John 11:45-48 - What are we to do?

11:45,46

We see a division among the Jews. Many of them who had come with Mary believed. They had seen what had happened and so believed in Jesus, though with John one can never be quite sure how deep this belief went. However, not all of them believed, for others went to the Pharisees to tell them, “what Jesus had done”, and not in a good way! It is quite amazing how different people can react in such different ways to the same event, especially one where any rational view can only see it in a positive way. However, this second group were either guided by a hatred of Jesus, or a desire to keep in with the religious authorities.

11:47,48

The religious leaders reacted in their customary fashion. The magnitude of the miracle showed them that this matter was not going to go away. They feared that everyone would believe in Him, and then for the response of the Romans, and the effect on their own position. While the Romans were the overlords, the religious leaders were tolerated, and had quite a degree of power and influence. This is how regimes often operate, giving a little bit of power to various groups to keep them on side.