John 11:45 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him,

NIV: Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

NASB: Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him.

CSB: Therefore, many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what he did believed in him.

NLT: Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen.

KJV: Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.

NKJV: Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.

Jesus has just performed the seventh of seven "signs" as recorded in the gospel of John (John 20:30–31). This was the most highly-arranged of Jesus' miracles. Raising Lazarus for the sake of witnesses was His intent all along (John 11:11–15). He deliberately waited until death was beyond all doubt (John 11:39). and made a clear statement that He was operating with divine power (John 11:41–42). In response to His command, a dead man came back to life and was restored to his family (John 11:43–44).

Another part of the spectacle is the crowd of witnesses. When Lazarus' sister made a hasty exit, curious mourners followed her (John 11:31). These were locals and neighbors from in and around Jerusalem (John 11:18–19). A major factor in this miracle's impact was the presence of these otherwise-neutral observers (John 11:35–37). John's choice of terms here is not an accident. In this gospel, he uses the phrase "the Jews" to refer to the religious leaders of Jerusalem and their immediate followers.

Many who witnessed Jesus' unmistakable miracle interpret it exactly the way they were meant to: as a sign of Jesus' divine authority. Contrary to the claim that some people "just need evidence," the reaction of others shows that even obvious miracles aren't enough for the stubborn (Luke 16:31). At least some react with skepticism and "tattle" to their leaders (John 11:46). Those leaders, for the most part, respond to extreme evidence of Christ's identity with extreme violence (John 11:53; 12:9-11). Seeing some of their own converted to Jesus' side would have been enraging for these proud men.

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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.