I den tradisjonelle kalenderen er hele pasjonstida (fra søndag før palmesøndag) fokusert på motstanden mot Jesus og hans lidelse. Slik leste vi til messen og matutin på fredag etter pasjonssøndag:
Johannes 11:47-54
Da kalte overprestene og fariseerne Rådet sammen, og de sa: «Hva skal vi gjøre? Denne mannen gjør mange tegn. 48 Lar vi ham holde på slik, vil snart alle tro på ham. Så kommer romerne og tar både det hellige sted og folket vårt.» 49 En av dem, Kaifas, han som var øversteprest det året, sa da: «Dere skjønner ingen ting. 50 Dere tenker ikke på at det er bedre for dere at ett menneske dør for folket enn at hele folket går til grunne.» 51 Dette sa han ikke av seg selv, men da han var øversteprest det året, talte han profetisk om at Jesus skulle dø for folket. 52 Ja, han skulle ikke bare dø for folket; han skulle også samle til ett de Guds barn som er spredt omkring. 53 Fra denne dagen la de planer om å drepe ham. 54 Derfor gikk ikke Jesus åpenlyst omkring blant jødene, men drog vekk derfra ut til landet i nærheten av ødemarken, til en by som heter Efraim. Der ble han nå sammen med sine disipler.Homily by St Augustin, Bishop of Hippo. – 49th Tract on John.
The chief Priests and the Pharisees took counsel together, but Let us believe in Him was not one of the suggestions offered. Those lost creatures thought much more how they might hurt and undo Him, than how they might save themselves from perishing. And yet they were afraid, and took counsel together, and said What do we? For this Man doeth many miracles. If we let Him thus alone, all men will believe on Him; and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and our nation. They were afraid of losing temporal things, but they gave no thought to eternal life, and so they lost both.For, after that the Lord had suffered and been glorified, first came the Romans, and took away both their place and nation, prevailing against them and leading them away captive, and secondly there followeth them that which is written But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness. Matth. viii. 12. But their fear was that, if all men should believe on Christ, none would remain to defend the city of God and His Temple against the Romans, since they deemed that Christ’s teaching was against the Temple itself, and against the laws of their fathers.
And one of them, named Caiphas, being the High Priest that same year, said unto them: Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself but being High Priest that year, he prophesied. Here we will learn that bad men are enabled by the spirit of prophecy to foretell the future; which, at the same time, the Evangelist attributeth to an ordinance of God, namely, that he was the High Priest.