‘Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off (fifteen stadia), and many of the Judaisers had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother.'
Because Bethany was so close to Jerusalem they knew many people there and many had come to comfort Mary and Martha. The fact that they are linked to ‘the Judaisers', along with the reminder that it is only two miles from Jerusalem, suggests that these included many important and influential people, which explains why the news so quickly reached ‘the Pharisees' (v. 46). What was about to happen was not done quietly. It was done before some of the most influential people in the land. So what Jesus was about to do, and He did it quite dramatically, was a deliberate revelation to those in the highest places. He had determined that they must now face up to Who He is. It is a direct challenge to the authorities. But its deeper significance must also not be lost, and John brings this out in John 11:20-37.