John 12:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.

NIV: Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.

NASB: The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not on account of Jesus only, but so that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead.

CSB: Then a large crowd of the Jews learned he was there. They came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, the one he had raised from the dead.

NLT: When all the people heard of Jesus’ arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead.

KJV: Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.

NKJV: Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.

The stated purpose of the gospel of John is providing proof that Jesus Christ is the divine Promised One (John 20:30–31). To this point, John has provided seven examples of miracles, numerous witnesses, extensive conversations, and other convincing points. People who lived during those times would have seen and heard even more. Among those amazing miracles was the raising of Lazarus, whom Jesus brought back to life after four days in a tomb (John 11:38–44). This occurred in the town of Bethany, extremely close to Jerusalem (John 11:18). Chapter 12 begins with a celebration in Bethany (John 12:1–2), which provides curious people the chance to go and see for themselves if Lazarus was truly alive.

John often uses the phrase "the Jews" to refer either to the religious leaders of Jerusalem or their immediate followers. In this case, he means the latter: the people of the city. Word of Lazarus' spectacular resurrection has led many of those people to come and visit. Apparently, for some of them, seeing was believing—they recognized what they saw as proof of Jesus' divine power and authority (John 12:11).

In response to Jesus' raising of Lazarus, groups like the Pharisees and Sadducees banded together to have Jesus killed (John 11:53). Not only are they willing to assassinate a miracle-worker, they're open to murdering an innocent man who was the subject of a miracle, as well (John 12:10).

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.

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.

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.