⁴⁵ Therefore, many of the Jews who came with Mary and saw what Jesus did believed in him. ⁴⁶ But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

Caiaphas prophesies

⁴⁷ Then the chief priests and Pharisees called together the council^[a] and said, “What are we going to do? This man is doing many miraculous signs! ⁴⁸ If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him. Then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our people.”

⁴⁹ One of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, told them, “You don’t know anything! ⁵⁰ You don’t see that it is better for you that one man die for the people rather than the whole nation be destroyed.” ⁵¹ He didn’t say this on his own. As high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would soon die for the nation— ⁵² and not only for the nation. Jesus would also die so that God’s children scattered everywhere would be gathered together as one. ⁵³ From that day on they plotted to kill him.

The Passover draws near

⁵⁴ Therefore, Jesus was no longer active in public ministry among the Jewish leaders. Instead, he left Jerusalem and went to a place near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.

⁵⁵ It was almost time for the Jewish Passover, and many people went from the countryside up to Jerusalem to purify themselves through ritual washing before the Passover. ⁵⁶ They were looking for Jesus. As they spoke to each other in the temple, they said, “What do you think? He won’t come to the festival, will he?” ⁵⁷ The chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where he was should report it, so they could arrest him.