John 12:10 - Printer Friendly

What does John 12:10 mean?

ESV: So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well,

NIV: So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well,

NASB: But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also,

CSB: But the chief priests had decided to kill Lazarus also,

NLT: Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too,

KJV: But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death;

NKJV: But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also,

Verse Commentary:

When Jesus raised Lazarus from death (John 12:1), He did so in front of a large crowd of witnesses (John 11:38–44). And, He did it right in the faces of His most ardent critics, only two miles away in Jerusalem (John 11:18). As a result, many of the people who normally followed those religious leaders—referred to by John as "the Jews"—have come to Bethany to see if the rumors are true. Of course, they find that Lazarus, who was dead for four days and being publicly mourned (John 11:31), is alive again (John 12:9). That leads many to accept that Jesus is divine and empowered with God's will (John 12:11).

The local religious leaders, however, have already committed themselves to having Jesus killed (John 11:53). Despite all the evidence Jesus has given them, they stubbornly refuse to accept the truth (John 5:39–40). In fact, their resolve to murder Jesus was only strengthened when He raised Lazarus. What should have been the most obvious proof became their most hated incident. That hatred is so strong that the same men, labelled here as the "chief priests," will seek to have Lazarus killed, as well.

Scripture often points out that "lack of evidence" is never a valid excuse for rejecting God. The problem is not a lack of proof (Romans 1:18–20; Psalm 19:1), but a lack of willingness to believe. Incidents such as this demonstrate that problem in graphic terms.

The gospel of John was written to catalog evidence that Jesus is divine (John 20:30–31). Those who were there in person to see and hear Jesus had access to all those moments, plus countless other forms of evidence (John 21:25). How a person responds to evidence is decided—first and foremost—by their own sincerity. For some people, there is no such thing as "enough evidence," because their minds are already made up.

Jesus' critics have already proven they are willing to ignore miracles (John 5:10; Mark 3:22), and Scripture (John 5:39–40), and the testimony of others (John 9:30–34). Now, rather than accept a miracle, Jesus' enemies are willing to assassinate an innocent man, because his existence is inconvenient.

Scripture does not tell us whether the plot to kill Lazarus succeeded. Tradition—not the Bible—indicates that Lazarus fled Judea after the resurrection of Christ, arriving in Kition on Cyprus, becoming a bishop. One traditional account suggests his tombstone was inscribed with the quip, "Lazarus, four days dead, friend of Christ." In truth, we don't know for sure what happened to him. This represents another difference between Scripture and myth: those touched with miracles, such as Lazarus, are not credited with special significance later on, or endowed with echoes of divine power. They're still ordinary people, with extraordinary stories.

John 12:9–11 shows how committed Jesus' enemies are to rejecting His message. In chapter 11, Jesus raised Lazarus from death in a public, unmistakable miracle. Rather than accepting this proof of His divinity, local religious leaders committed to having Jesus killed. Here, they show that they're also willing to murder the resurrected man, since he's living proof of Jesus' power. Any question about the sincerity of Jesus' religious critics is laid to rest here: they're literally willing to kill the innocent, and cover up evidence, in order to oppose Him.

Chapter Summary:

Jesus is treated to an honorary dinner at the home of Lazarus, whom He has recently raised from death. At this dinner, Lazarus' sister, Mary, anoints Jesus with expensive oil. Jesus then enters Jerusalem to great fanfare, stoking fears that His popularity will attract the anger of the Roman Empire. That anger even inspires a murder plot against Lazarus. After being approached by non-Jewish seekers, Jesus offers a final plea for people to understand His ministry. In effect, these are the last public words spoken by Jesus in the gospel of John.

Chapter Context:

In the prior chapter, Jesus spectacularly raised Lazarus from death in front of a crowd of witnesses. This inspired local religious leaders to commit to having Him killed. Here, after a celebratory dinner where Jesus is anointed with oil, He will fulfill prophecy by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, celebrated with shouts of ''Hosanna'' and a massive crowd. This leads to a group of curious non-Jews approaching Him. Christ then offers a final plea for belief in Him and His message. After this, His ministry will turn to preparing the disciples for His impending death and resurrection. The next several chapters of the gospel of John are almost entirely made up of his teachings to these men.

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.

Accessed 4/30/2024 5:11:33 PM