Two consequences of a Sanhedrin

"From that day [the members of the Sanhedrin] consulted together to put him to death. Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews ; But he went from thence to the land which is by the wilderness into a city called Ephraim ; And he stayed there with the disciples." John 11: 53-54

On several occasions during his ministry the Lord was the object of a violent hatred of the Jews. In the only gospel according to John, they seek to kill him, take stones to stone him, try to seize him and force him to hide. The eight mentions to which these facts are related prove that this antipathy was a latent state among the Pharisees, among the chief priests, and in a large proportion of the population.

The verse quoted indicates, however, a progression in the determination to eliminate the importunity that disrupts the established religious system. The Pharisees, whose hypocrisy, formalism and avarice are revealed, obtain the support of the chief priests for the convocation of the Sanhedrin where the pleading of Caiaphas carries the decision : Jesus the Nazarene must die. The question now is how to achieve this goal. It is therefore not only the occasional rage of the Lord that is exposed, but a duly approved objective of the Supreme Court. This is the first continuation of this meeting.

There follows a second consequence: Jesus does not openly walk among the Jews, but withdraws near the desert. Let us not deduce from this retreat that the Lord feared being caught, imprisoned or even stoned. He knows perfectly well that "his hour" is approaching (John 13: 1), but nothing can alter the divine plan (John 7: 8) and it is only at Passover that he, the Lamb of God, Will offer as a sacrifice.

The Lord is careful not to provoke his enemies by his presence ; He retires to Ephraim. Confronted with the aversion of determined adversaries, it is effaced, perfectly protected by God alone. "I heard ... when they consulted together against me : they plot to take my life. But I, O Jehovah, have trusted in thee; I said, You are my God. My times are in your hand "(Ps. 31: 13-15). This example of the wisdom and trust of the Lord is already a reality for many brothers persecuted in some countries. It could become so for us too !

Source (Please the Lord)