John 11:47 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, "What are we to do? For this man performs many signs.

NIV: Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. "What are we accomplishing?" they asked. "Here is this man performing many signs.

NASB: Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council meeting, and they were saying, 'What are we doing in regard to the fact that this man is performing many signs?

CSB: So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and were saying, "What are we going to do since this man is doing many signs?

NLT: Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together. 'What are we going to do?' they asked each other. 'This man certainly performs many miraculous signs.

KJV: Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.

NKJV: Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs.

A common claim among non-believers is that God has not provided enough evidence to warrant belief. Scripture counters this excuse, noting the evidence found in nature (Psalm 19:1) and human experience (Romans 1:18–20). The gospel of John debunks the "not enough evidence" mantra entirely. Jesus routinely points out the fact that it's stubbornness, not knowledge, that keeps certain critics from accepting His message (John 5:30–47). Those disbelievers are rejecting clear evidence (John 20:30–31), even when the miracles are beyond all rational doubt (John 11:39–44). The case of Lazarus is even something Jesus hinted at in previous arguments with those religious leaders (John 5:28).

The statement made in this verse starts out in the right direction: a gathering to discuss what has happened. It's clear that Jesus is performing "signs," which is exactly what Jesus intends His miracles to be. They are evidence of His power, divine approval, and godly nature. As the next verse shows, however, these men are not at all interested in following evidence (Mark 3:22–30). In short, they only meet to discuss "how do we counter this so we can keep our point of view?" This is not unique to the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' day: it's a response shared by many confronted with evidence or examples that challenge their worldview.

The agreed-upon solution, in this case, is violence. Jesus' critics are so sure He's wrong that they're willing to kill Him to stop what they see as a dangerous message from spreading (John 11:53). They're even willing to kill Lazarus (John 12:9–11). This proves the point made in one of Jesus' parables, that for some people, even a resurrection is not evidence enough (Luke 16:31).

John 11:45–57 follows Jesus' seventh and most spectacular miraculous ''sign,'' the resurrection of Lazarus. Amazingly, Jesus enemies are so hardened against Him that this miracle only inspires them to have Jesus killed even more quickly. This is one of many examples disproving the claim that non-believers merely lack sufficient evidence. Critics claim Jesus may incite rebellion and invite destruction from Rome. For the most part, however, Jesus is a threat to their pompous arrogance and positions of power. When Jesus maintains a low profile, the religious leaders give orders to find Him so He can be arrested. This sets in motion the critical events completing Jesus' sacrificial death.

Jesus has left the vicinity of Jerusalem to avoid hostile religious leaders. While gone, He receives word that a good friend, Lazarus, is sick. In fact, Lazarus has died by the time this message reaches Jesus. He purposefully waits a few days before returning to Bethany, arriving four days after Lazarus' burial. In front of Lazarus' mourning sisters—who Jesus weeps with—and an assembled crowd, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead in a stirring and spectacular miracle. This is the seventh of John's seven ''signs'' of Jesus' divine power. In response, religious leaders coordinate in their effort to have Jesus murdered.

After giving sight to a man born blind (John 9), Jesus sparred with religious leaders on at least two occasions (John 10). After another failed arrest attempt, Jesus left the area and went out where Jerusalem's politics had little influence. In this chapter, He returns to resurrect a recently-departed friend, Lazarus. That results in a renewed commitment from Jerusalem's religious leaders to have Jesus murdered. As the crucifixion draws near, Jesus will stage His triumphal entry in chapter 12, and then begin His final teachings to the disciples.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.