John 11:55

“Here the Evangelist sets forth how Christ avoided their malice, and first he sets forth the manner of his avoidance on Christ's part; second, the effect of wonder on the part of the people, there where it says, "Now the Passover of the Jews was near." The manner of his avoidance was through hiding and Christ's withdrawal from the Jews. For after the council, observing himself more cautiously, he did not walk openly among the Jews, nor did he go to any populated city, but into a remote region, near the desert, to a city called Ephraim, and there he stayed with his disciples. But had his power failed, by which, if he had wished, he could have gone about openly among the Jews, and they would have done nothing to him? Far from it. But he did this not on account of a lack of power, but in order to show an example to his disciples. In this it appears that it is not a sin if his faithful withdraw themselves from the eyes of their persecutors, and by hiding rather avoid the fury of the wicked than, by showing themselves to them, inflame it the more: according to that word of Matthew 10:23, "If they persecute you in one city, flee into another." But Origen says that no one ought to thrust himself into dangers; nevertheless it is greatly praiseworthy that, when dangers are already imminent, one should neither avoid the confession of Jesus nor refuse to undergo death, for the sake of truth. And this for two reasons. First, because it is greatly presumptuous to thrust oneself into dangers on account of inexperience of one's own power, which is sometimes found to be fragile, and on account of the uncertainty of the future outcome; 1 Corinthians 10:12: "He who thinks he stands, let him take heed lest he fall." Second, lest we, by thrusting ourselves upon persecutors, furnish them an occasion to become more impious and harmful; 1 Corinthians 10:32: "Be without offense to the Jews, and to the Gentiles, and to the Church of God." The effect of wonder in the people is set forth, and first the occasion of wondering is set forth; second, the wonder itself is set forth; third, the reason for the wonder. Now the occasion for seeking and wondering is set forth as twofold. The first indeed is from the condition of the time, because the Passover of the Jews was near, in which the memory of the passage of the Hebrews out of Egypt is recalled; Exodus 12:11: "For it is the phase, that is, the passage of the Lord." Now he adds "of the Jews," because the Jews themselves celebrated this Passover badly and unduly: for when we celebrate the Passover devoutly, then it is called the Passover of God; Isaiah 1:13: "Your solemnities I will not bear." The second, indeed, is from the concourse of the people, because many went up to Jerusalem out of the country: for, as we read in Exodus 23, three times in the year, or feasts, the children of Israel were bound to present themselves to the Lord, among which the first was the Passover, and therefore a great multitude went up to Jerusalem, where the temple was. But because it was not yet the time of the Passover, at which they were bound to go up, the Evangelist accordingly assigns the cause of their going up, adding "that they might sanctify themselves": for no one dared to eat the lamb unless he was clean, and therefore they anticipated the time of the Passover, so that, purifying themselves in the meantime, they might duly eat the lamb at the Passover. In this an example is given to us, that in the season of Lent we should purify ourselves by fasts and good works, so that at Easter we might duly receive the body of our Lord. Now the wonder is set forth from the cause of the Lord's absence: and this is what he says, "They sought Jesus therefore" — not indeed to honor him, but to kill him — and "they spoke among themselves, standing in the temple: What do you think, that he has not come to this feast day?" But it must be noted that when a feast day is kept in holiness, the Lord is always present on the feast day; Matthew 18:20: "Wherever two or three shall be gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." And therefore let us, gathered together in the house of God, seek Jesus, mutually consoling one another and entreating that he come to our feast day. But when the feast is not kept in holiness, then Jesus does not come; Isaiah 1:14: "My soul hates your new moons and your solemnities." Now the reason for the wonder and for Jesus' absence is added: that the chief priests and Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where he was, namely Jesus, he should tell it, so that they might seize him, namely, in order to kill him. Above, John 8:21: "You seek me, and you shall die in your sin." But, as Augustine says, let us who know where Christ is — namely, at the right hand of the Father — tell it to them, so that thus, would that they might seize him through faith.”

