John 11:47,48 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council,— The account which was given of Lazarus's resurrection raised the indignation of the rulers to the highest pitch. They assembled the sanhedrim, or great council of the nation forthwith, and, after consultation, blamed one another for having suffered Jesus to go so long unpunished: but this miracle being too evident to be denied, as indeed all his miracles were, they did not, even in their most private conferences, say or insinuate to one another, that their displeasure and opposition proceeded from his passing false miracles upon the ignorant vulgar; they rather condemned him upon the truth and notoriety of his miracles, pretending that they were designed to establish a new sect in religion, which might endanger, not their church only, but their state, our place, τον τοπον, our temple (see Acts 6:14; Acts 21:28.) and nation. Thus, though the Pharisees were his sworn enemies, they could not help giving him an ample testimony, even in full court. If we let him thus alone; say they, all men will believe on him, &c. "If we do not bestir ourselves to prevent it, the common people, astonished at his miracles, will certainly set him up for Messiah; and the Romans, on pretence of their rising in rebellion, will take away both our liberty and religion." They entered therefore into a resolution for putting Jesus to death at all hazards. But those politicians were taken in their own craftiness; for, while they proposed, by killing Jesus, to avoid the destruction of their temple and city, the sin which they committed in killing the Prince of Life was so great, that God, in his just indignation, made the very people, whose resentment they proposed to avoid by this wicked measure, the instruments of his vengeance. He brought the Roman armies against them, who destroyed the murderers, and burnt up their city; leaving, in that dreadful catastrophe, an awful warning to all statesmen to beware of prosecuting unjust measures, on pretence of consulting thegood of the nation whose affairs they direct. Again, the members of the Jewish council were not at all unanimous in their resolution of putting Jesus to death. Some of them, who were his disciples, (see ch. John 12:42.) particularly Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea, urged the unlawfulness of what they purposed to do, from the consideration of his miracles and his innocence; but the high-priest Caiaphas treated Christ's friends in the council with contempt, as weak, ignorant people, who were unacquainted with the nature of government, "which," said he, "requires that certain acts of injustice should not be scrupled at, when they are expedient for the safety of the state."