John 11:49

Caiaphas] In full Joseph C, a Sadducee. See on Matthew 26:3. That same year] i.e. high priest in that memorable year in which Jesus was crucified. The expression does not imply that the high-priesthood was an annual office. Ye know nothing] see John 18:14. Caiaphas speaks somewhat contemptuously of the Pharisees—'You Pharisees have no policy to offer. We Sadducees have a very definite one. Jesus must die, in our interests, and yours, and in the interests of the national existence.'

51, 52. Of old the high priest had declared the divine will by Urim and Thummim (Exodus 28:30, etc.). The prophetic power, long withdrawn, is restored for a moment, just as the Levitical priesthood was about to be abolished by the one offering of Christ upon the cross. Die for (i.e. on behalf of) that nation] The high priest unwittingly proclaimed Jesus as the true paschal lamb, whose blood would atone for the sins of the world. By sacrificing Jesus he brought about a blessing of which he never dreamed (the remission of sins), and compassed for the nation the very evil which he sought to avert (the loss of national existence).