Tag: Caiaphas

Morning Prayer: 28 Mar – Ez 37:21-28; Jn 11:45-56 ~ will he, or won’t he

Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentence and prayer:

Christ the Lord has made us into a new creation. He gives us a new birth – sealing it in the waters of baptism, and nourishing us with His Word and Spirit.
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Jesus, You are gentle and humble in spirit – grant me something of Your compassion, something of Your kindness and something of Your patience towards all mankind. Teach me to be a neighbor to the sad and the needy – may I imitate You, the good Samaritan. Grant me the gift of Your mercy; pardon my sins and renew me by Your grace.

Lord God, look kindly on Your people: keep the seal of baptism inviolate in those who have received it and in those who still await their rebirth in the Spirit. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
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A Reading from the Old Testament: Ezekiel 37:21-28 (NLT)

And give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: I will gather the people of Israel from among the nations. I will bring them home to their own land from the places where they have been scattered. I will unify them into one nation on the mountains of Israel. One king will rule them all; no longer will they be divided into two nations or into two kingdoms. They will never again pollute themselves with their idols and vile images and rebellion, for I will save them from their sinful apostasy. I will cleanse them. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.

western-wall-on-the-eve-of-the-jewish-new-year

“My servant David will be their king, and they will have only one shepherd. They will obey my regulations and be careful to keep my decrees. They will live in the land I gave my servant Jacob, the land where their ancestors lived. They and their children and their grandchildren after them will live there forever, generation after generation. And my servant David will be their prince forever. And I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I will give them their land and increase their numbers, and I will put my Temple among them forever. I will make my home among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And when my Temple is among them forever, the nations will know that I am the Lord, who makes Israel holy.”
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Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the LORD, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. (Ezekiel 18:31)
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A Reading from the Gospels: John 11:45-56 (NLT)

Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen. But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together. “What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.”

Jewish Israelis Celebrate The Festival Of Passover
Jewish Israelis Celebrate The Festival Of Passover

Caiaphas, who was high priest at that time, said, “You don’t know what you’re talking about! You don’t realize that it’s better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”

He did not say this on his own; as high priest at that time he was led to prophesy that Jesus would die for the entire nation. And not only for that nation, but to bring together and unite all the children of God scattered around the world.

So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death. As a result, Jesus stopped his public ministry among the people and left Jerusalem. He went to a place near the wilderness, to the village of Ephraim, and stayed there with his disciples.

It was now almost time for the Jewish Passover celebration, and many people from all over the country arrived in Jerusalem several days early so they could go through the purification ceremony before Passover began. They kept looking for Jesus, but as they stood around in the Temple, they said to each other, “What do you think? He won’t come for Passover, will he?”
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Canticle

Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing:

May the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Morning Prayer, 16 Apr – John 18:28-32 ~ you do it

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences — Puritan Prayers

O Lord, I marvel that thou shouldst become incarnate, be crucified, dead, and buried…. Give me to die with thee that I may rise to new life, for I wish to be as dead and buried to sin, to selfishness, to the world…. Purge me from selfishness, the fear of man, the love of approbation, the shame of being thought old-fashioned, the desire to be cultivated or modern…. Grant me to stand with my dying Saviour – resolute and Christ-contained.

Morning reading

"Christ before Pilate" Duccio di Buoninsegna, c.1311 Museo dell Opera del Duomo, Florence
“Christ before Pilate”
Duccio di Buoninsegna, c.1311
Museo dell Opera del Duomo, Florence

John 18:28-32 ESV

Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover.

So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?”

They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.”

Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.”

This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

Reflections:

defilement

The irony of the opponents’ concern for defilement is evident. They wish to remain ritually pure even while seeking to kill someone by the agency of the Romans. They avoid defilement while bringing about the death of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the root defilement that prevents one from intimacy with God and sharing in his life. Perhaps most ironic is the fact that their very act is a sin that defiles in this deep sense yet contributes to the cleansing of their sin and the sin of the whole world.

evil intent

Long before now Jesus’ opponents had come to the conclusion that he had to be eliminated…. Presumably they could request permission to kill Jesus themselves – they seem set, however, on having Rome execute Jesus, for then it would be by crucifixion. They probably want him crucified not only because it was a particularly brutal and painful form of death, but also because it would signify that Jesus is accursed by God (Robinson; Beasley-Murray). In John’s Gospel the focus is on Jesus as the revealer of God. His opponents have rejected that claim and desire his death in order to vindicate their conclusion.

witness to glory

John, however, sees this desire as a fulfillment of Jesus’ statement that he would die by being lifted up from the earth. “Both Jewish accusers and Roman judge are actors in a drama scripted by a divine planner” (Brown). John’s note reminds us both of Jesus’ identity as the Word whose words are God’s words, which will be fulfilled, and of the significance of this death: “I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself”. Even the actions of his enemies are used to bear witness to the glory of his identity and of what he is in the process of accomplishing.

The IVP New Testament Commentary Series
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Canticle:

Christ, as a light… illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield… overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

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Peanut Gallery: A brief word of explanation – the general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) The Scripture readings are primarily from the Gospel of John, with the intent to complete the reading by Easter. Other Scriptures which illuminate the Gospel of John will be included along the way.

Reflections from various saints will be included as their memorial days occur during the calendar year.

