Holy Week Devotional: Day 6
Friday, April 18, 2025
by Ryan Brown
John 18:12–14 ESV
12 So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. 13 First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14 It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.
After eating the Passover Meal with his disciples, Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray. It was only a few hundred yards from the outer wall of the temple’s eastern wall. He prayed for His disciples and those who would believe in Him through their word. He submitted Himself to the will of the Father despite the agony of what that would bring over the next 18 hours. And now the moment has arrived. At the command of the High Priest and with the help of Judas, a band of soldiers interrupt Jesus’ prayer to arrest him and begin a series of kangaroo court appearances.
Caiaphas knew that, Jesus, this new Rabbi was trouble. He could upend their whole religious power system if He kept undermining their teaching. And some people really thought this guy was the one who might deliver them from Rome. The last uprisings like that ended poorly (see Acts 5:33-37) and angering the Romans again might not be a great move right now. Blasphemy would lead to a death penalty; we could tell the Romans he claimed to be a king in place of the Roman rule, and they’d go along with it and everyone could be done with all of this quickly. Better one man die than this whole thing keep picking up steam. Better one man die for the people…
The role of High Priest at the time of Jesus and the Apostles was interesting. The High Priest would sometimes function like a prophet, speaking the words of God to the people of God. So, it was possible for a man like Caiaphas to unintentionally function as a prophet of God while at the same time be in opposition to God. You see, John’s narrative summary here is meant to remind us of what was said a few chapters ago right after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
John 11:45–53 ESV
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.
Caiaphas meant what he said, he just didn’t know the meaning of what he said. His plan worked flawlessly in his own eyes. They staged a trial for blasphemy, made the conviction, handed Jesus over to the Romans as “king of the Jews”—a political usurper—stirred up an angry mob (because rage makes things happen) and now between midnight and noon this whole thing will be done with, and one man will die for the people.
And now it happens. One man goes to the cross, condemned by the people He created in His own image. One innocent man receiving the death penalty from those who would pervert a justice system to keep their power, from those who would misconstrue the Word of God for personal status, from those who should have been shepherds but instead devoured the flock of God. One innocent man who would receive the death penalty from God himself—not for false charges of blasphemy, but because the wages of sin is death.
He would die because I… because we were the blasphemers. We were the ones who, like Adam and Eve, believed we knew better than God and in our pride chose our own way. We are those who live in pride, greed, envy, lust, bitterness, deceit, anger, self-centeredness and every action that flows out of hearts like that. And somehow in the mystery of God’s gracious plan, the full wrath of God against our sin could be poured out completely on Jesus, God in flesh.
“It is better for you that one man should die for the people” — Caiaphas
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” — Jesus
Related Resources:
- Listen to our worship music playlist to help prepare your heart this Easter.
- Attend or stream our Good Friday service at noon ET.
