# Seeking God, finding God: the importance of the one
*2009-04-03*

> Bill Young reflects on the high priest's decision to sacrifice Jesus for the sake of the nation and explores the danger of prioritizing the collective over the individual.

## The High Priest's Calculation

Today is Saturday of the fifth week of Lent. We are reading from the book 'Seeking God, Finding God: Meditations, Activities, and Prayers.' Our scripture reading is from John 11:49: 'You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.'

In the Gospel, this occurs right after Lazarus is raised from the dead. Many people visit Mary and Martha, marveling at what Jesus has done. Some return to the Pharisees to report these events. The Gospel doesn't explicitly say those reporting were against Jesus, but the high priest is terrified. He fears that the disturbance Jesus is causing might lead Rome to intervene, which could result in the destruction of the Temple and the holy place. To him, the logical conclusion was that it would be better for Jesus to die.

## The Fallacy of the Greater Good

Anyone who is a Star Trek fan will remember Spock sharing one of his basic Vulcan principles: the good of the many outweighs the good of the one. This is the same argument used by Caiaphas. 

Part of the sadness of this story is that the death of Jesus did not actually prevent the intervention of Rome or the destruction of the Temple. This serves as a historic, classic example of the futility and injustice of preemptive strikes. Sacrificing the good of one often leads to further tragedy, and in a spiritual sense, we risk crucifying Jesus again when we adopt this mindset.

## Applying the Lesson Today

If you are responsible for the well-being of any group—whether it is your family, a class, an organization, or a work team—focus today on how to care for the whole without sacrificing the needs of any one individual. While this is not always possible to achieve perfectly, it is possible to bring awareness and consideration to the task. In the groups you belong to, look for one way you can be more attentive to the needs of the individuals within.

*We must strive to care for the collective without sacrificing the dignity and needs of the individual.*