Many of the Hebrew people came to Bethany because they knew Jesus was there. The truth is, they did not only want to see Jesus, but also wanted to see Lazarus -whom Jesus had raised from the dead. With this large gathering of Hebrew people in and around Jerusalem in preparation for the Passover, the religious leaders of the Hebrews talked together about not only having Jesus delivered over to the Romans, but also having Lazarus killed. Jesus had caused problems for them before, but it was nothing compared to the stirring among the Hebrew nation after He had raised Lazarus back to life. The religious leaders of the Hebrews were concerned because many people were leaving their own religion and simply putting their trust in Jesus. They were abandoning the Temple to follow Jesus and listen to His teachings. (With the Passover near, these Hebrew leaders are looking for their opportunity to portray Jesus as the leader of a rebellion against Rome and have Him executed by the Roman officials in Jerusalem. And if they could get Lazarus "lumped-in" with Jesus, all the better for them. What these leaders mean for evil -knowing that Jesus was not leading a rebellion against Rome, God is using for good in order to orchestrate His plan of sacrifice and redemption for all people.) -John 12:9-11
Posted on: Thu, 29 Aug 2013 10:05:34 +0000