So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The chief priests' decision to plot Lazarus's death reveals their desperate attempt to silence the undeniable evidence of Jesus' power, showing that religious authority can devolve into a terrifying willingness to commit murder to maintain control and deny inconvenient truths. Their focus on eliminating the witness, rather than confronting the miracle itself, highlights the depth of their willful blindness and the lengths to which they would go to preserve their own position.
So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Following Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the religious authorities were deeply troubled because many people were now associating with Jesus, partly due to the astonishing miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead. This overwhelming evidence of Jesus' power made the chief priests so desperate that they began plotting to kill Lazarus too, seeing him as another obstacle to their plans against Jesus.
Why would religious leaders, of all people, plot to murder someone who was a living testament to God's power? This verse reveals the terrifying lengths unbelief will go to.
The chief priests' decision to plot Lazarus's death is a stark illustration of how hardened hearts, when confronted with undeniable divine intervention, can resort to extreme measures.
A Threat to Their Authority
Lazarus wasn't just a resurrected man; he was a living billboard for Jesus's divinity. His presence in Jerusalem, especially during the Passover feast, drew crowds. These crowds weren't just curious; many were convinced by Lazarus's very existence and turned to believe in Jesus (John 12:11). For the chief priests, who were already determined to get rid of Jesus, Lazarus represented a potent threat to their control and their carefully constructed religious order.
The Madness of Fighting God
It's almost incomprehensible that they would target Lazarus. He had no crime, no political agenda. The only 'offense' was that he was alive and proved Jesus's power. The commentators highlight this as a form of "insane fury" and "desperate enmity against God." They couldn't deny the miracle, so their only recourse was to try and erase the evidence, even if it meant committing a heinous crime against an innocent man. It shows that when people reject God's truth, they often end up fighting against God Himself.
Lazarus's resurrection wasn't just a personal miracle; it became a powerful testament that the religious elite desperately wanted to silence. What does this teach us about the impact of God's work in our lives?
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Lazarus, by simply being alive, served as a profound witness to Jesus's power. His resurrection was an undeniable miracle that drew people to faith.
A Living Testimony
Before this point, the crowds were responding to Jesus's teachings and miracles. But Lazarus’s resurrection was on another level. He was a man brought back from the dead, a public display of divine power. People came not just to see Jesus, but specifically to see Lazarus, the man who had been dead and was now alive. This living testimony was incredibly effective, causing many to believe in Jesus (John 12:11).
The Elite's Fear
The chief priests understood the impact Lazarus had. His very existence was a direct challenge to their authority and their denial of the resurrection. Their fear wasn't just about losing followers; it was about the truth being powerfully proclaimed in a way they couldn't control or suppress. Silencing Lazarus was an attempt to extinguish the light his testimony shone.
Understand the original words
archiereus · Greek Noun
The leaders of the Jewish temple hierarchy; they held significant political and religious authority and were the primary instigators in the plot to execute Jesus.
Ioudaioi · Greek Noun
Refers to the Jewish people as an ethnic or religious group, often used in John's Gospel to represent those who are either struggling to understand Jesus' identity or are in opposition to His ministry.
pisteuontes · Greek Verb
A fundamental spiritual response to the Gospel, involving personal trust, reliance, and commitment to Jesus Christ as the Savior and Son of God, leading to eternal life.
The chief priests' plot against Lazarus highlights their desperate attempt to silence the irrefutable evidence of Jesus' divine power, even resorting to murder to preserve their own authority and beliefs, particularly their rejection of the resurrection.
c. AD 30— this verse
Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead
Jesus performs the miraculous resurrection of Lazarus, an event witnessed by many and deeply unsettling to the religious authorities.
c. AD 30
Chief priests and Pharisees plot Jesus' death
Following Lazarus' resurrection and growing popular support for Jesus, the chief priests and Pharisees, including the Sadducees among them, formally conspire to have Jesus killed.
c. AD 30
Jesus enters Jerusalem triumphantly
Thousands flock to Jerusalem for the Passover feast, many inspired by the news of Lazarus' resurrection, and welcome Jesus as a king, further alarming the authorities.
c. AD 30
Jesus is arrested and tried
Jesus is betrayed, arrested, and subjected to a series of trials before the Jewish Sanhedrin and Roman authorities.
c. AD 30
Jesus is crucified
Jesus is condemned and crucified by the Romans, an event intended to quell the unrest and eliminate the perceived threat.
Pharaoh's magicians, like the chief priests here, used deception and false signs to oppose God's power, highlighting a consistent theme of opposition to divine truth.
1 Samuel 18:8King Saul's murderous envy of David for his popularity mirrors the chief priests' murderous envy of Lazarus for being a testament to Jesus' power.
Acts 5:17-18The Sadducees, a prominent group among the chief priests, were also filled with jealousy and hostility towards the apostles, showing a pattern of religious leaders persecuting those who did God's work.
2 Timothy 3:8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, these chief priests opposed God's messengers, illustrating how ungodly people resist divine truth with stubborn and malicious hearts.
barnesJohn 12:10: "But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death;"
That they might put Lazarus also to death - When men are determined not to believe the gospel, there is no end to the crimes to which they are driven. Lazarus was alive, and the evidence of his resurrection was so clear that they could not resist it. They could neither deny it, nor prevent its effect on the people. As it was determined to kill Jesus, so they consulted about the propriety of removing Lazarus…
calvinJohn 12:9-15: "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."
- Then a great multitude of the Jews knew that he was there, and came, not on account of Jesus only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. 10. Now the chief priests consulted, that they might put Lazarus also to death; 11. For many of the Jews on his account went away, and beli…
The chief priests' decision to plot Lazarus's death reveals their desperate attempt to silence the undeniable evidence of Jesus' power, showing that religious authority can devolve into a terrifying willingness to commit murder to maintain control and deny inconvenient truths. Their focus on eliminating the witness, rather than confronting the miracle itself, highlights the depth of their willful blindness and the lengths to which they would go to preserve their own position.
Following Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the religious authorities were deeply troubled because many people were now associating with Jesus, partly due to the astonishing miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead. This overwhelming evidence of Jesus' power made the chief priests so desperate that they began plotting to kill Lazarus too, seeing him as another obstacle to their plans against Jesus.
Following Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the religious authorities were deeply troubled because many people were now associating with Jesus, partly due to the astonishing miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead. This overwhelming evidence of Jesus' power made the chief priests so desperate that they began plotting to kill Lazarus too, seeing him as another obstacle to their plans against Jesus.
"So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus." — The chief priests' decision to plot Lazarus's death reveals their desperate attempt to silence the undeniable evidence of Jesus' power, showing that religious authority can devolve into a terrifying…
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Last reviewed October 2026