50 Don't you know it is better for one person to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed?”
51 Caiaphas did not say this on his own. As high priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation.
52 Yet Jesus would not die just for the Jewish nation. He would die to bring together all God's scattered people.
53 From that day on, the council started making plans to put Jesus to death.
54 Because of this plot against him, Jesus stopped going around in public. He went to the town of Ephraim, which was near the desert, and he stayed there with his disciples.
55 It was almost time for Passover. Many of the Jewish people who lived out in the country had come to Jerusalem to get themselves ready for the festival.
56 They looked around for Jesus. Then when they were in the temple, they asked each other, “You don't think he will come here for Passover, do you?”