John 2:12

Cleansing the Temple

2:12 After this he went down to Capernaum ¹  with his mother and brothers ²  and his disciples, and they stayed there a few days.

John 9:2

9:2 His disciples asked him, ³  “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man ⁴  or his parents?” ⁵ 

John 9:8

9:8 Then the neighbors and the people who had seen him previously ⁶  as a beggar began saying, ⁷  “Is this not the man ⁸  who used to sit and beg?”

John 11:47

11:47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees ⁹  called the council ¹⁰  together and said, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many miraculous signs.

John 11:57

11:57 (Now the chief priests and the Pharisees ¹¹  had given orders that anyone who knew where Jesus ¹²  was should report it, so that they could arrest ¹³  him.) ¹⁴ 

[2:12]  ¹ sn Verse 12 is merely a transitional note in the narrative (although Capernaum does not lie on the direct route to Jerusalem from Cana). Nothing is mentioned in John’s Gospel at this point about anything Jesus said or did there (although later his teaching is mentioned, see 6:59). From the synoptics it is clear that Capernaum was a center of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and might even be called “his own town” (Matt 9:1). The royal official whose son Jesus healed (John 4:46-54) was from Capernaum. He may have heard Jesus speak there, or picked up the story about the miracle at Cana from one of Jesus’ disciples.

[2:12]  ² sn With respect to Jesus’ brothers, the so-called Helvidian view is to be preferred (named after Helvidius, a 4th-century theologian). This view holds that the most natural way to understand the phrase is as a reference to children of Joseph and Mary after the birth of Jesus. Other views are that of Epiphanius (they were children of Joseph by a former marriage) or Jerome (they were cousins). The tradition of Mary’s perpetual virginity appeared in the 2nd century and is difficult to explain (as J. H. Bernard, St. John [ICC], 1:85, points out) if some of her other children were prominent members of the early church (e.g., James of Jerusalem). But this is outweighed by the natural sense of the words.

[9:2]  ³ tn Grk “asked him, saying.”

[9:2]  ⁴ tn Grk “this one.”

[9:2]  ⁵ tn Grk “in order that he should be born blind.”

[9:8]  ⁵ tn Or “formerly.”

[9:8]  ⁶ tn An ingressive force (“began saying”) is present here because the change in status of the blind person provokes this new response from those who knew him.

[9:8]  ⁷ tn Grk “the one.”

[11:47]  ⁷ tn The phrase “chief priests and Pharisees” is a comprehensive name for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:45; 18:3; Acts 5:22, 26.

[11:47]  ⁸ tn Or “Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews). The συνέδριον (sunedrion) which they gathered was probably an informal meeting rather than the official Sanhedrin. This is the only occurrence of the word συνέδριον in the Gospel of John, and the only anarthrous singular use in the NT. There are other plural anarthrous uses which have the general meaning “councils.” The fact that Caiaphas in 11:49 is referred to as “one of them” supports the unofficial nature of the meeting; in the official Sanhedrin he, being high priest that year, would have presided over the assembly. Thus it appears that an informal council was called to discuss what to do about Jesus and his activities.

[11:57]  ⁹ tn The phrase “chief priests and Pharisees” is a comprehensive name for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:45; 18:3; Acts 5:22, 26.

[11:57]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:57]  ¹¹ tn Or “could seize.”

[11:57]  ¹² sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.