John 11:50–52

11:50 You do not realize100 that it is more to your advantage to have one man101 die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.”102 11:51 (Now he did not say this on his own,103 but because he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish nation,104 11:52 and not for the Jewish nation105 only,106 but to gather together107 into one the children of God who are scattered.)108

100	tn Or “you are not considering.”
101	tn Although it is possible to argue that ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) should be translated “person” here since it is not necessarily masculinity that is in view in Caiaphas’ statement, “man” was retained in the translation because in 11:47 “this man” (οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος, outos ho anthrōpos) has as its referent a specific individual, Jesus, and it was felt this connection should be maintained.
102	sn In his own mind Caiaphas was no doubt giving voice to a common-sense statement of political expediency. Yet he was unconsciously echoing a saying of Jesus himself (cf. Mark 10:45). Caiaphas was right; the death of Jesus would save the nation from destruction. Yet Caiaphas could not suspect that Jesus would die, not in place of the political nation Israel, but on behalf of the true people of God; and he would save them, not from physical destruction, but from eternal destruction (cf. 3:16–17). The understanding of Caiaphas’ words in a sense that Caiaphas could not possibly have imagined at the time he uttered them serves as a clear example of the way in which the author understood that words and actions could be invested retrospectively with a meaning not consciously intended or understood by those present at the time.
103	tn Grk “say this from himself.”
104	tn The word “Jewish” is not in the Greek text, but is clearly implied by the context (so also NIV; TEV “the Jewish people”).
105	tn See the note on the word “nation” in the previous verse.
106	sn The author in his comment expands the prophecy to include the Gentiles (not for the Jewish nation only), a confirmation that the Fourth Gospel was directed, at least partly, to a Gentile audience. There are echoes of Pauline concepts here (particularly Eph 2:11–22) in the stress on the unity of Jew and Gentile.
107	tn Grk “that he might gather together.”
108	sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.