John 11:44-57 The
man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips,
and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and
let him go." 45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and
had seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to
the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief
priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, "What are we to
do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like
this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take
away both our 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 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man
should die for the people, not that the whole nation should
perish." 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high
priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the
nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one
the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on
they made plans to put him to death. 54 Jesus therefore no longer
walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the
wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the
disciples. 55 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went
up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify
themselves. 56 They were looking for Jesus and saying to one another
as they stood in the temple, "What do you think? That he will not come
to the feast at all?" 57 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had
given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know,
so that they might arrest him.
Put Their Faith in...
Faith-
The assent of the mind to the truth of a proposition advanced by
another; belief, or probable evidence of any kind. (Webster 1828...for
the longer, and awesome, version see the bottom of this post).
1. Him
44
The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen
strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind
him, and let him go." 45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with
Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him,
First, we see proper faith, and the right response. Seeing Jesus perform this resurrection miracle, they put their faith in Him--the sole object worthy of Faith.
2. Position, Prestige, Self... Fill in the Blank
46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done
BUT some didn't. They witnessed this, but their faith was in something else entirely.
-The Counsel: 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council...
The Sanhedrin, the great counsel of the nation, the Jewish religious rulers
-Their Purpose: 47 So
the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said,
"What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him
go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come
and take away both our place and our nation."
1.To figure out what to do with
Jesus. They did not deny His miracles, but rejected, despite the
evidence, His claims because they did not want them to be true.
2.
Protect their position. They were afraid that if the people believed in
Jesus and started following Him, the Romans would not like it and would
come and take away their positions.
Their faith was in themselves, and their positions/authority.
-The Prophecy: 49 But
one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them,
"You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better
for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole
nation should perish." 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but
being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the
nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one
the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on
they made plans to put him to death
Here
we have two points: 1. What Caiaphas actually said, and 2. What God
used this to mean. Caiaphas' intentions were strictly selfish. He had
political intentions. God however used these words, as Caiaphas was the
high priest that year and his words were meant to be taken from God, to
point to the fact that Jesus would indeed die for the entire world.
-The Problem:
Tim
Keller once said, "Every person, religious or not, is worshiping
something to get their worth" (@timkellernyc). The problem is that only
faith in Jesus saves. Only faith in Jesus works. Who/what else can be
fully trusted? (This point just keeps coming up... :D)
Closing Thought:
"Many
who saw what Jesus did put their faith in him. Faith, in order to be
meaningful, must be placed in the right object. Faith in faith is
meaningless. Belief without something or someone to believe in makes no
sense. Faith is nothing unless it is placed in Jesus Christ."- A Youth
Worker's Commentary on John Volume 2
Longer Excerpt From Webster's 1828 Dictionary of American English's Definition of Faith (#TheyDon'tMakeThemLikeTheyUseTo)
FAITH, n. ...
1.
Belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by
another, resting on his authority and veracity, without other evidence;
the judgment that what another states or testifies is the truth. I have
strong faith or no faith in the testimony of a witness, or in what a
historian narrates.
2. The assent of the mind to the truth of a proposition advanced by another; belief, or probable evidence of any kind.
3.
In theology, the assent of the mind or understanding to the truth of
what God has revealed. Simple belief of the scriptures, of the being and
perfections of God, and of the existence, character and doctrines of
Christ, founded on the testimony of the sacred writers, is called
historical or speculative faith; a faith little distinguished from the
belief of the existence and achievements of Alexander or of Cesar.
4.
Evangelical, justifying, or saving faith, is the assent of the mind to
the truth of divine revelation, on the authority of God's testimony,
accompanied with a cordial assent of the will or approbation of the
heart; an entire confidence or trust in God's character and
declarations, and in the character and doctrines of Christ, with an
unreserved surrender of the will to his guidance, and dependence on his
merits for salvation. In other words, that firm belief of God's
testimony, and of the truth of the gospel, which influences the will,
and leads to an entire reliance on Christ for salvation.
Being justified by faith. Rom 5.
Without faith it is impossible to please God. Heb 11.
For we walk by faith, and not by sight. 2 Cor 5.
With the heart man believeth to righteousness. Rom 10.
The
faith of the gospel is that emotion of the mind, which is called trust
or confidence, exercised towards the moral character of God, and
particularly of the Savior.
Faith is an affectionate practical confidence in the testimony of God.
Faith is an affectionate practical confidence in the testimony of God.
Faith
is a firm, cordial belief in the veracity of God, in all the
declarations of his word; or a full and affectionate confidence in the
certainty of those things which God has declared, and because he has
declared them.
5. The object of belief; a doctrine or system of doctrines believed; a system of revealed truths received by christians.
They heard only, that he who persecuted us in times past, now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. Gal 1.
6. The promises of God, or his truth and faithfulness.
shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? Rom 3.
7. An open profession of gospel truth.
Your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. Rom 1.
8. A persuasion or belief of the lawfulness of things indifferent.
Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. Rom 14.
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