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What the Fathers say
Eastern Fathers
John Chrysostom
As wealth is wont to hurl into destruction those who are not heedful, so also is power; the first leads into covetousness, the second into pride. See, for instance, how the subject multitude of the Jews is sound, and their rulers corrupt; for that the first of these believed Christ, the Evangelists continually assert, saying, that "many of the multitude believed on Him"; but they who were of the rulers, believed not. And they themselves say, not the multitude, "Hath any of the rulers believed on Him?" But what saith one? …
Cyril of Alexandria
Through the strangeness of the sign the multitude are astonished; and that which they heard to have been done they wished also to behold with their eyes, that they might believe it more confidently. And they not only wished to see Lazarus, but also the Christ, the doer of the sign; not then seeing Him for the first time, for they had often seen Him and companied with Him; but inasmuch as He had gone into retirement, that He might not suffer before the proper time, they were seeking again to see Him: and the more reasonable among them …
Theophylact of Ohrid
Those who came to the Lord were better-intentioned than the rest, who were senseless and frenzied; for they came not only for the sake of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus. Since a truly great miracle had been performed, many wished to be spectators of the risen man, perhaps in the hope of learning from Lazarus something about those in Hades.
Western Saints
Augustine of Hippo
"Much people of the Jews therefore knew that He was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead." They were drawn by curiosity, not by charity: they came and saw.
Thomas Aquinas
Next, the Evangelist shows how Jesus was honored by many of the Jews; first, by the crowd that went to see him there; secondly, by the crowd which met him on his way to Jerusalem (v 12). In regard to the first he does two things: first, he shows the eagerness of those who came to see him; secondly, he shows the vehemence of the Pharisees aroused by their envy (v 10). The first part is divided into two parts: first, he states that a crowd came to him; secondly, he gives the reason why they came. …
Bonaventure
A great multitude therefore knew. The conspiracy and the strengthening of the conspiracy have been predetermined; here in the third place the amplification of the conspiracy is touched upon. For previously they had planned to kill Jesus; here not only Jesus, but also the resurrected Lazarus. And the reason was: because many on account of him believed in Jesus. Two things therefore are noted here, namely the multitude of believers and the amplification of the perversity of the Jews. …
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