The chief priests and Pharisees, gathering a council, deliberated about our Savior what should be done to him. Caiaphas, the high priest, having previously spoken, they, provoked by his words, planned to kill the Lord. Therefore, you inquire from which spirit he prophesied that Jesus was to die for the nation, and whether the Holy Spirit acted even in such a man and was the cause of the counsel against Jesus, or whether it was something else that could speak even in the godless and stir up those like him against Jesus. Just as we had previously examined, anyone wishing to apologize regarding the Holy Spirit seeming to be the cause for them to counsel to kill Jesus due to the words of Caiaphas, the chief priests and Pharisees say that such a work is not alien to holiness, since Jesus made no unworthy action of Himself for the fall and rise of many in Israel, saying: "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind." For just as we need a wise word to answer how He who confessed to have come for judgment into this world did not make an unworthy action of Himself, likewise regarding the fact that from the words of Caiaphas the Holy Spirit counseled the chief priests and Pharisees to kill Jesus. Concerning "For judgment I have come into this world," we have said much as we could in the appropriate context. But concerning the present matter, it may be said similarly that just as the sacred mind of the scriptures, said for the benefit of those seeking to benefit from it, is misinterpreted by those inclined to the worse, so as to provide material for the construction of impious teaching by those preaching injustice to the heights, they misrepresent it. Likewise, the prophecy made by Caiaphas concerning our Savior, being true for our benefit that one man should die for the people, lest the whole nation perish, was not rightly understood by the Pharisees and chief priests. Rather, thinking it to be a different intention of Caiaphas’s counsel, from that day forward they planned to kill Jesus. I say these things following the understanding that the spirit which prophesied through Caiaphas was holy, but not absolutely asserting this to be the case. Rather, I leave it to those engaging with it to judge either way regarding Caiaphas and as moved by the spirit.
[John 11:54] So Jesus 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.
These and similar things, I think, are recorded with the intention that we turn away from more impetuously and irrationally striving unto death in defense of the truth and witnessing for it. For it is indeed good, having fallen into the contest concerning confessing Jesus, not to recant the confession, nor to delay regarding dying for the truth. But it is no less good to avoid giving occasion to such a great trial, and to evade it by every means, not only because the outcome of it for us is uncertain, but also so that we may not become a pretext for those becoming more sinful and impious, who would not have been guilty of shedding our blood if we had not done what was in our power to avoid those plotting against us unto death, but who will be in greater and graver punishment than us if, out of love for self and without considering those, we give ourselves to being killed when necessity has not forced us into this. For if even the one who becomes an occasion of sin by having incited the sinner to it will pay the penalty for the offenses committed by someone because of him, how shall not also the one who had the opportunity to turn aside, so that someone should not become a betrayer of Christians and a plotter against the piety towards Jesus, but did not turn aside and thereby provoked him, give account also for that one's sin, even if, as far as the zeal for witnessing and the courage for it is concerned, he is worthy of honor and acceptance by the God who is worshipped and confessed as savior? But that such things were written for our sake, so that we, having Jesus as an example, may become imitators of him also in such matters, will be demonstrated by the saying scripture: "So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come." For just as, according to this saying, for this reason no one laid a hand on him, being present and not fleeing, since his hour had not yet come, neither would we have been detained without taking our leave, in the time when his hour had not yet arrived. Therefore, we must listen not only to the command "If they persecute you in this city, flee to another," and what follows, but also to the fact that when the chief priests and the Pharisees took counsel to kill Jesus, He, observing what was reasonable, no longer walked openly among the Jews, but did not retire to another city full of people. Instead, He withdrew to a secluded place. For it is written: "Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went away from there to the countryside near the desert, to a town called Ephraim." And He did not go there alone, but without giving any opportunity to those seeking Him, He took the disciples with Himself and "there He stayed with the disciples." This is also the case with what is written in the Gospel of Matthew, when "Hearing that John was delivered up, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the borders of Zebulon and Naphtali." And when the time came for