John 11:54 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.

NIV: Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.

NASB: Therefore Jesus no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews, but went away from there to the region near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples.

CSB: Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews but departed from there to the countryside near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and he stayed there with the disciples.

NLT: As a result, Jesus stopped his public ministry among the people and left Jerusalem. He went to a place near the wilderness, to the village of Ephraim, and stayed there with his disciples.

KJV: Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.

NKJV: Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

Here, as usual, the gospel of John uses the term "the Jews" in reference to Jerusalem's religious leaders, and those who loyally follow them. After Jesus' spectacular miracle of raising Lazarus (John 11:39–44), those leaders have responded by seeking His death (John 11:48–53). Earlier attempts to capture or kill Jesus were unofficial, and mostly uncoordinated (John 7:44–46; 10:39). Now, having met and decided as a Council, the religious leaders have imposed an "official" death sentence on Jesus, and will bring all their power to bear seeking to capture and kill Him. This, of course, still must happen privately, since riots and unrest are exactly what these men seek to avoid (Mark 12:12; Matthew 21:46).

This is not the first time Jesus has moved outside the influence of Jerusalem's religious leaders. After His prior argument, Jesus had also moved some distance away (John 10:39–40). That was why He was not present when Lazarus first became ill (John 11:1–3).

The situation described here makes upcoming events even more dramatic. Critics wonder if Jesus will come to Jerusalem for the upcoming Passover, on account of the danger (John 11:56). Jesus, for His part, is always moving and acting according to a divine timeline (John 7:6–8; Mark 14:41). That is one reason He has downplayed any grand announcement of His role as Messiah (Matthew 16:20; Mark 7:36). In what seems like a stunning reversal, Jesus will openly accept that title and praise as He enters Jerusalem in fulfillment of prophecy (John 12:12–19). Of course, this is not a change at all, but only the long-awaited arrival of that moment in time.

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.