The Irony Of The Jewish Leaders Condemning Messiah To Death To Save The Jewish Nation

This morning I was reading in the Gospel of John and a passage jumped out at me and caused me to say WOW, as the irony of the passage struck me.

Messiah had just raised Lazarus from the dead, which caused some Jews to believe in Him.  But others went and reported it to the Pharisees.  Here is the text of John 11:45-51

Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.

Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.

And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;

They were concerned that if they let Messiah continue working miracles, that it would lead to the Romans removing them from their place as the leaders of the Jews and the end of the Jewish nation.

And they rationalized that the death of this one man would save the nation.

So they delivered Him up to be killed by the Romans, saying “Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.”  Matthew 27:25

They ignored or were ignorant of the fulfillment of the prophecy in Daniel 9, which foretold that Messiah would appear 483 years after the Jews were released from Babylon, to go rebuild the city and temple, to prepare the way for the Messiah.

They should have known that He would appear around 27 A.D.  Many of the disciples knew the time and were waiting for Him to appear.  The Samaritan women at the well knew He was coming.

But the Jewish leaders and most Jews ignored His fulfillment, and rejected Him as the promised Messiah, and so they were condemned.

“For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.”
Luke 19:43-44

By delivering Him up, they fulfilled the prophecy in Daniel 9, which foretold that the Messiah would be ‘cut off’ and that the consequence would be that the temple and the city and the Jews would be desolated.

Daniel 12 gives more details about how the desolation was fulfilled during the 1,290 and 1,335 days, which was fulfilled from 66-70 A.D., when 1.1 million Jews died in and around Jerusalem from famine, pestilence, infighting, suicide, crucifixion and by the Roman sword.  Read Daniel 12 Is Not About The Antichrist Or The End Times

Messiah sent the Roman army to desolate them, to exact vengeance against them, for rejecting Him, for mocking Him, for abusing Him and for delivery Him up to be killed.

Do you see the irony?

They proclaimed that by delivering Him up to be killed, they would save their positions of power and the nation from being destroyed by the Romans.

But because they had Him killed, Messiah used the Roman army to desolate the city, the temple and the Jews; removing them from power and ending the Jewish nation.

They wanted a Messiah who would overthrow the Romans, who controlled them and oppressed them.

But it was the Messiah who they rejected who caused the Romans to overthrow the Jewish leaders.

I pray that you don’t underestimate what happened in the first century.

Messiah ended the Jewish leadership system, as He is our High Priest, and His followers are His royal priesthood.

He ended the Jewish nation and is building His own holy nation, made up of people who believe that He is the promised Messiah.

And He caused the blood of the Jews to be poured out, in and around Jerusalem. Their proclamation that “His blood be on us, and on our children” was fulfilled indeed.

The true Jewish nation is not a state in the Middle East, it is made up of the followers of Messiah.

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” 1 Peter 2:9

The nation of Israelites has grown in size since the first century.  It has no boundaries. It is in all nations, which blesses every nation.

“And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.” Genesis 12:2

“That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” Genesis 22:17-18

Romans 2:28-29 tells us that a Jew is one inwardly, whose heart is circumcised.

“For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.”

Romans 9:6-8 says Abraham’s fleshly descendants ARE NOT the children of God.

“For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are NOT the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.”

Galatians 3:7 tells us that ONLY those who are of faith are the children of God.

“Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.”

Galatians 3:16 tells us that the seed of Abraham is Jesus Christ.

“Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say,“And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “and to your Seed,” who is Christ.”

Just as the law was transitioned from physical stone tablets to being written on our hearts, the nation of Israel is not a physical location.

True Israelites, True Jews, are the followers of Messiah.

Galatians 3:28-29 tells us that followers of Christ (Jew and Gentile) are Abraham’s seed who receive the promises made to Abraham.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Paul is clearly telling us that true Israel, true Jews, believe by faith, and so inherit the promises made to father Abraham.

We are Israel.  We are the Jews.  We are the people of promise.  We are a Holy Nation.