John 11:46-57

46But some of them went to the Pharisees and reported to them what Jesus had done.

47So the chief priests and the Pharisees called the council together and said, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many miraculous signs.

48If we allow him to go on in this way, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away our sanctuary and our nation.”

49Then one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said, “You know nothing at all!

50You do not realize that it is more to your advantage to have one man die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.”

51(Now he did not say this on his own, but because he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish nation,

52and not for the Jewish nation only, but to gather together into one the children of God who are scattered.)

53So from that day they planned together to kill him.

54Thus Jesus no longer went around publicly among the Judeans, but went away from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and stayed there with his disciples.

55Now the Jewish feast of Passover was near, and many people went up to Jerusalem from the rural areas before the Passover to cleanse themselves ritually.

56Thus they were looking for Jesus, and saying to one another as they stood in the temple courts, “What do you think? That he won’t come to the feast?”

57(Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where Jesus was should report it, so that they could arrest him.)