Yohanes 9:2

9:2 His disciples asked him, ¹  “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man ²  or his parents?” ³ 

Yohanes 10:24

10:24 The Jewish leaders ⁴  surrounded him and asked, ⁵  “How long will you keep us in suspense? ⁶  If you are the Christ, ⁷  tell us plainly.” ⁸ 

Yohanes 11:4

11:4 When Jesus heard this, he said, “This sickness will not lead to death, ⁹  but to God’s glory, ¹⁰  so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” ¹¹ 

Yohanes 11:47

11:47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees ¹²  called the council ¹³  together and said, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many miraculous signs.

Yohanes 11:49

11:49 Then one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said, ¹⁴  “You know nothing at all!

Yohanes 20:26

20:26 Eight days later the disciples were again together in the house, ¹⁵  and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, ¹⁶  Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

[9:2]  ¹ tn Grk “asked him, saying.”

[9:2]  ² tn Grk “this one.”

[9:2]  ³ tn Grk “in order that he should be born blind.”

[9:2]  sn The disciples assumed that sin (regardless of who committed it) was the cause of the man’s blindness. This was a common belief in Judaism; the rabbis used Ezek 18:20 to prove there was no death without sin, and Ps 89:33 to prove there was no punishment without guilt (the Babylonian Talmud, b. Shabbat 55a, although later than the NT, illustrates this). Thus in this case the sin must have been on the part of the man’s parents, or during his own prenatal existence. Song Rabbah 1:41 (another later rabbinic work) stated that when a pregnant woman worshiped in a heathen temple the unborn child also committed idolatry. This is only one example of how, in rabbinic Jewish thought, an unborn child was capable of sinning.

[10:24]  ⁴ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders. The question they ask Jesus (“Are you the Christ?”) is the same one they sent and asked of John the Baptist in the desert (see John 1:19-34). See also the note on the phrase “the Jewish people” in v. 19.

[10:24]  ⁵ tn Grk “said to him.” This has been translated as “asked” for stylistic reasons.

[10:24]  ⁶ tn Grk “How long will you take away our life?” (an idiom which meant to keep one from coming to a conclusion about something). The use of the phrase τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν αἴρεις (thn yuchn Jhmwn airei") meaning “to keep in suspense” is not well attested, although it certainly fits the context here. In modern Greek the phrase means “to annoy, bother.”

[10:24]  ⁷ tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

[10:24]  sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.

[10:24]  ⁸ tn Or “publicly.”

[11:4]  ⁹ tn Grk “This sickness is not to death.”

[11:4]  sn Jesus plainly stated the purpose of Lazarus’ sickness in the plan of God: The end of the matter would not be death, but the glorification of the Son. Johannine double-meanings abound here: Even though death would not be the end of the matter, Lazarus is going to die; and ultimately his death and resurrection would lead to the death and resurrection of the Son of God (11:45-53). Furthermore, the glorification of the Son is not praise that comes to him for the miracle, but his death, resurrection, and return to the Father which the miracle precipitates (note the response of the Jewish authorities in 11:47-53).

[11:4]  ¹⁰ tn Or “to God’s praise.”

[11:4]  ¹¹ sn So that the Son of God may be glorified through it. These statements are highly ironic: For Lazarus, the sickness did not end in his death, because he was restored to life. But for Jesus himself, the miraculous sign he performed led to his own death, because it confirmed the authorities in their plan to kill Jesus (11:47-53). In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ death is consistently portrayed as his ‘glorification’ through which he accomplishes his return to the Father.

[11:47]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ 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.

[11:49]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “said to them.” The indirect object αὐτοῖς (autois) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

[20:26]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “were inside”; the word “together” is implied.

[20:26]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “the doors were shut”; “locked” conveys a more appropriate idea for the modern English reader.

[20:26]  sn See the note on the phrase locked the doors in 20:19.