On Sundays, I’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world.

Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.

Morning Prayer, 11 Apr – John 18:12-14 ~ interrogation

Mornng Prayer

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

I am no longer my own, but Yours. Use me as You choose; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for You, or laid aside for You, raised up for You, or brought low for you; let me be full, let me be empty; let me have all things, let me have nothing; with my whole heart I freely choose to yield all things to Your ordering and approval.

So now, God of glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, You are mine, and I am Your own.

Morning reading

Jesus Before Annas Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1308-11 Tempera on wood panel Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena, Italy
Jesus Before Annas
Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1308-11
Tempera on wood panel
Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Siena, Italy

John 18:12-14 ESV

So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.

Reflections:

religious dynasty

They took Jesus first to Annas, probably the most respected and powerful of the Jewish authorities at that time. He had held the office of high priest earlier (A.D. 6-15), and his influence continued through his son-in-law Caiaphas, the current high priest and through his five sons, who had also been high priest for various lengths of time. Annas was the head of a dynasty, which probably accounts for John’s reference to him as high priest, even though John is clear that Caiaphas is the one holding that office at the time.

John as witness

John had other contacts with Annas later when he himself was on trial (Acts 4:6). John had to bear witness before this man, and his bearing witness is the main theme that comes through in this story. He can bear witness to the Passion because he was there (cf. Ridderbos).

John was separated from Jesus during his interrogation, but we now discover it was only for a brief time. He and Peter recover and return to see what transpires. In this way, John has not missed much of the action and thus is able to bear witness to the whole story. Unlike Peter, he is inside the high priest’s palace and witnesses the whole of the Passion. This theme of witness is also the focal point of Jesus’ exchange with Annas (vv. 20-23). Thus this particular story is important for John, both personally and for the theme it brings out.

Caiaphas’ prophecy

John refers back to Caiaphas’ prophetic statement that it would be good if one man died for the people (v. 14). This allusion reminds the reader of the reason for Jesus’ death. John uses Caiaphas’ own statement as a caption under this picture of the Passion, providing the interpretation of the cross as surely as does the title that Pilate will require to be nailed above the head of Jesus. This death is for the sake of the very people who are causing it.

The IVP New Testament Commentary Series
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Canticle:

Christ, as a light… illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield… overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

_____________________________________

Peanut Gallery: A brief word of explanation – the general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) The Scripture readings are primarily from the Gospel of John, with the intent to complete the reading by Easter. Other Scriptures which illuminate the Gospel of John will be included along the way.

Reflections from various saints will be included as their memorial days occur during the calendar year.

On Sundays, I’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world.

Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.

Morning Prayer, 04 Mar – John 11:45-57 ~ one for all

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences – Brigid of Kildare (c. 450-523)

Christ in our coming and in our leaving, the Door and the Keeper; for us and our dear ones, this day and every day, blessing for always. Amen.

Morning readings

John 11:45-57 ESV:

chief-priest

Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 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.

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

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. They were looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?” Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him.

Reflections:

faith and fear

There are a variety of responses to Jesus’ raising of Lazarus – many put faith in him, but others inform the authorities. The report alarms the Pharisees, and so the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

Like many religious leaders since, Jesus is accused of being a threat to national security. Jesus’ popularity could look like a popular uprising that would require calling in the Roman legions destroying both their religious positions and the entire nation. The irony is that they do destroy the temple of Jesus’ body, but this does not prevent the Romans from destroying their temple and their nation, nor does it prevent increasing numbers of people from believing in Jesus.

Their plot prevented neither of the things they feared, even though they succeeded in getting Jesus killed.

atonement and oneness

Caiaphas unwittingly prophesies that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, but John sees the divine intent that Jesus die in place of the nation for their sin… and for the sin of all humanity. Jesus’ death is also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. Jesus’ work as the Good Shepherd is accomplished through his death.

The oneness with God that the atonement accomplishes is complemented by the oneness of the people of God drawn from the whole of the human race. They are already referred to as children of God since each one who enters Christ’s community has been given to him by the Father and has responded in faith and has been born again. It is Christ, especially Christ crucified, that unites the people of God.

seclusion and speculation

Jesus goes back into seclusion because of the increased danger. His movement in and out of seclusion shows him working around the intentions of his enemies as he works out the intentions of his Father. There is a similar pattern in his work in the lives of his followers today. He moves in and out of seclusion in our lives, not because his life is threatened but as part of his love for us, to wean us from false attachments, even false views we may have of God himself.

Meanwhile, as Passover approaches, friends and foes speculate whether or not Jesus will come to the feast, aware that the chief priests and Pharisees are seeking his arrest. But Jesus has already departed from the temple and will not be standing where they are standing as they ask such questions. He will come up to this feast, but he will not be coming to the temple. Rather, the one true sacrifice is about to take place in the temple of his body.

The IVP New Testament Commentary Series

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Canticle:

Christ, as a light… illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield… overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

_____________________________________

Peanut Gallery: A brief word of explanation – the general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) The Scripture readings are primarily from the Gospel of John, with the intent to complete the reading by Easter. Other Scriptures which illuminate the Gospel of John will be included along the way.

Reflections from various saints will be included as their memorial days occur during the calendar year.

On Sundays, I’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world.

Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.