11:45 那些來看馬利亞的猶太人見了耶穌所做的事，就多有信他的；
11:46 但其中也有去見法利賽人的，將耶穌所做的事告訴他們。
11:47 祭司長和法利賽人聚集公會，說：「這人行好些神蹟，我們怎麼辦呢？
11:48 若這樣由著他，人人都要信他，羅馬人也要來奪我們的地土和我們的百姓。」
11:49 內中有一個人，名叫該亞法，本年作大祭司，對他們說：「你們不知道甚麼。
11:50 獨不想一個人替百姓死，免得通國滅亡，就是你們的益處。」
11:51 他這話不是出於自己，是因他本年作大祭司，所以預言耶穌將要替這一國死；
11:52 也不但替這一國死，並要將上帝四散的子民都聚集歸一。
11:53 從那日起，他們就商議要殺耶穌。
11:54 所以，耶穌不再顯然行在猶太人中間，就離開那裡往靠近曠野的地方去，到了一座城，名叫以法蓮，就在那裡和門徒同住。
11:55 猶太人的逾越節近了，有許多人從鄉下上耶路撒冷去，要在節前潔淨自己。
11:56 他們就尋找耶穌，站在殿裡彼此說：「你們的意思如何，他不來過節嗎？」
11:57 那時，祭司長和法利賽人早已吩咐說，若有人知道耶穌在哪裡，就要報明，好去拿他。
45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.
“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”
49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”
51 He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, 52 and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. 53 So from that day on they plotted to take his life.
54 Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.
55 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. 56 They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” 57 But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.
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讀到這一段感覺十分的「政治」，因為牽扯到羅馬政府和猶太人的關係。當然這中間的角色就是「公會」。這裡記載到祭司長和法利賽人聚集公會，說：「這人行好些神蹟，我們怎麼辦呢？若這樣由著他，人人都要信他，羅馬人也要來奪我們的地土和我們的百姓。」
因為他們害怕基督的出現，引起猶太的獨立戰爭，造成羅馬大軍進入，就失去現有的和平狀態。他們的想法就是：維持現狀，讓和平假象繼續延續！
而大祭司該亞法更是有奸詐的盤算，對他們說：「你們不知道甚麼。獨不想一個人替百姓死，免得通國滅亡，就是你們的益處。」
這也是為甚麼他們在逾越節前，鼓動百姓讓主耶穌上十字架的原因。利用主耶穌來換取猶太人能繼續在羅馬政府統治下，繼續過安定的生活，讓他們的既得利益不致失去！
這樣的「政治」手法，對我們來說好像很熟悉，這也是人的陰險和政治的黑暗之處：犧牲別人成就自己！
也因為如此保羅會說：「我勸你，第一要為萬人懇求、禱告、代求、祝謝；為君王和一切在位的，也該如此，使我們可以敬虔、端正、平安無事地度日。這是好的，在上帝我們救主面前可蒙悅納。」(提摩太前書2:1-3)
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