💫WEB · John 11:56
What does John 11:56 mean?
"Then they sought for Jesus and spoke one with another, as they stood in the temple, “What do you think—that he isn’t coming to the feast at all?”"
— John 11:56 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
So from that day forward they took counsel that they might put him to death.
Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews, but departed from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim. He stayed there with his disciples.
Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand. Many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.
Then they sought for Jesus and spoke one with another, as they stood in the temple, “What do you think—that he isn’t coming to the feast at all?”
Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had commanded that if anyone knew where he was, he should report it, that they might seize him.
Explanation
John 11:56 captures a moment of tense anticipation in Jerusalem shortly before the Passover feast. The verse describes people gathering at the temple, searching for Jesus, and speculating among themselves in the temple courts about whether he would even dare to show up for the festival. Their question—"What do you think—that he isn't coming to the feast at all?"—reveals a crowd caught between curiosity and caution, unsure whether Jesus would risk appearing publicly given the danger surrounding him.
The Gospel of John, traditionally attributed to the apostle John, was written to a community of believers to affirm that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and to strengthen their faith. This particular verse falls right after the raising of Lazarus (John 11:1-44), an event so dramatic that it caused many to believe in Jesus but also alarmed the Jewish religious authorities. In John 11:53, the Sanhedrin had already decided to put Jesus to death, and by verse 57, we learn that the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew Jesus's whereabouts should report it, so they could arrest him. So the crowd's speculation in verse 56 isn't idle gossip—it reflects genuine uncertainty in a climate of political and religious danger. People wondered if Jesus would avoid the feast altogether to escape the authorities who were hunting him.
Theologically, this verse highlights the mounting tension between Jesus's mission and the growing hostility against him. It shows how public opinion about Jesus had
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