John 11:49-54 NRSVue

⁴⁹But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all! ⁵⁰You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.” ⁵¹He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation, ⁵²and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God. ⁵³So from that day on they planned to put him to death.

⁵⁴Jesus therefore no longer walked about openly among the Jews but went from there to a town called Ephraim in the region near the wilderness, and he remained there with the disciples.

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Some thoughts on this scripture

Reflection
Jesus is not the political leader to make the people one. He is the good shepherd who makes us one community in our following of him, the one who will soon die for us. Caiaphas was high priest only for one year – note the irony of this – the one who would condemn Jesus would soon be forgotten himself.