“And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand,.... Which was the fourth passover from Christ's entrance on his public ministry, and the last he ate with his disciples; when he, by being sacrificed for his people, put an end to that, and all other ceremonial observances: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem, before the passover: not only from the country where Ephraim was, but from all other countries in Judea and Galilee: all the males were obliged to go up to Jerusalem, at the time of the passover, where it was only kept; but many went before that time, for the reason following: to purify themselves; we read in Ch2 30:18 of many that had not cleansed themselves, and yet ate the passover; for whom Hezekiah prayed, that they might be pardoned, which shows that they had done amiss: upon which place, Jarchi has this observation; that "Judah (the men of Judah) were all clean, because they were near to Jerusalem, and could purify and sanctify themselves, and return to Jerusalem; but many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and Issachar, and Zabulon, could not do so.'' And this seems to be the case of these people, they were country people, that lived at a distance, and not having purified themselves from several uncleannesses, came up before the time, that they might cleanse themselves, and be ready at the time: in several cases purification was required; as with new mothers, menstruous and profluvious persons, and such that had touched a dead body, or any creeping thing, and in other cases; and which by reason of distance, might be neglected; wherefore it was necessary they should come up before the time of the passover, to fit themselves for it: the rule about defiled persons eating the passover, is this (b); "if the congregation is polluted, or the greatest part of it, or the priests are unclean, and the congregation pure, it is kept in uncleanness; but if the lesser part of the congregation is defiled, the pure keep the first passover, and the unclean the second.'' This, their commentators say (c), is to be understood of uncleanness, by touching the dead, which required seven days of purification; and it is very probable that this was the case of these persons, since it was about so many days before the passover, that they came up; see Joh 12:1. The account Maimonides (d) gives of this matter is this; "who is a defiled person, that is put off to the second passover? everyone who cannot eat the passover, on the night of the fifteenth of Nisan, because of his uncleanness; as profluvious men and women, menstruous and new mothers, and the husbands of menstruous women; but he that toucheth the dead carcass of a beast, or a creeping thing, and the like, on the fourteenth, lo, he dips, and they slay for him (the passover) after he has dipped; and in the evening, when his sun is set, he eats the passover; he that is defiled by touching the dead, whose seventh day happens to be on the fourteenth, though he dips and is sprinkled on, and lo, he is fit to eat the holy things at evening, yet they do not kill for him, but he is put off to the second passover; as it is said, Num 9:6. "And there were certain men who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day"; by tradition it is learned, that it was their seventh day, and therefore they asked if it should be killed for them, and they should eat at evening? and it was declared to them, that they should not kill for them: of what is this to be understood? when he is polluted with a defilement by the dead, which Nazarites shave for; but if he is polluted with other defilements by the dead, which the Nazarites do not shave for, they kill for him on his seventh day, after he has dipped, and is sprinkled upon; and when his sun is set, he eats his passover; a profluvious person, who sees two appearances, and reckons seven days, and dips on the seventh, they kill for him, and he eats at evening.--They do not kill for a menstruous woman on her seventh day, for lo, she does not dip till the eighth night, and she is not fit to eat holy things until the ninth night.'' These, with many other cases there instanced, may serve to illustrate this passage. (b) Misn. Pesachim, c. 7. sect. 6. Vid. Maimon. Korban Pesach. c. 7. sect. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. & Biah Hamikdash, c. 4. sect. 10-18. (c) Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. ib. (d) Hilchot Korban Pesach. c. 6. sect. 1, 2, 3.”

“The Jews' passover was nigh at hand - It is not necessary to suppose that this verse has any particular connection with the preceding. Most chronologists agree that our Lord spent at least two months in Ephraim. This was the last passover which our Lord attended; and it was at this one that he suffered death for the salvation of a lost world. As the passover was nigh, many of the inhabitants of Ephraim and its neighborhood went up to Jerusalem, some time (perhaps seven or eight days, for so much time was required to purify those who had touched the dead) before the feast, that they might purify themselves, and not eat the passover otherwise than prescribed in the law. Many of the country people, in the time of Hezekiah, committed a trespass by not attending to this: see Ch2 30:18, Ch2 30:19. Those mentioned in the text wished to avoid this inconvenience.”

“This was the last Pasch that our Saviour kept upon earth, and the one on which he suffered death for our salvation. (Calmet) — It is well called the Pasch of the Jews, and not of the Lord, since on it they were laying snares to apprehend their Saviour. (Origen) — Thus making this day of festivity a day of murder. (St. Chrysostom, hom. lxv. in Joan.) — They went up so early to purify themselves by the sacrifices ordered by the law. (Bible de Vence)”