Jewish high priest, in the time of our Lord, had any power of prophesying.
I believe that the verses before us are very elliptical, and re- quire much to be supplied in order to convey the meaning of St. John. The only satisfactory sense I can put upon the passage will be found in the following free paraphrase.
[This spake he not of himself '.] He spoke these words, though he was not aware of it, under the influence of an overruling power, making him say things of far deeper meaning than he was conscious of himself. As Ecolampadius says, " God used him as an instrument." (See Isa. x. 15.)
[But being high priest that year, he prophesied.} He spoke words which, as the event showed afterwards, were eminently prophetical ; and the fact that they fell from his lips when he was high priest made them more remarkable, when afterwards remembered and noted.
[That Jesus should die for that nation.'] He actually foretold, though the fulfilment was in a manner very different from his intentions, that Jesus would die for the benefit of the Jewish nation.
[And not for that nation only, etc.'] And He also foretold what was practically fulfilled afterwards, though in a way marvellous- ly unlike what he thought, — that Jesus would not only die for the Jewish nation, but for the benefit of all God's children at pres- ent scattered all over the world.
The utmost, in fact, that I can make of John's explanatory comment, is that he remarks on the extraordinary manner in which Caiaphas' words proved true, though in a way that he never intended, wished, or expected. He lets fall a saying on a great public occasion, which comes from his lips with great authority, on account of his office as high priest. That saying was afterwards fulfilled in the most marvellous manner by the overruling providence of God, but in a way that the speaker never dreamed of. The thing was afterwards remembered and remarked on; and it seemed, says St. John, as if being high priest that year, he was miraculously compelled by the Holy Ghost to prophesy the redemption of mankind, at the very time that he thought he was only speaking of putting Christ to death. Caiaphas, in short, meant nothing but to advise the murder of Christ. But the Holy Ghost obliged him unconsciously to use words which were a most remarkable prediction of Christ's death bringing life to a lost world.
The Greek word rendered "should die," would be more literally, " was about to die." It simply expresses a future coming event.
The "children of God scattered abroad," I believe, mean the elect of God among the Gentiles. They are put in contrast