41. After the stone had been rolled aside, Jesus looked up towards heaven and prayed, “Father, I thank you for answering my prayer.
42. I know that you always answer my prayers. But I said this, so that the people here would believe that you sent me.”
43. When Jesus had finished praying, he shouted, “Lazarus, come out!”
44. The man who had been dead came out. His hands and feet were wrapped with strips of burial cloth, and a cloth covered his face.Jesus then told the people, “Untie him and let him go.”
45. Many of the people who had come to visit Mary saw the things that Jesus did, and they put their faith in him.
46. Others went to the Pharisees and told what Jesus had done.
47. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called the council together and said, “What should we do? This man is performing a lot of miracles.
48. If we don't stop him now, everyone will put their faith in him. Then the Romans will come and destroy our temple and our nation.”
49. One of the council members was Caiaphas, who was also high priest that year. He spoke up and said, “You people don't have any sense at all!
50. Don't you know it is better for one person to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed?”
51. Caiaphas did not say this on his own. As high priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation.
52. Yet Jesus would not die just for the Jewish nation. He would die to bring together all God's scattered people.
53. From that day on, the council started making plans to put Jesus to death.