John Calvin Commentary John 11:56

"They sought therefore for Jesus, and spake one with another, as they stood in the temple, What think ye? That he will not come to the feast?" — John 11:56 (ASV)

They therefore sought Jesus. The Evangelist's purpose is to show how extensively Christ's fame had spread throughout all of Judea; for those who gather in the temple, from wherever they come, are eager to seek Christ and are holding conversations with one another about him. It is true that they seek him in a human way, yet in seeking him, they discover that it is the tyranny of the priests which prevents him from appearing openly.