Part 20

011:049 But one of them, named Caiaphas, being High Priest that year, said, "You know nothing about it.

011:050 You do not reflect that it is to your interest that one man should die for the people rather than the whole nation perish."

011:051 It was not as a mere man that he thus spoke. But being High Priest that year he was inspired to declare that Jesus was to die for the nation,

011:052 and not for the nation only, but in order to unite into one body all the far-scattered children of God.

011:053 So from that day forward they planned and schemed in order to put Him to death.

011:054 Therefore Jesus no longer went about openly among the Jews, but He left that neighbourhood and went into the district near the Desert, to a town called Ephraim, and remained there with the disciples.

011:055 The Jewish Passover was coming near, and many from that district went up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.

011:056 They therefore looked out for Jesus, and asked one another as they stood in the Temple, "What do you think?--will he come to the Festival at all?"

011:057 Now the High Priests and the Pharisees had issued orders that if any one knew where He was, he should give information, so that they might arrest Him.

012:001 Jesus, however, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany, where Lazarus was whom He had raised from the dead.

012:002 So they gave a dinner there in honour of Jesus, at which Martha waited at table, but Lazarus was one of the guests who were with Him.

012:003 Availing herself of the opportunity, Mary took a pound weight of pure spikenard, very costly, and poured it over His feet, and wiped His feet with her hair, so that the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

012:004 Then said Judas (the Iscariot, one of the Twelve--the one who afterwards betrayed Jesus),

012:005 "Why was not that perfume sold for 300 shillings and the money given to the poor?"

012:006 The reason he said this was not that he cared for the poor, but that he was a thief, and that being in charge of the money-box, he used to steal what was put into it.

012:007 But Jesus interposed. "Do not blame her," He said, "allow her to have kept it for the time of my preparation for burial.

012:008 For the poor you always have with you, but you have not me always."

012:009 Now it became widely known among the Jews that Jesus was there; but they came not only on His account, but also in order to see Lazarus whom He had brought back to life.

012:010 The High Priests, however, consulted together to put Lazarus also to death,

012:011 for because of him many of the Jews left them and became believers in Jesus.

012:012 The next day a great crowd of those who had come to the Festival, hearing that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

012:013 took branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, shouting as they went, "God save him! Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord--even on the King of Israel!"

012:014 And Jesus, having procured a young ass, sat upon it, just as the Scripture says,

012:015 "Fear not, Daughter of Zion! See, thy King is coming riding on an ass's colt."

012:016 The meaning of this His disciples did not understand at the time; but after Jesus was glorified they recollected that this was written about Him, and that they had done this to Him.

012:017 The large number of people, however, who had been present when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and brought him back to life, related what they had witnessed.

012:018 This was also why the crowd came to meet Him, because they had heard of His having performed that miracle.

012:019 The result was that the Pharisees said among themselves, "Observe how idle all your efforts are! The world is gone after him!"