Bob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - John 12:9 - 12:11

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Bob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - John 12:9 - 12:11


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Joh_12:9-11

9The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. 10But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also; 11because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus.

Joh_12:9 "The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there" This is an unusual use of the term "Jews" in John. Usually it refers to the religious leaders in opposition to Jesus. However, in Joh_11:19; Joh_11:45; Joh_12:17, it seems to refer to the townspeople of Jerusalem who were friends of Lazarus and had come to his funeral.

Joh_12:10 "the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also" They wanted to remove the evidence! Their motives were fear (cf. Joh_11:48) and jealousy (cf. Joh_11:48; Joh_12:11).

They must have thought Jesus' act of resuscitation was an isolated, rare event. The blindness and bias of these Jewish leaders reflect the darkness of fallen humanity.

Joh_12:11 This relates back to Joh_11:45. See Special Topic: John's Use of the Verb "Believe" at Joh_2:23.