John 12:9-11 When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.
The leaders in Jerusalem were threatened by the prospect of Jesus spreading fame. Lazarus was the most astounding evidence of the power of Jesus and therefor contributed to the threat. They knew that eliminating Jesus would be unpopular with many, and Lazarus was an apparent person of means, so they needed to be careful in dealing with the whole situation. Eliminating the opposition is a common way to solve problems or to win competitions.
It seems to be another rather unattractive part of human nature to remove those who might take what we want. As a teacher I watched young people destroy one another over a boyfriend or girlfriend. Reputations were attacked with rumors and lies to make the competition unappealing. Had a glance at politics these days. One candidate doing anything possible to assassinate the competition. Business is not much better, using any means to end up on top.
Does this sound familiar to you? I have seen this so often that I think it is part of all of us given the right threat. Obviously we are not killing the opposition. Jesus really upset the wrong folks unless he was choosing the path to the cross, knowing what they would do.
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