Him to be seized, He took care not to be found either in Jerusalem or in the temple, where He often taught, or in another such place. "For He went out with His disciples over the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, into which He entered, along with His disciples." Thus, He withdrew at that time and did not make it public, so much so that the chief priests and the Pharisees, wanting to seize Him, needed Judas because of his familiarity with Him and his knowledge of His places of retreat. Therefore, at that time, "Judas, having received a cohort and from the chief priests and the Pharisees servants, comes there with lanterns and torches and weapons." From this point of the gospel, it is clear that if He had wanted not to be seized, He would not have been. But He was seized, humbling Himself and being obedient to those who took Him, even unto the cross. Therefore, when He went out and said to those who came to the garden, "Whom do you seek?" they answered Him, "Jesus the Nazarene." And when He said to them, "I am He," they withdrew and fell to the ground. Then, after this, because He wished to take on the economy of suffering, He asked them again, "Whom do you seek?" And they said, "Jesus the Nazarene." And shortly after, "The cohort and the commander and the servants of the Jews seized Jesus" willingly and "bound Him," offering Himself to the bonds. For if He had not wished to suffer, He would have said again, "I am He," and all these would have withdrawn and fallen to the ground. Just as He teaches us by these examples to withdraw in persecutions and plots against us, so in other cases you will find Him withdrawing even from what are considered good things in the world, to teach us through these to flee worldly honors and preeminence. For once Jesus, "knowing that they meant to come and seize Him to make Him king, withdrew to the mountain," but not with the disciples, but alone, giving no occasion even to them, loving Him and perhaps wishing to side with those who wanted to make Him king so that He might become their worldly king. These things pertain to the stated and the teaching on departure from the letter of the Gospel. Concerning the allegorical interpretation, it might be said as follows: Jesus once walked openly among the Jews when the word of God through the prophets was with them; for Jesus’ bold proclamation was “Thus says the Lord.” But now, Jesus no longer walks openly among the Jews, and He has departed from them, and there is no word of God among the Jews. And having departed from them (I mean from the Jews), He went to the region near the desert, about which it is said: “Many are the children of the desolate more than of her who has a husband,” and to which it is said: “Rejoice, O barren one who does not give birth; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor.” Now, the city near the desert is Ephraim, to which Jesus went, no longer walking openly among the Jews. Ephraim is interpreted as "fruitfulness," being the brother of Manasseh, who is the elder of the "people of forgetfulness." After the people left "in oblivion," the fruitfulness of the nations arose, when God "turned rivers in Israel into desert and the watercourses there into thirst and their fruitful land into brine, due to the wickedness of those who dwelled there." But from among the nations, "He turned the desert into lakes of water, and their dry land into watercourses." And He settled there the hungry, and they established a city for habitation, the church. There He sowed fields according to the fallen seed into good and rich land yielding a hundredfold, and planted vineyards. For the vines are the disciples of the Lord, who also bore fruit of birth. And He blessed them and they multiplied greatly. But the Lord, who saves both humans and animals, did not deem the smallest among them to be insignificant; for it is written: "And He did not diminish their cattle." And the Jews "diminished and were afflicted by troubles, evil, and pain; and contempt spread over them because of the leaders on account of Abraham, and He led them astray in a pathless place, not on a way." After them, God helped the poor people from the nations out of poverty and "set them as a flock." The righteous angels will see them and rejoice, and all iniquity will stop its mouth. To those mystically prophesied in the hundred and sixth Psalm it applies: "Who is wise and will observe these things, and they will understand the mercies of the Lord?" For since the Lord shows mercy to the nations, the wise observe these things, understanding the mercies of the Lord. Therefore, Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the land of the whole world, "near the desert church," to a city called Ephraim, the fruitful, and there He stayed with His disciples. And until now, Jesus is with His disciples near the desert, in the city called Ephraim; for He is present with fruitfulness. And on the birth of this Ephraim, our Lord, who humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross, would say: "God made me fruitful in the land of my affliction."
[John 11:55-56] Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. So they were looking for Jesus and were saying to one another as they stood in the temple: "What do you think? Will he not come to the festival?"
