The Great Commentary of Cornelius a Lapide: S. John
Origen says, “ They had learned nothing who had not learned Jesus ; as it is said, If thou knowest Jesus, it suffices, though thou knowest not other things. If thou knowest not Jesus, it is nought, though thou knowest all things besides.”
Ver. 51. — And this spake he . . . that Jesus should die for that nation : i.e., of the Jews.
Note, that Caiaphas, with the other chief priests being most hostile to Christ, wished out of private hate towards Him to speak out distinctly the same thing which the others secretly hinted at, but did not expressly state ; namely, that Christ must be taken out of the way for the safety of the people, that they might not be attacked by the Romans, as I have said. But the Spirit turned the force of his words, when he wished to speak in this sense, as high priest and head of the Church, to others in which he should express the contrary meaning, and should describe and strengthen a very true faith in Christ ; namely, that it was expedient that Christ should die for the people, for the salvation of the people ; and by His death, as if by the payment of a price, should redeem them from sin, from the devil, from death, and from hell, those, I say, who would otherwise perish eternally. For the words of Caiaphas properly and precisely signify this. For otherwise, according to the wicked intention towards Christ in the mind of Caiaphas, he ought rather to have said thus : “ It is expedient that one man, Jesus, should die, rather than the whole people : ” but now he does not say rather than but for (in behalf of) the people ; which properly signifies for the salvation of the people, that He may save the people : and although Caiaphas did not understand this, much less intend it, yet it being wonderfully suggested by the Holy Spirit, S. John here takes notice of it; and as he takes notice of it, so other sincere and honest men who were listening to Caiaphas might have noticed the same thing ; and just so may we.
Learn from this the great care which God has of His Church, and how He assists the Pontiff who is her head, especially under the new Law, which Christ her Head and Spouse instituted, sanctioned, and rules, lest at any time the Church which is His bride should go astray from the true faith.
Further, because Caiaphas did not understand this mystery he was not properly a prophet; and Origen observes that the Holy Ghost spoke through his mouth as the angel spoke to the disobedient Balaam by the mouth of the ass (Numb. xxii.) Caiaphas, then, most wickedly twisted the words of the Holy Spirit to the death of Christ. Wherefore S. Chrysostom says that the Holy Spirit moved the tongue of Caiaphas, not his heart.
You will say, Then Caiaphas here erred in the faith. I reply by denying the consequence. Yea he formally declared the true faith, namely, that it was expedient that Christ should die for the salvation of the world, as I have said. And though it be that he himself did not understand this, nor mean to say it — for he intended that Christ should be cut off lest, because of Him, the people (of the Jews) should be destroyed by the Romans — yet herein was his error contrary to justice and piety, and not in a matter pertaining to the faith. His error had to do with a political question, whether, namely, Christ should be put to death for the State, or not. Besides, the Jewish High Priest had not that infallible assistance of the Holy Ghost which the Christian High Priests have from Christ and after Christ. It is, moreover, especially to be borne in mind that at that time, Christ being come, the Jewish Synagogue was beginning to fall, and Christ’s Church to rise up in its place. For shortly after this Caiaphas with the whole council of the Sanhedrim proclaimed Jesus to be guilty of death as a false Messiah. This was an error in the Faith. Wherefore their Synagogue then ceased to be the Church of God, and began to be the synagogue of Satan which denied and slew the Christ which was sent by God.
Ver. 52. — And not for that nation only , &c. It is expedient that Christ should die ; not only for His and our nation, that is, for the Jews, but also for all the nations dispersed throughout the whole world, and who should believe in Him. For these are called children of God, not in actual fact, but in the foreknowledge and predestination of God ; because, that is to say, they were hereafter to be, by the grace of God, faithful men and saints, and therefore sons of God. So SS. Augustine and Chrysostom. This is what
Christ predicted in chap. x. ver. 16 : Other sheep I have , which are not of this fold (not of the Jewish synagogue) ; them also I must bring, and there shall be one fold, and one Shepherd.
Ver. 53. — Then from that day forth, &c. See here plainly appears the unrighteous disposition and meaning of Caiaphas and his associates .
Ver. 54. — Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews , freely, openly, publicly. S. Cyril says: “As God He knew what the Jews had determined on, though none of them declared it ; as man He withdrew Himself, because the hour of His death, decreed by His Father, had not yet come.” He did this to give an example to us, of avoiding peril to life by flight.
But went thence , &c. Leontius thinks Ephraim was Bethlehem, in which Christ had been born ; but this seems unlikely, because Bethlehem was near to Jerusalem, and Jesus knew that He would be specially sought there by the chief priests. S. Jerome, and after him Jansenius, think it was Ephron (2 Chron. xiii. 19). Others think that Ephraim was situated above Jericho, and beside the desert there; but Adrichomius places it about five miles towards the east from Bethel, about seven hours' [journey] distant from Jerusalem, beside the desert of Hai, not far from the brook Cherith, to which Elijah, flying from Jezebel, withdrew, and was fed there by ravens (1 Kings xvii. 5). Jesus withdrew thither, as well that He might avoid the rage of the chief priests for the time, as that He might have leisure in that retirement for prayer and contemplation, and thus strengthen and arm Himself for His approaching death, for the arduous contest with the chief priests — yea, more, with Lucifer — when He was upon the Cross.
Ephraim is symbolically the type of the Gentile Church. So
Origen says: “ Jesus was lately dwelling among the Jews, the Divine Word, that is to say, through the prophets ; but He departed, He is not among them, for He has entered a hamlet which is almost deserted, of which it is said, ‘ Many are the sons of the deserted one more than of the married : ’ for Ephraim is interpreted fertility. But Ephraim was the brother of Manasseh, of an elder people given over to forgetfulness; for after a people devoted to forgetfulness had been passed over, abundance has come forth from the Gentiles. The Lord then, departing from the Jews, came to a land nigh to the desert, a city called fruitful, the Church of the whole earth, and there He tarries with His disciples even until now.”
Typically, Ephraim, as situated beside the desert, is the symbol of a holy soul which has leisure for solitude and prayer ; for this becomes Ephraim — that is, fruitful in good works : wherefore Jesus tarries in it by His abundant grace.
Ver. 55. — And the Jews’ Passover was nigh at hand: viz., the last Passover to Christ, at which He Himself as the Paschal Lamb, was sacrificed for the salvation of the world ; and therefore He eagerly waited for it. The Syrians for Pascha say Peuho , which is interpreted gladness ; because this feast was more joyful than the others, even as to Christians it is so in the highest degree, because of our redemption made upon the Cross, and because of the resurrection.
And many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves ; to cleanse themselves by sacrifices and ceremonies from all actual uncleanness, and to prepare themselves by prayers and sacrifices to celebrate and eat the Passover rightly, as says S. Thomas and Jansen.
Ver. 56. — Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves as they stood in the Temple , What think ye, that He will not come to the feast? Wherefore did Jesus not come, according to His custom, to this common feast of the Passover? Certainly because as God He knew beforehand the snares prepared for Him there by the scribes. S. Augustine, Chrysostom, &c., think that this was the question of the chief priests, Pharisees, and of their adherents and assistants, who had determined to apprehend Jesus, and therefore began indignantly to demand: Why has Jesus not come to the feast of the Passover? Is this the way ye neglect the Passover? Will He be thus a contemner and violator of the law, the very charge which we bring against Him ? Then why does He not present Himself on these days before the Passover, and purify Himself as all others do, and so prepare Himself for so great a feast?