John 11:45-57 - The Jewish Leaders Plot To Kill Jesus
45 Thus many of the Jews, who came to see Mary and who saw what Jesus had done, believed in Him; 46 but some of them went back to the Pharisees and told them what He had done.
47 So the high priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and began to say, "What are we to do? For this man is certainly performing many wonder-works. 48 If we let Him go on this way, everybody will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and blot out both our city and nation."
49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing about this; 50 you do not take into account that it is for your own welfare that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should be destroyed." 51 Now he did not say this on his own authority, but because he was high priest that year he uttered this prophecy from God, that Jesus was to die for the nation, 52 and not only for the nation, but also to unite the scattered children of God. 53 So from that day they plotted to kill Jesus. 54 It was for this reason that Jesus no more appeared in public among the Jews, but He left that part of the country and went to the district near the desert, to a town called Ephraim, and stayed there with His disciples.
55 Now the Jewish Passover was approaching, and many people from the country went up to Jerusalem, to purify themselves before the Passover. 56 So they kept looking for Jesus and saying to one another, as they stood in the temple, "What do you think? Do you think He will not come to the feast at all?" 57 Now the high priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone should learn where He was, he should let it be known so that they might arrest Him.