It is not the same to consider the Passover of the Lord and the Passover of the Jews as the same; for one is according to the law, the Passover of the Lord, but the other is the Passover of the Jews, who are lawless. Therefore, it must be observed when the Passover of the Lord and other days are mentioned, and when it is not of the Lord but of those accused of sins. For example, in Exodus, it is written after other things in the first account of the Passover: "And you shall eat it in haste; it is the Passover of the Lord," and in the second account: "If your sons say to you: What is this service to you? You shall say: It is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord, who protected the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt." But in Isaiah, the Lord says that the new moons, Sabbaths, fasting, and holidays are not his, but of those who sin. And if the holidays, it is clear that also the Passover, for it is one of the holidays. It is written thus: "Your new moons and your Sabbaths and the great day I cannot endure; fasting and feasting, and your new moons and your feasts my soul hates." And in one of the twelve [prophets], it is written: "I hate, I despise your festivals." Therefore, according to the presented word, the Passover was not "of the Lord" but "of the Jews"; for our Savior was plotted against during it. And for this reason, I think the Passover is said about them prophetically, "I hate, I despise your festivals"; for they did not celebrate the feast of God but committed an abomination in it by killing Jesus. However, before this Passover of the Jews, many went up from the country to Jerusalem to purify themselves. But I would say beforehand that many did not understand how to purify themselves; therefore, thinking they were offering their celebration to God, they lacked so much purification that they became more unclean than they were before purifying themselves. For those who were delivering Jesus to Pilate said, "It is not lawful for us to kill anyone." To whom he said to the Savior, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you to me." And they who claimed to go up in order to purify themselves cried out, saying to Pilate, "Do not release this man, but Barabbas." Barabbas was a robber. And again, "The Jews answered, 'We have a law, and according to the law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.'" And again, "The Jews cried out, saying to Pilate, 'If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend; everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.'" And again, "The Jews cried out, 'Take him away, take him away, crucify him.'" And those who went up before the Passover to purify themselves said within the Passover, "We have no king but Caesar." But as the Savior said, prophesying to the disciples, "The hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering service to God," this has been fulfilled starting from him. For those who deemed him worthy of death thought they were offering service to God, and they had gone up to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. But the true purification was not before the Passover, but in the Passover, when Jesus died for those being purified as the Lamb of God, and took away the sin of the world. And these Jews sought Jesus, not to benefit from him, but to kill him, to whom he might say, "Now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God." And standing in the temple, they said to one another concerning Jesus, "What do you think? That he will not come to the feast?" But Jesus was not celebrating where they were standing, but in the large upper room, having been prepared and decorated, where he earnestly desired to eat the Passover with the disciples before suffering. You might say that even now they are standing in the temple seeking Jesus, relying on the Scriptures as priests, but seeking him because they do not know the one who has come. They dishonor this one, yet confess another Christ. But consider if you can also call other Jews who are going up to Jerusalem and coming to the city of God from the region outside Jerusalem, and coming to purify themselves, so that they might, when Christ the Passover is sacrificed, celebrate not with "old leaven," not with the "leaven of malice and wickedness," but with the unleavened bread of "sincerity and truth." And such ones will seek Jesus standing in the temple of the Scriptures and will wonder among themselves if Jesus will come to the feast.
[John 11:57] The chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, they should inform them, so that they might seize him.
See how it has been testified that he had withdrawn, so that we also might learn to do the same in due time. And take note that neither the chief priests nor the Pharisees knew where he was, and not knowing, they gave orders that if anyone should know where he was, they should inform them so they might arrest him. And otherwise you would say that those plotting against Jesus did not know where he was. Therefore, they gave orders other than those of God, "teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." And their orders, which the Pharisees and chief priests gave, who belonged to the physical Jews, were against Jesus; for they wished that some might inform them about Jesus, so that having taken him into their power, they might betray him. And you might say that everyone who is meddling with matters concerning Christianity for the purpose of overturning it and accusing it is a kind of Pharisee and not a good chief priest, giving other commands by which he thinks he might instruct himself about matters concerning Jesus, so that having informed him, he might catch and, after insulting, kill him. But indeed, since it has obtained an adequate description from both the eighth and the twenty-seventh volumes of the exegesis on the Gospel according to John, we will end our discourse here, beginning the next, God willing, in the twenty-ninth.