46. But some of them went to the Pharisees. They told the Pharisees what Jesus had done.
47. Then the leading priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the Jewish council. They asked, “What should we do? This man is doing many miracles.
48. If we let him continue doing these things, everyone will believe in him. Then the Romans will come and take away our Temple and our nation.”
49. One of the men there was Caiaphas. He was the high priest that year. Caiaphas said, “You people know nothing!
50. It is better for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed. But you don’t realize this.”
51. Caiaphas did not think of this himself. He was high priest that year. So he was really prophesying that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation
52. and for God’s scattered children. This would bring them all together and make them one.
53. That day they started planning to kill Jesus.
54. So Jesus no longer traveled openly among the Jews. He left there and went to a place near the desert. He went to a town called Ephraim and stayed there with his followers.
55. It was almost time for the Jewish Passover Feast. Many from the country went up to Jerusalem before the Passover. They went to do the special things to make themselves pure.