riendly to Jesus and who would
have readily denied the miracle had they been able. God was glorified
and the divinity of the Son of Man was vindicated in the result.

THE HIERARCHY GREATLY AGITATED OVER THE MIRACLE.[1032]

As in connection with most of our Lord's public acts--while some of
those who heard and saw were brought to believe in Him, others rejected
the proffered lesson and reviled the Master--so with this mighty
work--some were stirred to faith and others went their ways each with
mind darkened and spirit more malignant than ever. Some of those who had
seen the dead man raised to life went immediately and reported the
matter to the rulers, whom they knew to be intensely hostile toward
Jesus. In the parable we have recently studied, the spirit of the rich
man pleaded from his place of anguish that Lazarus, the once pitiable
beggar, be sent from paradise to earth, to warn others of the fate
awaiting the wicked, to which appeal Abraham replied: "If they hear not
Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose
from the dead."[1033] Now a Lazarus had been in reality raised from the
dead, and many of the Jews rejected the testimony of his return and
refused to believe in Christ through whom alone death is overcome. The
Jews tried to get Lazarus into their power that they might kill him and,
as they hoped, silence forever his testimony of the Lord's power over
death.[1034]

The chief priests, who were mostly Sadducees, and the Pharisees with
them assembled in council to consider the situation created by this
latest of our Lord's great works. The question they discussed was: "What
do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all
men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both
our place and nation." As stated by themselves, there was no denying the
fact of the many miracles wrought by Jesus; but instead of earnestly and
prayerfully investigating as to whether these mighty works were not
among the predicted characteristics of the Messiah, they thought only of
the possible effect of Christ's influence in alienating the people from
the established theocracy, and of the fear that the Romans, taking
advantage of the situation, would deprive the hierarchs of their "place"
and take from the nation what little semblance of distinct autonomy it
still possessed. Caiaphas, the high priest,[1035] cut short the
discussion by saying: "Ye know nothing at all."