Pharisaic Intent to Kill Jesus in John 9
The Pharisees' intent to kill Jesus is a recurring theme in the Gospels, and John 9 is a pivotal chapter in this narrative. After Jesus heals a blind man on the Sabbath, the Pharisees interrogate the man and his parents, ultimately expelling him from the synagogue (John 9:1-34). The Pharisees' hostility is rooted in their perception of Jesus as a Sabbath-breaker.
The Pharisees' plotting against Jesus is not unique to John 9. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Pharisees conspire to kill Jesus as early as Matthew 12:14 and Mark 3:6 [1, 2]. Their opposition intensifies as Jesus continues to perform miracles and teach, leading to further confrontations. In John 9, the Pharisees' reaction to the healing of the blind man is particularly hostile, with some Pharisees dismissing Jesus as a sinner (John 9:16, 24).
The Johannine narrative highlights the Pharisees' escalating hostility towards Jesus. According to John 11:47-53, the Pharisees and chief priests gather to discuss Jesus' growing influence, with Caiaphas prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation [5]. This council meeting marks a turning point, as the Pharisees and Sadducees begin to actively seek Jesus' death.
Early Christian interpreters, such as Origen, note the Pharisees' malice and Jesus' awareness of their intentions [3]. The Pharisees' actions are seen as a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, with Jesus himself foretelling his own death (John 12:32-33). According to Matthew Henry, the Pharisees' prosecution of the blind man is a prime example of their hardened opposition to Jesus, despite the clear evidence of his miraculous power [4].
The Pharisees' intent to kill Jesus is not merely a reaction to his Sabbath-breaking, but a response to his growing influence and the threat it poses to their authority. As Jamieson, Fausset & Brown note, the Pharisees' plot against Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead, is a further example of their desperation to stem the tide of Jesus' popularity [6].
The Johannine narrative presents the Pharisees' hostility as a key aspect of Jesus' journey towards the cross. The Pharisees' intent to kill Jesus is a thread that runs throughout the Gospels, ultimately contributing to the events that unfold in Jerusalem. As the narrative progresses, it becomes clear that Jesus' death is not merely a consequence of his actions, but a deliberate choice made in the face of opposition [5].
Sources
- Matthew “Matthew 12:14 (BSB) — But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.”
- Mark “Mark 3:6 (BSB) — At this, the Pharisees went out and began plotting with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 9: Gospel of Peter, Diatessaron, Origen's Commentaries — SECTION XVIII. (part 1): 18 1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, and all the things which came to pass at his hand; and he marvelled, for he had obtained excellent 2 information concerning him.(5) And same men said that John the Baptist was risen 3 from among the dead; and(6) others said that Elijah had appeared; and others, Jere- 4 miah; and others, that a prophet of the old prophets was risen; and others said that he 5 was a prophet like one of the prophets. Herod said to his servants, This is John the ”
- John (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on John 9:13: One would have expected that such a miracle as Christ wrought upon the blind man would have settled his reputation, and silenced and shamed all opposition, but it had the contrary effect; instead of being embraced as a prophet for it, he is prosecuted as a criminal. I. Here is the information that was given in to the Pharisees concerning this matter: They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind, Joh 9:13. They brought him to the great sanhedrim, which consisted chiefly of Pharisees, at least the Pharisees in the sanhedrim were most active against Chris”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 9: Gospel of Peter, Diatessaron, Origen's Commentaries — SECTION XXXVIII. (part 3): that the whole people perish. And this he said not of himself: but because he was the chief priest of(4) that year, he 36 prophesied that Jesus was to die instead of the people; and not instead of the people alone, but that he might gather the scattered children of God together. 37 And from that day they considered how to kill him. 38 Arabic, And Jesus did not walk openly amongst the Jews, but departed thence to a p. 146 place near the wilderness, to a town(5) called Ephraim; and he was there, going 39 ”
- John (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on John 12:9: Crowds of the Jerusalem Jews hastened to Bethany, not so much to see Jesus, whom they knew to be there, as to see dead Lazarus alive; and this, issuing in their accession to Christ, led to a plot against the life of Lazarus also, as the only means of arresting the triumphs of Jesus (see Joh 12:19) --to such a pitch had these chief priests come of diabolical determination to shut out the light from themselves, and quench it from the earth!”