54 Therefore Jesus no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews , but went away from there to the country near the wilderness , into a city called Ephraim ; and there He stayed with the disciples . 55 Now the Passover of the Jews was near , and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover to purify themselves . 56 So they were seeking for Jesus , and were saying to one another as they stood in the temple , "What do you think ; that He will not come to the feast at all e ?" 57 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it, so that they might seize Him.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on John 11:54-57
Commentary on John 11:54-57
(Read John 11:54-57)
Before our gospel passover we must renew our repentance. Thus by a voluntary purification, and by religious exercises, many, more devout than their neighbours, spent some time before the passover at Jerusalem. When we expect to meet God, we must solemnly prepare. No devices of man can alter the purposes of God: and while hypocrites amuse themselves with forms and disputes, and worldly men pursue their own plans, Jesus still orders all things for his own glory and the salvation of his people.