Page 106 - Advanced Life of Christ - Student Textbook

The raising of Lazarus from the dead
dramatically concluded Jesus’ public
ministry among the Jews. While
some came to believe in Him
because of this great miracle, His
opponents, alarmed at Jesus’
growing popularity, resolved to put
him to death. A threat of execution
had already loomed over Jesus, but
now the religious authorities decided
that His popularity threatened their
existence and standing with the
people.

Many of the Jewish people from
Jerusalem who had come with Mary
had seen the raising of Lazarus and
believed in Him. But some went to View of Jerusalem from Bethany
the Pharisees and reported to them
what Jesus had done. The chief priests and Pharisees called the council together to plan now not only
how they were going to kill Jesus, but also Lazarus. Despite the clear evidence that Jesus was the
Messiah, the hardened hearts of the religious leaders were set to kill the Messiah. The High Priest,
Caiaphas, declared that it was far better to sacrifice one person than an entire nation. His prophetic
declaration paralleled God’s plan and purpose for Jesus Christ: that He should die for the sins of the
world so that out of His death, many would find eternal life. In a sense, Caiaphas was speaking for God
despite his unbelief and rejection of Jesus.

This meeting of the Sanhedrin was most likely convened in the absence of Nicodemus and Joseph of
Aremethia, secret disciples of the Lord, because no objections to their plans were voiced.

Jesus no longer walked about publicly among the Jewish
people of Jerusalem but went away from there to the
region near the desert, to a village town called Ephraim.
It was located thirteen miles to the northeast of
Jerusalem in the wilderness (see picture next page).
There Jesus stayed with his disciples. Jesus was well
aware of His “time”. He must die as the Passover Lamb
on Passover. He could not die beforehand. And so,
having succeeded at prompting the opposition to unify
their rejection of Him, He retreated to Ephraim to wait a
few days.

The week before the Passover, Jesus and the disciples
returned to Bethany for His final week of earthly ministry before His death via a very strange route
which we will discuss next. There was an important reason He returned to Bethany. As you recall,
Bethany is a very short distance from Jerusalem (1.25 miles) and He was about to make His entry into
the city. He told the Pharisees in Perea that the next time He would enter Jerusalem He would be hailed
as the Messiah. In John 12:12, a “great multitude had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus

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