Overview:

Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent

A Reflection for Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent

But one of them, Caiaphas,
who was high priest that year, said to them,
“You know nothing,
nor do you consider that it is better for you
that one man should die instead of the people,
so that the whole nation may not perish.”
He did not say this on his own.”

Find today’s readings here.

Coming to the right answer for the wrong reasons is an experience I’m sure we can all relate to. Sitting in math class, banging your head against the desk, trying to figure out how to solve the difficult problem on a test or quiz and you write down an answer that happens to be correct. Of course, then when the instructor asks you to show your work you don’t have the correct steps to get there. Caiaphas, the high priest, has this problem in today’s Gospel. 

Caiaphas says that it is better for Jesus to die than for the entire nation to die. The Gospel interprets this prediction by Caiaphas as prophecy—and one he isn’t entirely aware of. We know that this idea of Jesus dying for a nation and bringing together the children of God will happen soon at his crucifixion, but the high priest does not understand all of this when he speaks. Though his motives are imperfect, he lands on a statement that is accidentally prophetic. Caiaphas is like the student attempting to solve a problem on the test that he is not completely prepared for.

It feels like God is consistently guiding us to the right answer. Sometimes I find the answers in my life come before the steps. I have to show my work after God has presented the solution to a problem. It’s easy to make the wrong decision, but God is often attempting to teach us something even within these bad calls. 

I might not be trying to keep power away from a supposed prophet, but I do think there are times where God has led me to the right answer through the wrong decisions. Perhaps the best example of this has been with those I choose to surround myself with. In high school, the group of friends I chose to give my time to was in many ways toxic, but I still wanted to be included by these people despite the many issues and arguments the group faced. Eventually the group imploded, but my desire for comradery and friendship did not go unanswered. God put new people in front of me who lifted me up and helped me see a better way to go about friendships. I received an answer from God; it just was not in the way I expected.

God’s plan is a mystery to all of us. We’re not supposed to know exactly what his will is, and many times the manner in which we are led and spoken to by God can seem backwards. However, by looking to an unlikely source, Caiaphas, one might be able to see how God is showing his work.

William Gualtiere is an O'Hare Fellow at America.