One Man for the Whole World: Understanding God's Redemptive Plan

One Man for the Whole World: Understanding God's Redemptive Plan

There's a profound truth woven throughout Scripture that challenges our understanding of loss and gain, sacrifice and salvation. It's found in an unlikely place—in the scheming words of religious leaders who sought to destroy Jesus, yet unknowingly proclaimed the very gospel they tried to suppress.

The Fear of Losing Everything

In John 11, we encounter a pivotal moment. Jesus has just raised Lazarus from the dead, and the religious establishment is in crisis mode. The chief priests and Pharisees gather in emergency council, asking themselves: "What shall we do? This man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."

Here's the irony that should arrest our attention: they feared losing everything by embracing Jesus, when in reality, they lost everything by rejecting Him. Within a generation, Rome would destroy the temple, sack Jerusalem, and scatter the Jewish people—the very catastrophe they tried to prevent by eliminating Jesus.

This reveals a timeless spiritual principle: whatever we try to save by rejecting Jesus, we ultimately lose. Whatever we surrender to Jesus, we ultimately gain.

Jesus Himself taught this in Matthew 16:25: "Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." It's the upside-down economy of the Kingdom of God, where losing is winning, dying is living, and surrender is victory.

The Prophecy Hidden in Evil Schemes

Then something remarkable happens. Caiaphas, the high priest, speaks words that carry far more weight than he realizes: "You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish."

On the surface, this is cold political calculation—sacrifice one troublemaker to preserve the status quo. But Scripture pulls back the curtain to reveal something extraordinary: "He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one."

Here we see God's sovereignty at work in breathtaking fashion. An ungodly man, motivated by self-preservation and political expediency, becomes the unwitting messenger of the gospel itself. His words, intended for evil, carry divine truth: one man would indeed die for the whole world.

This is the scandal and glory of the cross—Jesus, the Just One, dying for the unjust. As 1 Peter 3:18 declares, "Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." Hebrews 2:9 adds that Jesus "by the grace of God might taste death for everyone."

A Global Gospel for a Broken World

The death of Jesus wasn't a local event with limited implications. It was—and is—a global gospel for the entire world. Revelation 5:9 celebrates this reality: "You were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation."

This is why the gospel must go forth. Not just to our neighborhoods, not just to our nation, but to the uttermost parts of the earth. The message that one man died for the whole world demands a global response. Every tribe, every tongue, every people group must hear that Jesus tasted death so they don't have to face the second death—eternal separation from God.

The salvation Jesus purchased isn't limited by geography, ethnicity, or social status. Romans 1:16 proclaims: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile."

When Evil Plots Meet Divine Sovereignty

Perhaps the most comforting truth in this passage is how God accomplishes His eternal purposes even through evil schemes. The religious leaders plotted Jesus' death to preserve their power. They meant it for evil. But God meant it for good.

This echoes Joseph's words to his brothers in Genesis 50:20: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."

That little word "but" changes everything. Yes, they plotted evil—but God. Yes, circumstances seem dark—but God. Yes, you've been mistreated, misrepresented, forgotten—but God.

God never vacates His throne. He never takes a day off from His sovereign rule. Even when evil schemes swirl around us, even when we're the target of injustice or malice, we serve a God who is constantly accomplishing His redemptive purposes through the very things meant to destroy us.

This doesn't excuse evil or minimize pain. It doesn't mean we pretend wrong is right. Like Joseph, we can acknowledge: "You meant evil against me." But we can also declare with confidence: "But God meant it for good."

The Call to Respond

This brings us to the most important question: Where do you stand in God's redemptive plan? Have you called on the name of Jesus to be your Savior?

Notice the emphasis: not just believing in your mind, not just admiring from a distance, but actually calling on Jesus. Romans 10:13 promises: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Calling on Jesus means acknowledging your need, confessing your sin, and asking Him to save you. It means surrendering your life, your plans, your pride to the One who died in your place.

Some people worry that following Jesus means losing their freedom, giving up too much, bearing too many burdens. But the commands of God aren't burdens—they're guardrails that protect us and bless us. Real bondage is doing whatever we want, enslaved to our own desires and nature. Real freedom is found in surrender to Jesus.

Living on the Right Side of "But God"

The challenge for believers is to live on the right side of that divine conjunction. When trials come, when schemes are plotted against us, when circumstances seem overwhelming, we must remember: but God.

Don't abandon your faith when things get difficult. Don't quit on God when you feel mistreated. Don't lay down your calling when opposition rises. Stay faithful. Keep praying. Keep believing. Keep sharing the gospel.

We serve a sovereign God who never misses, never makes mistakes, and never loses control. Even when we can't see His plan, even when we don't understand His ways, we can trust that He is working all things together for our good and His glory.

The same God who turned the cross—history's greatest evil—into humanity's greatest hope is still at work today. One man died for the whole world. That changes everything.