“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.” (John 11:48 NLT)

Many people who saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead believed in Him. That’s not surprising. Miracles will have that effect on people. What is surprising is that other people who were present went straight to the religious leaders in Jerusalem and told them what Jesus had done.

These people saw the grief and suffering of Lazarus’ family and friends. They saw the compassion of Jesus, who mourned with them. They saw His courage in traveling to a region where He was a wanted man. They saw His power over death itself. They were witnesses to one of the most profound miracles in human history.

And their only thought was how they could use the miracle as evidence to prosecute the miracle worker. They reported Him to the authorities. For what? Improper disposal of a corpse? Grave robbing? Tampering with death?

The news of Lazarus’ resurrection raised the stakes for Jesus’ enemies. They didn’t even try to deny His power anymore. Or His appeal to the people of Israel. They knew that as word spread about His power over death, His popularity would soar. And that’s what they were afraid of.

The Jewish religious leaders had a good thing going. They had power, respect, authority, influence, and wealth. And it was all tied to the temple in Jerusalem, the center of worship in Israel. The temple was their domain, and they were prepared to eliminate anyone who threatened their control of it.

They were afraid that if Jesus became too popular, Rome would start to view the entire Jewish religious system as a threat. They were afraid the Roman authorities would outlaw their religious practices and destroy the temple.

Caiaphas, the high priest, made it clear what they had to do. He said, “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” (verse 50 NLT). He had no way of knowing just how prophetic his words were. In a little more than a week, that one man would die not just for His people but for the whole world, so that we would not be destroyed.

You probably know, or know of, people who are as hard-hearted as the spies who witnessed Lazarus’ resurrection. They’ve seen evidence of God’s work—changed lives, answered prayers, small miracles even. Yet they still refuse to believe in or follow Jesus. Instead, they double down on their disbelief and oppose the Christian faith.

Our job isn’t to convince them that what we believe is the truth. We can’t argue them into becoming Christians. Those things are the work of the Holy Spirit.

Our job is to stay humble. To minister with a servant’s heart. To pray for them. To talk about our faith as casually and naturally as we do any other subject. To be ready with an answer when they challenge us. To show genuine concern and compassion. And to model Christ’s love.

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