John 11:55-57 (NIV)
When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple area they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the Feast at all?” But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone found out where Jesus was, he should report it so that they might arrest him.
Those who had come up to Jerusalem early for the Passover were expecting to see Jesus there, but they weren’t able to locate Him anywhere. They had no idea of the events of the previous several weeks, and that Jesus had gone outside of the area for a while until the right time had come.
Unlike previous times when He had left the area to let things cool off, there was no cooling that was going to happen at this point. The raising of Lazarus from the dead had pushed the Jewish leaders over the edge. They were now actively plotting to take Jesus’ life, and their passions grew daily, even without His presence in town.
They had actually instructed all of their members and contacts that if anyone saw Jesus, they were to report it immediately so that He could be arrested. But as more and more crowds gathered into Jerusalem for the Passover, that strategy would be seen as less and less desirable. The large crowds of people from the country saw Jesus as a prophet, and His public arrest could cause rioting, which would lead to more problems than they wanted.
So, both the leaders and the people hoped that Jesus would show up soon, for opposite reasons. And even though He had never missed a Passover in Jerusalem, both groups feared that this might be the year He would fail to show up.
Father, Your timing is always the perfect timing. Your plan is always that one that will ultimately prevail, no matter how much time and energy people commit to their own plots and schemes. Jesus would come. But, as always, He would appear when the time was perfect, and His every action would be in full accordance with Your will. Thank You for His example for all of us. Amen.