John 11:46

John 11:46, in plain English

But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

Why it's here

Even after witnessing the most incredible miracle, some chose to report Jesus to the authorities. Miracles alone don't change a closed heart.

Who's speaking

The narrator notes that some witnesses responded by informing the religious leaders.

Where it sits in the story

It's sobering: some people watched a dead man walk out of a tomb and their first thought was, 'I need to report this.' Evidence alone doesn't create faith.

The scholarly reading

However, some witnesses go to the Pharisees to report what Jesus has done—an ambiguous action that could reflect loyalty to the authorities or a desire to force their hand.

Language and setting

The division among witnesses mirrors the pattern throughout John (7:43, 9:16, 10:19). Even the most powerful sign cannot override the will's predisposition for or against Jesus.

Voice

The narrator reports that some witnesses chose to inform the Pharisees rather than believe.

Significance

The miracle that brought many to faith drives others to the authorities, setting in motion the chain of events that will lead to the Sanhedrin's decision to kill Jesus.

44The man who had been dead came out with his hands and feet bound in strips of linen, and his face wrapped in a cloth.

45Therefore many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in Him.

46But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

47Then the chief priests and Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs.

48If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

Read all of John 11 — Jesus weeps at a tomb. Then He calls a dead man out of it. The shortest verse in the Bible and the most powerful — separated by minutes.