be deceptive. What we see is not always what we get.
The Jewish council of leaders—the Sanhedrin—represented God’s people in a political and religious sense. They governed most things related to Judaism in the days Jesus lived on earth. The council included chief priests and elders of various Jewish sects. They were more than a religious body of leaders. They had political clout.
Though these men were to be like Moses and the 70 elders as mediators between God and His people, they had their own agenda. They enjoyed their power and prestige, and they would do everything they could to hold on to it.
When the people of God and their leaders put their selfish ambitions above what is right, true, and good, we see the dark underbelly of religion. This occurred way too often in the past. It’s still a problem.
Yet, in this story, we see how God used the selfish agenda of the Jewish council to fulfill His purpose—the redemption of humanity.
Scripture
Many Jews who had visited Mary and had seen what Jesus had done believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.
So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council. They asked, “What are we doing? This man is performing a lot of miracles. If we let him continue what he’s doing, everyone will believe in him. Then the Romans will take away our position and our nation.” [vss 45-48]
One of them, Caiaphas, who was chief priest that year, told them, “You people don’t know anything. You haven’t even considered this: It is better for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”
Caiaphas didn’t say this on his own. As chief priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation. He prophesied that Jesus wouldn’t die merely for this nation, but that Jesus would die to bring God’s scattered children together and make them one. [vss 49-52]
From that day on, the Jewish council planned to kill Jesus. So Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews. Instead, he left Bethany and went to the countryside near the desert, to a city called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.
The Jewish Passover was near. Many people came from the countryside to Jerusalem to purify themselves before the Passover. As they stood in the temple courtyard, they looked for Jesus and asked each other, “Do you think that he’ll avoid coming to the festival?” (The chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that whoever knew where Jesus was should tell them so that they could arrest him.) [vss 53-57]
(John 11:45-57 GW)
Key phrase—
“It is better for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”
Digging Deeper...
Review the Scriptures above as you answer the following questions
Who became believers in Jesus because of what they saw Him do?
What did others do in reaction to the resurrection of Lazarus?
Why did the Jewish council meet and what was their major concern?
What did the chief priest say in response to their concern?
Why did the chief priest say what he did?
What did the Jewish council begin to plan based on the chief priest’s words?
Reflection...
How is it possible for people who profess to trust in God to do evil? Why does this happen? What is the underlying reason for it?
There is a simple and important lesson to learn from this story. It’s not a new lesson. It’s the same old reason throughout the history of humanity. Pride. Arrogance. Unbelief. These are basic elements of our humanness—our self-will.
All of us are prone to the same weakness. When we see pride or arrogance in others, it may appear as strength, but it isn’t. It’s a cover for insecurity.
Just as with the Pharisees and other leaders in the Jewish council, when we trust in ourselves instead of God, it leads to unbelief. The self-righteousness of the Pharisees blinded them from seeing Jesus for who He was—the Son of God.
When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He knew what would follow. Although many people believed in Jesus because of this miraculous sign, it stirred an aggressive opposition towards Him.
The Jewish leaders wielded great political power and their position as religious leaders gave them strong, influential leverage with the Jewish people.
The end of chapter 11 reveals how significantly things changed for Jesus and His followers. It was a major turning point. It came as no surprise to Jesus. All of this was according to God’s plan and purposes.
Taking it to heart...
Read through the Scripture text again as you consider and answer these questions
When did all of this take place?
What important event was coming up?
What motivated the Jewish leaders to oppose Jesus?
How could this fulfill God’s purposes?
What was the situation in Jerusalem and what were the people wondering about?
Personalize it...
Meditate On This— When we see pride or arrogance in others, it may appear as strength, but it isn’t. It’s a cover for insecurity. When we trust in ourselves instead of God, it leads to unbelief and self-righteousness which blinds us.
Prayer Focus— More than ever, we need to ask God for spiritual discernment. We need to know and understand the truth of God’s Word. When something a spiritual or religious leader says seems wrong or questionable, pray for spiritual discernment.
©2021—Word-Strong
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