Jesus had been debating with the Jewish authorities about His authority, whether He came from God and whether He was God. Jesus had told them plainly that He and the Father are one. Here, He showed that again in a way that is hard to deny. He raised Lazarus from the dead. The sisters loved Him and believed in Him, but they expected His power to be limited to healing Lazarus before he died. Jesus showed them that His authority and power are more than they thought. Jesus told Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life.” He told her that anyone who believes in Him will have eternal life. Jesus wants them to see who He is and what He can do. In His prayer, He states that He wants the people there to believe that the Father sent Him. Jesus shows that His power is not limited to storms, illness, blindness, etc. He has power over life and death. He is the very source of life.
Many people who saw or heard about this miracle believed in Jesus. That disturbed the Jewish leaders. But rather than discuss what this showed about Jesus and whether they should believe too, they were worried about their own offices. In verse 48, the Sanhedrin shows their priorities. If more people believe in Jesus, we could lose our places and our nation, they said. Selfishness is seductive and addictive. When we spend enough time concerned only with our status and desires, we have a hard time shifting perspective.
In what area of your life are you concerned with your place, your control, your desires? How has that affected your relationship to the Lord and those around you?