Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 11:37

"But some of them said, Could not this man, who opened the eyes of him that was blind, have caused that this man also should not die?" — John 11:37 (ASV)

Jesus’ true humanity was emphasized by the response of the people at Lazarus’s tomb. Some were impressed by Jesus’ open show of emotion and took it as an evident token of his love for Lazarus. Others, perhaps not so lovingly, wondered why Jesus had not prevented Lazarus’s death by one of his miracles. The reference to the healing of the blind man again (cf. 10:21) shows that it must have created a sensation in Jerusalem since it was remembered several months after it had occurred.