What does John 10:40 mean?
Jesus has just escaped another attempt on His life: nearly being stoned by the religious leaders of Jerusalem (John 10:22–31). Since He was cornered in a tight location, and besieged by hostile men, many believe this escape was supernatural, or a miracle in and of itself. All we know for sure is that Jesus successfully evades those trying to harm Him (John 10:32–39). That encounter is the last time Jesus will directly confront His critics in a public atmosphere prior to His crucifixion and resurrection.Here, Jesus returns to an area outside the easy reach of Jerusalem's scribes and Pharisees. It won't be long before He returns (John 11:7–16), and when He does so, His disciples will be very worried. The incident which prior verses described is one reason the men who hate Jesus are openly trying to kill Him. That, eventually, will be exactly what happens. Jesus will soon complete His divine mission by returning to Jerusalem for the Passover, where He'll be captured and executed through cooperation between religious Jews and the government of Rome.