John 11:46 describes what happened after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Some of the people who saw the miracle did not believe in him. They went to the Pharisees, the religious leaders, and reported what Jesus had done. The verse shows that the same event could lead people in opposite directions, toward faith or toward opposition. It is spoken by the Gospel writer John, who is telling the story to his readers.
But some of them went away to the Pharisees, and told them the things which Jesus had done.
John 11:46 (WEB)
What John 11:46 Means
The verse begins with “some of them,” meaning some of the crowd who had come to Mary’s home to comfort her after Lazarus died. These people had just watched a man who had been dead for four days walk out of the tomb. Yet instead of responding with faith, they went to the Pharisees, the authorities who watched over Jewish religious life. The word “told” suggests they gave a report, not a confession. They were carrying news to people who were already uneasy about Jesus.
The verse does not tell us what the Pharisees did next, and it does not say these informants were hostile or wicked. It simply records a split reaction. Verse 45 says many believed, while verse 46 shows that others chose a different path. The verse teaches that witnessing a miracle does not automatically produce faith. It promises nothing about how people will respond to God’s works, only that responses will differ.
The Context of John 11:46
The Gospel of John was written, according to long-standing church tradition, by the apostle John, one of Jesus’ closest followers. It was likely composed toward the end of the first century, and its purpose, as stated in John 20:31, is to lead readers to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. The Lazarus account is one of the signs the author selects to make that case, and it is the last major sign before the crucifixion narrative begins.
Just before this verse, Jesus commands Lazarus to come out and then tells the bystanders to free him from his grave clothes. Just after it, verses 47 to 49 show the chief priests and Pharisees gathering a council because of Jesus’ growing influence. Read in that setting, verse 46 is the hinge between belief and conspiracy. The report to the Pharisees is the event that sets the opposition in motion, which is why this brief verse carries more weight than its length suggests.
Key Phrases in John 11:46
John 11:45
Therefore many of the Jews, who came to Mary and saw what Jesus did, believed in him.
(WEB)
This verse, which comes just before John 11:46, shows that many of the same mourners believed in Jesus. Reading the two together helps you see the split in the crowd clearly.
John 20:31
But these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.
(WEB)
John states here why he wrote his Gospel, namely that readers might believe and have life in Jesus’ name. It explains the author’s purpose in recording signs like the raising of Lazarus.
A Short Prayer From John 11:46
Lord, you saw everything that happened at Lazarus’s tomb, and you know how each person there responded. Some believed, and some went to report what they had seen to people who would oppose you. Give me a heart that receives your works with faith rather than suspicion. When I witness what you are doing, help me speak truthfully and carefully, and keep me from using your works for my own purposes. Thank you that your power is not diminished by the reactions of others. Amen.
