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. But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus. John 12:9-11
In our last discussion, we considered the issue of being blinded by the light of the gospel (John 3:19-21; 2 Corinthians 4:4-6). We highlighted Plato’s allegory of the cave regarding the difficulty of learning things we previously did not understand. In the conclusion, the man who had been freed from his shadowy chains came back to free his fellow captives. Upon seeing the light, they were so enraged at him that they turned and attacked him. In this discussion, we will view some attempts to snuff out the light of the gospel.
In John 11, we find the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. This was the last and greatest of Jesus’ signs recorded in John’s gospel. Many of the Jews who witnessed the event came to faith in Him (John 11:45). The primary purpose of the miracles of Christ and the apostles was confirmation of His deity and the truth of the gospel (John 5:36; Mark 16:17-20; Hebrews 2:1-4). Obviously, the gospel’s light shines brightest in the demonstration of Jesus’ power over death (cf. Acts 17:31; Romans 1:4).
However, not everyone appreciated this truth. Upon hearing the report of these events, the chief priests and the Pharisees conspired together to put Jesus to death (John 11:46-57). In John 12:9-11, we see their plot expand from trying to destroy the miracle worker to trying to eliminate the one on whom the miracle had been performed. Later, Peter and John faced persecution from the same group of religious leaders for healing a lame man in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:1-22). Such was the pattern of the religious leaders when confronted with the reality of Jesus’ miracles.
What is fascinating and frightening about these efforts is that they did not deny the truthfulness and validity of the signs. In John 11:47-48, the chief priests and Pharisees held a council to discuss the threat Jesus posed. In these deliberations, they openly admitted that “…this Man works many signs.” In Acts 4:16, the chief priests and company openly admitted that a notable sign had been performed in full view of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Repeatedly, they attempted to snuff out the light of the gospel shining so brightly in these miraculous events. This begs the question as to why someone would admit the miraculous power of Jesus and His apostles but reject the implications of this reality, that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah.
We find the answer in the accounts of their plots. In John 11:48, they reasoned, “If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” In John 12:10-11, we learn they plotted to kill Lazarus because he was the evidence of Jesus’ power that led many of the Jews to go away and believe in Jesus. In Acts 4:17, we see their threats against Peter and John were intended to keep the gospel of Christ from spreading any further. They could not deny the light, so they sought to snuff it out.
While many are simply blinded by the light (2 Corinthians 4:4), others are enraged by it to the point of aggression. This has always been true, so we ought not to be surprised (John 15:18ff). We must be on our guard that we do not become offended by His light and try to snuff it out because it hurts our spiritual eyes. May we always be those who come to the light to have our deeds confirmed (John 3:21).