Believe! The Gospel of John

WK 35 – “The Wrong Fear”

John 11:47-57 NASB

November 15, 2026

Justin Scarberry

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“The Wrong Fear” – John 11:45-57 NASB

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The chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council meeting

– John 11:47

• Their fear of losing their position of power has led them to come together to form a plan to have Jesus, their Messiah promised to save them, killed.
• The Pharisees and the Sadducees, two polar-opposite groups, came together to achieve one common goal – to take Jesus out.
• The council was a reference to the Sanhedrin – their supreme court.
• There were 71 members; all matters would go through them for final judgement.

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“If we let Him go on like this, all the people will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take over both our place and our nation.”

– John 11:48

• “Our place” may have referenced the Temple that the Sanhedrin dominated.
• Jesus prophesied the destruction of the temple. – Luke 21:5-6
• The spirit of fear is not from God. – 2 Timothy 1:7
• Fear is the opposite of faith! (believing what we do not see. – 1 Peter 1:8)
• When we fear, we don’t believe that God will come through in our situation.
• Knowledge vs. Wisdom – Incredibly smart, but no common sense.
• There is a fear that leads to wisdom; The fear of the Lord. – Proverbs 9:10
• They had a head knowledge about God, but they were not living like it.
• Fear of losing their authority became an idol and took precedence over God.

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Now he did not say this on his own, but as he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation;

– John 11:49-51

• God used Caiaphas, someone who was against Jesus, for a prophecy!
• Caiaphas was a part of the Sadducees; the largest party in the Sanhedrin. Their beliefs were at odds with the other ruling party, the Pharisees.
• Sadducees – Political side: cozied up to the Romans, despised by regular people. Spiritual side: they didn’t believe in an afterlife, angels, or demons.
• Pharisees – Spiritual side: they believed all three were true. They were biblically sound and followed the Law, but added on many regulations to the law.

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Not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.

– John 11:52

• Caiaphas gave a prophecy of Jesus; Jesus will come back to earth. First, in the Rapture and then later, again, in the Second Coming.
• The Rapture – Jesus will call us to meet Him in the sky. – 1 Thess. 4:17
• The Second Coming – Jesus will come back to judge the world. – Rev. 1:7
• Israel was scattered to the corners of the earth, but they will all come back to Israel. – Mark 14:27, Matthew 24:31, Revelation 20:4-6

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So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.

– John 11:53

• Caiaphas gave an awesome prophecy, but he had no change of heart.
• The most “religious” people in the land were all completely against God.

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Jesus no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews

– John 11:54

• That was the last time Jesus would teach in Jerusalem.
• His own people, who He was sent to, rejected Him.
• He would return to Jerusalem; to be arrested and sent to His death.

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Now the Passover of the Jews was near

– John 11:55

• Passover – God set up the holiday for the Jewish people to remember the event when He saved and spared their children, by the blood of the lamb.
• Jesus would become the sacrificial lamb who would shed His blood to pay for the sins of the world. Their belief in Jesus would completely cleanse them of sin.

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Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it, so that they might arrest Him.

– John 11:56-57

• Jesus, in less than a week, would become the Passover Lamb for the entire world. He would head to Jerusalem one last time and be arrested, suffer, and die.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Would you consider yourself for Jesus or against Him? There is no middle ground.

It’s more than just a head knowledge about Jesus. It’s a close personal relationship.

Do you have the right Fear? The Fear of the Lord; that leads to wisdom. – Prov. 9:10

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SAVE THE DATES!

CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE

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MID-WEEK BIBLE STUDIES

Monday: No Bible Study. (resumes November 30)

Wednesday: Women’s Bible Study at church 7pm

Thursday: No Bible Study. (resumes TBD)

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YOUTH GROUP WEDNESDAY

No Youth Group. (resumes December 2)

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  2 Timothy 1:7 NLT

⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity,

but of power, love, and self-discipline.

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1. What are some of the miracles that Jesus has performed so far in John’s gospel? How is John’s gospel different than the other 3 gospel accounts we have in the Bible?

2. Who are the Pharisees and Sadducees and how do they differ?

3. Read John 11:47-52, what is the word for “signs” in the original language?

4. Who are the Sanhedrin in scripture?

5. What is the function of the “high priest” in the Bible (verse 49)?

6. What is faith? Why is faith important?

7. What does it mean to prophesy (verse 51)? What are some examples of prophecy in scripture?   Who are some of the prophets that the Bible mentions?

8. What are the Biblical requirements for a prophet in the Bible?

9. Does God still use prophecy today? Why or why not?

10. How can the Bible guide us from false teaching or prophecy today?

11. Read John 11:53-57, why do they want to kill Jesus (verse 53)?

12. What is the Passover?