John 11:53-57 (WEL) So, from that day, they followed the counsel to kill him. 54 As a result, Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews but went from there to a place near the wilderness to a city called Ephraim, and he stayed there with his disciples. 55 The Jews’ Passover was approaching, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to ceremonially purify themselves. 56 They were looking for Jesus and kept saying to one another as they stood in the Temple, “What do you think? Will he come to the festival?” 57 Now the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should report it, so they could arrest him.
V53 So, from that day, they followed the counsel to kill him.
This was their decision and their goal. They were successful but died for it. God, however, turned their evil into good by 1) the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ and 2) it was the proof that His sacrifice was accepted by God the Father (See Hebrews 9:7-25).
V54 As a result, Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews but went from there to a place near the wilderness to a city called Ephraim, and he stayed there with his disciples.
It was not the time for His arrest, which came later in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Principle: If one place becomes too dangerous, go into a safer area to minister.
Regarding Ephraim of the Wilderness: (Easton’s Bible Dictionary) “a town to which our Lord retired with his disciples after he had raised Lazarus, and when the priests were conspiring against him. It lay in the wild, uncultivated hill-country to the northeast of Jerusalem, between the central towns and the Jordan valley.”
V55 The Jews’ Passover was approaching, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to ceremonially purify themselves.
This is one of the feasts that all Jewish males are required to attend.
Comments:
(Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary) “During NT times large crowds gathered in Jerusalem to observe this annual celebration. Jesus was crucified during the Passover event. He and His disciples ate a Passover meal together on the eve of His death. During this meal Jesus said, “This is My body,” and “this cup is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:17-20 HCSB). The NT identifies Christ with the Passover sacrifice: “For Christ our Passover has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7 HCSB).”
Ceremonial Cleansing explained:
AskAndyAI:
“Ceremonial purification in the Bible refers to a set of ritual washings and actions designed to restore ceremonial cleanness so a person could approach God or perform priestly service. Here’s how that process typically worked, and how it’s used spiritually in Scripture:
- The kinds of washings practiced
• Full immersions/baths: In Jewish practice, a full bath could restore one to ceremonial cleanness (for example, the larger wash that inducted a priest). Priests had a larger washing at their induction and then repeated, smaller washings before each service.
• Partial washings/rinsings: People routinely washed hands and feet before eating or after coming in from the marketplace; vessels (cups, pitchers, pots) were also washed for ritual purity.
• Sprinklings and washings with special substances: Certain rites used sprinkling (e.g., ashes of a red heifer, or blood/sprinkling language in the sacrificial system) to cleanse impurity.
• Repetitive actions when required: In some narratives, the cleansing required repeated action (e.g., Naaman dipping repeatedly in the Jordan as instructed).
- The pattern and purpose
• There was a two-level pattern for priests: a one-time, larger washing that qualified them for the office, and then smaller, recurring washings that prepared them to serve on any given day. The first made them priests; the later ones preserved their fitness to minister.
• For ordinary Jews, ritual washings distinguished God’s people from surrounding cultures, maintained practical holiness, and enabled access to worship. Washing rituals addressed ceremonial impurity (what made one “unclean”), not ultimate guilt before God in the sense of salvation.
- What the washings symbolized spiritually
• Water and washing imagery often symbolize cleansing from sin and the work of the Spirit (for Israel’s future cleansing, God says He will “sprinkle clean water” and give a new heart).
• For Christians, there is a crucial distinction: there is one definitive washing that brings new birth—regeneration (the “bath” of new birth). That is the believer’s cleansing into salvation. After conversion, believers may experience repeated, smaller restorations of fellowship when they sin: confessing sins and being restored (the New Testament speaks of confessing and being cleansed). These repeated restorations are like the priest’s daily washings—they restore fellowship and service, not salvation.
- Practical elements you would have seen:
• Water available in large vessels (e.g., the laver or multiple water pots) for immersion and rinsing.
• Ritual instructions about when and how to wash: before eating, before entering sacred space, after certain impurities.
• A verbal or sacrificial element in some cases (sprinkling, or returning to the sacrificial system when impurity resulted from certain violations).
In short: ceremonial purification in the Old Testament world combined full immersions, repeated partial washings, and sacrificial/sprinkling rites to remove ceremonial uncleanness and enable approach to God. In the New Testament framework, that same water-symbol language points forward to the one saving washing of regeneration, while allowing for repeated confession and restoration of fellowship for the believer.”
V56 They were looking for Jesus and kept saying to one another as they stood in the Temple, “What do you think? Will he come to the festival?”
After coming to their decision, they now spent much energy to find Jesus to kill Him.
All Jewish males must appear at his festival, so the Jewish leaders had spies everywhere.
V57 Now the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should report it, so they could arrest him.
These Jewish leaders did not want to worship God at the Passover, nor did they want to confess their sins trusting God to deliver them.
They wanted to kill. Their lust for murdering the innocent was so strong. Compare Galatians 5:19-21 and Revelation 21:8.
We learn:
- Some people celebrate and honor God and His works and blessings, others simply go through the motions without their heart in it.
- How it is okay to move to another area if there is persecution where you are presently.
Questions:
- How is your heart and motives for prayer and worship?
- Would you move to another area if there was persecution?