Hostility to Jesus had been mounting from the beginning of his ministry.
The on-going conflict with the religious leaders leads to this point.
In this story we see Jesus’ enemies, the religious leaders, finalising their plans to kill him.
Jerusalem was full of Jews who had travelled to celebrate Passover. The religious leaders didn’t want to arrest Jesus during PassoverJewish festival which remembers the escape of the ancient Israelites from Egypt. because they were afraid that the people might riot.