45 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.
The concluding verses of this chapter set forth the aftermath of the climatic miracle of Jesus, the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. Some accepted Jesus as the Messiah and others rejected Him. Thus, the seventh miracle of Jesus brought the Jews to a decisive point. There was a plot to kill Jesus in verses 45-57.
There are two responses to the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead:
Some believed in Jesus.
Others rejected Him as Messiah.
11:45
Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.
“Many” of the Jews who came to Mary to console her believed on Jesus because of the resurrection or resuscitation of Lazarus. Evidently the consoling crowd was more concerned for Mary than for Martha, Mary being more emotional.
11:46
But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.
Another group had a different opinion of Jesus. Some, at the raising of Lazarus, rejected Jesus and reported what happened to the Pharisees. Both the chief priests and Pharisees decided to hold an emergency session of the Sanhedrin to deal with Jesus.
PRINCIPLE:
Jesus divides people on the issue of truth.
APPLICATION:
There will always be people who will align with those who hate Jesus. Jesus’ claims for Himself always divide people. Some will be repelled at His message. Others, of course, will embrace Jesus by believing on Him.
Simple faith in Christ and His sacrifice for sins is the only condition for salvation (Jn 14:6; Ac 4:12). There will always be those who reject Christ because of their unadulterated unbelief in the face of clear evidence, such as the raising of Lazarus.
