John 11:52 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.

NIV: and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.

NASB: and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.

CSB: and not for the nation only, but also to unite the scattered children of God.

NLT: And not only for that nation, but to bring together and unite all the children of God scattered around the world.

KJV: And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.

NKJV: and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.

In previous verses, Caiaphas made a remark which is prophetic on two counts. His statement was that it was better for one man to die than for a whole nation to die (John 11:49–50). His intended meaning was that it was better to have Jesus killed, innocent or not, to prevent Him from stirring up the anger of Rome against the Jewish people. Though he's wrong about the ultimate reasons, his words are true. Unwittingly, he has summarized the reason Jesus came to be a sacrifice. In short, it was so that one single perfect sacrifice could save countless souls (Romans 5:12–17; 2 Corinthians 5:21). The salvation accomplished through Jesus' death applies to the entire world of those who accept Him (Galatians 3:28; Matthew 28:19).

John attributes this prophecy to God, and not to any special insight on the part of Caiaphas (John 11:51). Caiaphas is not even slightly interested in what Jesus has to say—but if God can speak truth through a donkey, He can do it through anyone (2 Peter 2:15–16; Numbers 22:28).

John 11:45–57 follows Jesus' seventh and most spectacular miraculous ''sign,'' the resurrection of Lazarus. Amazingly, Jesus enemies are so hardened against Him that this miracle only inspires them to have Jesus killed even more quickly. This is one of many examples disproving the claim that non-believers merely lack sufficient evidence. Critics claim Jesus may incite rebellion and invite destruction from Rome. For the most part, however, Jesus is a threat to their pompous arrogance and positions of power. When Jesus maintains a low profile, the religious leaders give orders to find Him so He can be arrested. This sets in motion the critical events completing Jesus' sacrificial death.

Jesus has left the vicinity of Jerusalem to avoid hostile religious leaders. While gone, He receives word that a good friend, Lazarus, is sick. In fact, Lazarus has died by the time this message reaches Jesus. He purposefully waits a few days before returning to Bethany, arriving four days after Lazarus' burial. In front of Lazarus' mourning sisters—who Jesus weeps with—and an assembled crowd, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead in a stirring and spectacular miracle. This is the seventh of John's seven ''signs'' of Jesus' divine power. In response, religious leaders coordinate in their effort to have Jesus murdered.

After giving sight to a man born blind (John 9), Jesus sparred with religious leaders on at least two occasions (John 10). After another failed arrest attempt, Jesus left the area and went out where Jerusalem's politics had little influence. In this chapter, He returns to resurrect a recently-departed friend, Lazarus. That results in a renewed commitment from Jerusalem's religious leaders to have Jesus murdered. As the crucifixion draws near, Jesus will stage His triumphal entry in chapter 12, and then begin His final teachings to the disciples.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.

Accessed 5/8/2024 8:26:49 AM