Seven Miracles - Pt 28

So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 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.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 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.” He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. (John 11:47-53 ESV).

The fourth truth is found in the fact that, while we cannot deny the inclusion of Israel from the final Church, we must also see that the blood of Jesus purchases a racially and ethnically diverse church. Look at our reading again: “He prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.” (vv. 51-52). The meaning here is that Christ died to gather gentiles scattered around the world whom God has chosen to be his children. This is important for several reasons. One reason is found in the parallel in John 10:16: “I have other sheep that are not of this fold [that is, this Jewish fold]. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock.” So here he says Christ lays down his life to gather other sheep that are not of the Jewish fold. The aim is the same in both texts: there the aim is to gather them into one flock; here the aim is to gather them “into one” (verse 52). Another reason to see this verse as the gathering of diverse Gentiles is that John unpacks the effect of Jesus’ death with just this kind of Gentile ethnic diversity: “By your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom” (cf. Revelation 5:9-10). These are the children of God ransomed by the blood of Christ. They have been gathered from the all the races and ethnicities into one kingdom. So the point here is that the death of Christ has effects far beyond the ransom of Israel, but including Israel along with all the nations. Same blood, same body. The one blood-bought people will one day include ethnic Israel and people from every race and ethnicity. The encouraging news here is that we can be a part of that new people! God is not looking at our ancestry; he is looking for our connection to Christ by faith.