John 11 48

John 11:48 kjv

If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.

John 11:48 nkjv

If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."

John 11:48 niv

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."

John 11:48 esv

If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."

John 11:48 nlt

If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation."

John 11 verses

John 11 48 Meaning

John 11:48 expresses the urgent and fearful reasoning of the Jewish high council (Sanhedrin) following Jesus' raising of Lazarus. They believed that if Jesus continued to perform such powerful miracles and attract a large following, all the people would eventually place their faith in Him as the Messiah. This popular movement, they feared, would inevitably be interpreted by the Roman authorities as a political insurrection. Consequently, the Romans would intervene forcefully, strip them of their remaining political and religious autonomy, and destroy both their central place of worship (the Temple) and their national identity as the Jewish people. This verse reveals their priority of preserving their earthly power and national status over acknowledging Jesus' divine claims.

John 11 48 Context

John 11:48 occurs within the crucial narrative immediately following Jesus' miraculous raising of Lazarus from the dead in Bethany. This event served as a profound public demonstration of Jesus' power over death and further solidified His messianic claims, leading many onlookers to believe in Him (Jn 11:45). This surge in popularity and overt belief in Jesus deeply alarmed the chief priests and Pharisees, who convened the Sanhedrin (the highest Jewish religious and political council). They recognized the immediate and substantial threat Jesus posed to their authority, influence, and the delicate political balance they maintained with the Roman occupation force. Their fear was that Jesus' burgeoning movement would be perceived by the Romans as an uprising against imperial rule, provoking a devastating crackdown. Historically, Roman tolerance for Jewish autonomy was conditional, requiring a complete absence of rebellion or any messianic figure who could challenge Caesar's sovereignty. The leaders vividly remembered previous Roman repressions of Jewish revolts and aimed to prevent any such catastrophic outcome for "their place" (the Temple, their spiritual and national hub) and "their nation." Their ensuing discussion centered on how to "solve" the problem of Jesus, setting the stage for His eventual arrest and crucifixion.

John 11 48 Word analysis

• If we let him go on like this

  • If we let: (Ἐὰν ἀφῶμεν - Ean aphōmen). Aphōmen from aphiēmi (ἀφίημι), meaning 'to send away,' 'to let go,' 'to permit,' 'to allow.' It implies an agency of choice on the part of the Sanhedrin; they perceive themselves as having the power to either allow or suppress Jesus' activities. This highlights their sense of authority over religious and social matters.
  • him go on: Refers to Jesus' ongoing ministry, particularly His miracles like the raising of Lazarus, which gathered crowds and inspired belief.
  • like this: (houtōs - οὕτως). Signifies the manner and success of Jesus' recent actions. The scope of His influence after Lazarus' resurrection was unprecedented and deeply threatening to the establishment.

• everyone will believe in him

  • everyone: (pantes - πάντες). While an exaggeration (not literally every single person), it signifies a widespread, overwhelming acceptance and allegiance to Jesus. From the leaders' perspective, this represented a complete loss of their own control over the populace and their spiritual guidance.
  • will believe in him: (pisteusousin eis auton - πιστεύσουσιν εἰς αὐτόν). Pisteusousin from pisteuō (πιστεύω), meaning 'to trust,' 'to rely on,' 'to have faith.' This is the core issue for the Sanhedrin. It's not just following Him, but acknowledging His divine claims and authority, which they viewed as directly challenging their own and potentially Rome's.

• and the Romans will come

  • the Romans: (hoi Rhomaioi - οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι). The occupying power, seen as ruthless and swift in suppressing dissent. They represented ultimate political and military authority, superior to any local Jewish governance.
  • will come: (eleusontai - ἐλεύσονται). A future indicative verb, expressing their certainty about Roman intervention. They envision an inevitable military response to what they perceived as a burgeoning messianic/political movement.

• and take away both our place and our nation.

  • take away: (arousin - ἀροῦσιν). From airō (αἴρω), meaning 'to lift up,' 'to remove,' 'to destroy,' 'to annihilate.' It implies a violent and comprehensive destruction or confiscation.
  • our place: (ton topon - τὸν τόπον). While literally 'the place,' in this specific historical and cultural context, it unequivocally refers to the Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple was not merely a building but the very center of Jewish worship, national identity, cultural heritage, and the dwelling place of God's presence. Its destruction would mean the end of their religious system and their collective identity.
  • our nation: (to ethnos - τὸ ἔθνος). This term refers to their ethno-religious community, their identity as the Jewish people, their distinctive culture, traditions, laws, and the fragile semi-autonomous status they enjoyed under Roman rule. Losing their nation would mean complete subjugation, absorption into the Roman Empire, and the effective end of their distinct peoplehood.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him": This clause reveals the Sanhedrin's immediate concern: Jesus' popularity directly undermines their authority and potentially creates a mass movement. Their fear is rooted in loss of control over public opinion and religious adherence.
  • "and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation": This second clause outlines the anticipated devastating consequences of the first. It connects their perceived internal spiritual problem (belief in Jesus) to an external political and national catastrophe (Roman annihilation). This shows their pragmatism and political astuteness, yet also their profound spiritual blindness.

John 11 48 Bonus section

This verse stands as a poignant example of the Sanhedrin's collective inability or unwillingness to recognize the spiritual authority of Jesus. While acknowledging His ability to perform "many signs" (Jn 11:47), they completely overlooked the spiritual implications and focused solely on the political fallout. Their fear of Rome prevented them from seeing God's plan unfolding before them. Their self-serving motivations led them to justify the elimination of an innocent man, ultimately echoing Pharaoh's fear that Israel's growth would lead to a national threat (Ex 1:9-10). The concern over "our place" (the Temple) specifically reveals their attachment to the outward forms and rituals of Judaism, which they erroneously believed gave them secure standing with God, rather than focusing on the person whom the Temple itself prefigured. This pragmatic decision is immediately followed by Caiaphas's divinely inspired, yet wickedly intended, counsel to kill Jesus for the nation, setting the stage for the Passion.

John 11 48 Commentary

John 11:48 profoundly encapsulates the ultimate tragedy and spiritual blindness of the Jewish religious leadership. Driven by fear of political reprisal from Rome and a desperate desire to maintain their established order and privileged positions, they prioritized earthly preservation over recognizing divine truth. Their assessment was astute from a political standpoint: a popular Jewish messianic figure could indeed provoke Roman wrath, as seen in past uprisings. However, their great misjudgment lay in failing to discern Jesus' true nature and the spiritual, not earthly, nature of His kingdom. The Sanhedrin's decision to "take away" Jesus, their king and Messiah, to preserve "their place and nation" proved ironically self-fulfilling. Within a generation, their very actions against Jesus led precisely to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Romans in A.D. 70, illustrating the dire consequences of rejecting God's anointed leader for political expediency. They inadvertently became instruments in fulfilling a prophecy that would ultimately save a different "nation"—the spiritual nation of believers from every tongue, tribe, and people—through Jesus' sacrifice.