John 11:55 (DRB)

Passage

And the pasch of the Jews was at hand: and many from the country went up to Jerusalem, before the pasch, to purify themselves.

Nearby Context

John 11:53 From that day therefore they devised to put him to death.

John 11:54 Wherefore Jesus walked no more openly among the Jews: but he went into a country near the desert, unto a city that is called Ephrem. And there he abode with his disciples.

John 11:55 And the pasch of the Jews was at hand: and many from the country went up to Jerusalem, before the pasch, to purify themselves.

John 11:56 They sought therefore for Jesus; and they discoursed one with another, standing in the temple: What think you that he is not come to the festival day? And the chief priests and Pharisees had given a commandment that, if any man knew where he was, he should tell, that they might apprehend him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "pasch", "jews", "hand", "country", "went", "jerusalem", and "before". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "pasch" and "jews", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 54's "Wherefore Jesus walked no more openly among..." into verse 56's "They sought therefore for Jesus and they...", so "pasch" and "jews" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "pasch" and "jews" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.