John 11:47

The chief priests therefore and the Pharisees gathered a council against Jesus. There is set forth first the conspiracy of the Jews, which arose on the occasion of the manifestation of Christ. The ambition of the rulers was united together with the malice of the …

1566 Next (v 47), the Evangelist mentions the effect of the miracle on the leaders. First, we have their evil conspiracy against Christ; secondly, we see how Christ escaped it (v 54). He does three things concerning the first. First, he mentions the gathering of …

Such a miracle as this should have drawn forth wonder and praise. But they make it a reason of plotting against His life: Then gathered the chief priests and Pharisees a council, and said, What do we?

It was necessary to be amazed and to marvel at the Lord when He was performing such miracles; the Pharisees, on the contrary, hold a council on how to destroy Him. What extreme madness! Him, Who in the bodies of others overcomes death, they think …

2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) 3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. 4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture

Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council,....

A council - A meeting of the Sanhedrin, or Great Council of the nation. See the notes at Mat 2:4. They claimed the right of regulating all the affairs of religion. See the notes at Joh 1:19. What do we? - What measures are we taking to arrest the progress of his sentiments? For this man doeth many miracles - If they admitted that he performed miracles, it was clear what they ought to do. They should have received him as the Messiah.

These concluding verses of the eleventh chapter of John contain a melancholy picture of human nature. As we turn away from Jesus Christ and the grave at Bethany, and look at Jerusalem and the rulers of the Jews, we may well say, "Lord, what is man?" We should observe, for one thing, in these verses, the desperate wickedness of man's natural heart. A mighty miracle was wrought within an easy walk of Jerusalem. A man four days dead was raised to life, in the sight of many witnesses.

I WILL make a preface out of the verse preceding our text—"Some of them"—that is, some of those who saw Lazarus raised from the dead, "went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What shall we do? For this Man does many miracles." Mr. Whitefield once raised a great storm against himself by saying that man, by nature, was little better than half beast and half devil.

These concluding verses of the eleventh chapter of John contain a melancholy picture of human nature. As we turn away from Jesus Christ and the grave at Bethany, and look at Jerusalem and the rulers of the Jews, we may well say, "Lord, what is man?" We should observe, for one thing, in these verses, the desperate wickedness of man's natural heart. A mighty miracle was wrought within an easy walk of Jerusalem. A man four days dead was raised to life, in the sight of many witnesses. The fact was unmistakable, and could not be denied; and yet the chief priests and Pharisees would not believe that He who did this miracle ought to be received as the Messiah. In the face of overwhelming evidence they shut their eyes, and refused to be convinced. "This man," they admitted, "does many miracles." But so far from yielding to this testimony, they only plunged into further wickedness, and "took counsel to put Him to death." Great, indeed, is the power of unbelief! Let us beware of supposing that miracles alone have any power to convert men's souls, and to make them Christians. The idea is a complete delusion. To fancy, as some do, that if they saw something wonderful done before their eyes in confirmation of the Gospel, they would at once cast off all indecision and serve Christ, is a mere idle dream. It is the grace of the Spirit in our hearts, and not miracles, that our souls require. The Jews of our Lord's day are a standing proof to mankind that men may see signs and wonders, and yet remain hard as stone. It is a deep and true saying, "If men believe not Moses and the Prophets, neither would they be persuaded though one rose from the dead." (Luke 16:31.) We must never wonder if we see abounding unbelief in our own times, and around our own homes.

I WILL make a preface out of the verse preceding our text—"Some of them"—that is, some of those who saw Lazarus raised from the dead, "went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What shall we do? For this Man does many miracles." Mr. Whitefield once raised a great storm against himself by saying that man, by nature, was little better than half beast and half devil. That was, certainly, a very strong expression, yet I question whether there are not abundant instances of conduct, on the part of men, which would be a disgrace even to beasts—and which would seem more in harmony with the character of the devil—and, in such cases, it would not be inappropriate if we were to say that man is altogether devil! Certainly, in his natural condition, he is altogether under the power of the prince of the air and, being led captive by Satan, he is oftentimes made to do the very worst of deeds. I am led to make this observation because the two verses which I have just read to you reveal some of the meanest conduct that has ever been recorded in human history! Here we have, first, a band of common informers—men who stood by the grave of Lazarus and heard that he had been dead four days—and who listened to the objection of the prudent Martha to the taking away of the stone because, she said, "by this time he stinks." These men had seen Lazarus come forth from the tomb at the call of Jesus. They had observed how the onlookers, at Christ's command, unwound the napkin and the grave clothes.

Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council - The Pharisees, as such, had no power to assemble councils; and therefore only those are meant who were scribes or elders of the people, in conjunction with Annas and his son-in-law Caiaphas, who were the high priests here mentioned. See Joh 18:13, Joh 18:24. What do we? - This last miracle was so clear, plain, and incontestable, that they were driven now to their wit’s end. Their own spies had come and borne testimony of it. They told them what they had seen, and on their word, as being in league with themselves against Jesus, they could confidently rely.