John 11:51

"nor do you consider that it is advantageous for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.”"

Key Reflection

In John 11:51, Nicodemus expresses a perspective that highlights the tension between personal gain and broader national interests. For Nicodemus, it would be advantageous for one person to sacrifice themselves so that the entire nation could avoid destruction. This statement reflects a cultural context where leaders often prioritized the well-being of their people above individual concerns. The underlying implication is that the death of an individual might prevent a greater calamity, suggesting a willingness to accept personal loss for the sake of national preservation.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 51. Not of himself. Though he uttered what proved to be a true prophecy, yet it was accomplished in a way which he did not intend. He had a wicked design. He was plotting murder and crime. Yet, wicked as he was, and little as he intended it, God so ordered it that he delivered a most precious truth respecting the atonement. Remark, 1st. God may fulfil the words of the wicked in a manner which they do not wish or intend. 2nd. He may make even their malice and wicked plots the very means of accomplishing his purposes. What they regard as the fulfillment of their plans God may make the fulfillment of his, yet so as directly to overthrow their designs, and prostrate them in ruin. 3rd.

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