John 11:50

it is better … that one man die: Caiaphas spoke with clear political intent. He argued that it was better for one man to die than for the whole nation to suffer. He meant that it was better for Jesus, whom he saw as a threat, to die than for Rome to destroy the Jewish people.

Caiaphas viewed Jesus as a possible revolutionary. He feared that Rome would crush the nation if unrest grew. From his point of view, sacrificing one man would protect many.

But his words carried a deeper meaning. Caiaphas did not understand this meaning. In a way he could not see, he spoke the truth. Jesus would die for the people. His death would bring salvation (rescue from sin and separation from God).

John explains that Caiaphas did not speak on his own authority. As high priest that year, he spoke prophetically (as one who speaks a message from God). God used his words to point to the saving purpose of the death of Jesus.

The rescue that God’s people needed was not mainly from Rome. It would come through the cross of Christ.

The resurrection of Lazarus points to the future death and resurrection of Jesus. The description of Lazarus’s tomb is similar to the description of the tomb Jesus was placed in after he died (11:38, 44; 20:1, 7). Both accounts mention a cave and burial cloths. These details connect the two events and help us see that Lazarus’s story is a sign.

Soon after Lazarus was raised, a woman anointed Jesus for burial (12:3). This act prepared him for his coming death.

Then the time for his glorification began (12:23).