John 12:9

Ἔγνω οὖν ὄχλος πολὺς ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων. A great crowd of the Jews”; ὄχλος is generally used by John in contrast to the Jewish authorities, and R.V [83] renders “the common people”. When they knew that Jesus was in Bethany they went out from Jerusalem to see Him and Lazarus: an easily accessible and undoubted sensation. The result was that many of the Jews, on identifying Lazarus, believed on Jesus. Accordingly ἐβουλεύσαντο … ἀποκτείνωσιν. The high priests, being Sadducees, could not bear to have in their neighbourhood a living witness to the possibility of living through death, and a powerful testimony to the power of Jesus. And so, to prevent the people believing on Jesus, they made the monstrous proposal to put Lazarus, an entirely innocent person, to death. In Mary John has shown faith and devotion at their ripest: in this devilish proposal the obduracy of unbelief is exhibited in its extreme form.

[83] Revised Version.