John 18:14 kjv
Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.
John 18:14 nkjv
Now it was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.
John 18:14 niv
Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.
John 18:14 esv
It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.
John 18:14 nlt
Caiaphas was the one who had told the other Jewish leaders, "It's better that one man should die for the people."
John 18 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jn 11:49-52 | One of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all... not realizing that it was expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish. He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad." | Caiaphas's original prophetic declaration. |
| Isa 53:4-6 | Surely he has borne our griefs... he was pierced for our transgressions... the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. | Prophecy of substitutionary suffering. |
| Mk 10:45 | For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. | Jesus' self-giving, ransom for many. |
| Rom 5:8 | But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. | Christ's death as the ultimate act of love. |
| 2 Cor 5:21 | For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. | Christ becoming sin for us. |
| 1 Pet 2:24 | He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. | Jesus bore our sins on the cross. |
| Heb 9:28 | so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. | Christ's singular sacrifice for many sins. |
| Gal 3:13 | Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. | Christ taking our curse upon himself. |
| Jn 10:11 | I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. | Jesus laying down His life as the Good Shepherd. |
| Lev 16:21-22 | Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat... bearing all their iniquities on itself to a remote area. | Scapegoat ceremony (Day of Atonement). |
| Acts 2:23 | this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. | God's sovereign plan over human evil. |
| Acts 4:27-28 | For truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate... to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. | God's plan realized through human actors. |
| Gen 50:20 | As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. | God uses human evil for His good purpose. |
| Eph 1:10 | to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. | God's ultimate plan of unity in Christ. |
| Heb 7:27 | He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. | Jesus' superior, singular sacrifice. |
| Lk 22:2-6 | And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, for they feared the people. | Jewish leaders plotting to kill Jesus. |
| Mt 26:3-5 | Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be a riot among the people.” | Leaders plotting, political concerns. |
| Jn 12:19 | So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you accomplish nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.” | Growing fear of Jesus' popularity. |
| Jn 11:48 | 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. | Leaders' explicit fear of Roman reprisal. |
| Ps 76:10 | Surely the wrath of man shall praise you; the remainder of wrath you will restrain. | God's sovereignty over human actions. |
John 18 verses
John 18 14 Meaning
John 18:14 reiterates a pivotal statement made by Caiaphas, the high priest, during a meeting of the Sanhedrin earlier in Jesus' ministry (Jn 11:49-50). It encapsulates the cynical, pragmatic rationale of the Jewish leadership for condemning Jesus: that it was politically "expedient" or "advantageous" for one man (Jesus) to die, rather than risk Roman intervention that could lead to the destruction of their nation and religious authority. John's earlier commentary, however, reveals the profound divine irony: Caiaphas, unknowingly, prophesied Jesus' death as a redemptive sacrifice not only for the Jewish nation but also to gather God's scattered children, making his statement an unwitting declaration of substitutionary atonement.
John 18 14 Context
This verse serves as a crucial theological reminder during the arrest and trial narrative of Jesus. Earlier in John's Gospel, after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, His burgeoning popularity spurred the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish religious council, to convene a meeting (Jn 11:47). It was in this session that Caiaphas, the High Priest, articulated the cold political logic that "it is expedient that one man should die for the people." John 18:14 strategically references this declaration, explaining why Jesus was brought before Annas and Caiaphas, emphasizing that Jesus' impending death was not a mere accident but a premeditated, politically calculated act by the Jewish leadership, rooted in this very advice. This context underscores the deliberate nature of their decision and contrasts their worldly motivations with God's redemptive plan.
John 18 14 Word analysis
- It was Caiaphas: This refers to Joseph Caiaphas, son-in-law to Annas, who served as High Priest for a remarkably long period, from A.D. 18 to A.D. 36. His tenure demonstrates his political acumen and ability to navigate Roman rule. In Jewish tradition, the high priesthood was a profoundly significant role, often associated with mediating between God and the people through sacrifices. His condemnation of Jesus therefore carries immense weight within the narrative.
- who had advised: The Greek word here, linked to "expedient," is from sympherō (συμφέρει), meaning "to carry together," "to bring together," and by extension, "to be profitable," "advantageous," or "expedient." It is not a gentle suggestion but a weighty counsel, rooted in pragmatism and a calculation of costs and benefits. Caiaphas's advice was a strategic political recommendation to avert a perceived greater disaster.
- the Jews: In John's Gospel, "the Jews" often refers specifically to the Jewish authorities and leadership in Jerusalem, particularly the Sanhedrin, rather than the entire Jewish populace. They represented the ruling religious and political establishment under Roman occupation, fearing any uprising or Messiah figure who might attract Roman attention and suppress their existing, albeit limited, autonomy.
- that it was expedient: Reinforces the sympherō (συμφέρει) again, highlighting the core of Caiaphas's argument. His logic was based on political survival, viewing Jesus as a dangerous instigator who could provoke the Romans to remove their "place" (Temple) and "nation." This was a worldly, human perspective of what was "best."
- that one man: This "one man" explicitly refers to Jesus of Nazareth. The implication is that His individual life held less value than the perceived well-being or survival of the collective, as understood by Caiaphas. This reduces Jesus to a political problem to be eliminated.
- should die: The prescribed fate for Jesus, determined by human decree. From their perspective, His death was a necessary evil. This deliberate choice for His execution stands in stark contrast to God's divine plan where Jesus willingly offered His life.
- for the people: The Greek phrase is hyper tou laou (ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ). "Hyper" typically means "on behalf of," "for the sake of," or "instead of." Caiaphas used it in a political sense: one person sacrificed to save the nation (the ethnic/political body) from Roman destruction. However, John's prior commentary (Jn 11:51-52) expands this to a profound theological meaning: Jesus' death would be instead of the people, for their spiritual salvation, and for the gathering (uniting) of all God's scattered children, Jew and Gentile alike, into one family. This unveils the true, divine substitutionary sacrifice.
John 18 14 Bonus section
The concept of "expedience" (συμφέρει) used by Caiaphas is fascinating because it contrasts worldly wisdom with divine wisdom. What the Jewish leaders saw as a necessary, practical evil for national survival, God intended as the ultimate good for global salvation. This isn't just an ironic twist but a consistent biblical theme where God uses human wickedness or limited understanding to advance His greater, glorious purposes (e.g., Joseph in Gen 50:20). John's Gospel repeatedly showcases how individuals, even antagonists, unknowingly articulate divine truths (e.g., Pilate's "What is truth?" or his sign on the cross "The King of the Jews"). This verse is a prime example of such prophetic irony, demonstrating that even those opposed to God's will are tools in His sovereign hand.
John 18 14 Commentary
John 18:14 serves as a succinct and powerful recap of the cynical pragmatism underlying the Jewish leadership's decision to crucify Jesus, even as it implicitly reiterates the profound divine purpose in their action. Caiaphas's counsel, politically shrewd yet morally bankrupt, inadvertently declared the central tenet of the gospel: that Jesus, the "one man," would die "for the people." This highlights the overarching sovereignty of God, where human evil and political maneuvering ultimately fulfill God's eternal redemptive plan, achieving a spiritual atonement that vastly transcends the limited worldly motivations of the perpetrators.