JOHN 12:12-19
THE MESSIANIC ENTRY
[Zechariah 9:1-10]
The final week in Jesus’ earthly life begins with an outpouring of public recognition. This story of Jesus’ messianic entry into Jerusalem is found in all four gospels. It is one of the last links in the chain that leads toward the final cataclysmic event. Jesus steps into the limelight to highlight and draw the people’s attention to the enactment of the most important event of all history, His death and resurrection.
Jesus was such a controversial Person that it was impossible for Him to be near Jerusalem and remain unnoticed. From all over the country, people came to the Passover feast. Many sought out Jesus (11:56) and also Lazarus. Because Lazarus had been restored from the dead, many Jews believed in Jesus. So the chief priests planned to kill Jesus and Lazarus! They believed the removal of Jesus would end the threat, but since Jesus was following God’s plan for His life, it would only catapult Him into glory.
As we will observe, the honoring of Jesus effected different people in different ways. Of course the question still remains with us, “What do you do with the challenge to your life that Jesus presents to you?”
I. A JUBILANT ACCEPTANCE, 12-13.
II. A PROPHETIC FULFILLMENT, 14-16.
III. A SIGN ACKNOWLEDGED, 17-19.
IV. [A BIASED REJECTION, 19.]
With verse12 the last week of Jesus’ earthy life commences. On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
‘The next day’ was probably the Sunday before the crucifixion. As Jesus approaches Jerusalem a wild enthusiasm broke out. Thousands of Galilean pilgrims had come to the Passover, and they had seen many of His mighty works. Previously He had rejected the role of a political Messiah (6:15) but, they thought, perhaps now was the right moment. Jerusalem was the city of the great King and Jesus was coming to it.
To understand the events of that day we must try to realize how rapidly, and, as the rulers thought, how dangerously, excitement was rising among the crowds (estimates range from 100,000 to 2 million plus) who had come up for the Passover, and heard of the raising of Lazarus. The Passover was always a time when national feeling was ready to blaze up, and any spark might light the fire. It looked as if the resuscitation of Lazarus was going to be the match this time, and so, on the Saturday, the rulers had made up their minds to have Lazarus killed in order to stop the current that was flowing of accepting Jesus as the Messiah. They had previously made up their minds to dispose of Jesus. With cynical contempt for justice, they determined to ‘put Lazarus also to death’ also.
Because of this popular feeling it might have been expected that Jesus would, as He had until now, seek to escape into privacy, or discouraged the offered worship of a crowd whose Messianic ideal was so different from His. But Jesus knew that Scripture must be fulfilled so He allow this honoring and worshiping.
This crowd simply did not come to greet Him, they laid out a royal carpet for Him as verse 13 states. took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.”
Messianic anticipation was high. Enthusiastically the crowds welcomed Jesus. Waving their palm branches as symbols of victory (and possibly Jewish nationalism), the people were shouting (ekraugazon; 11:43) persistently (imperfect tense) Hosanna! The cry of “Hosanna” in Hebrew means “Please save” or “Save now” (Ps. 118:25). It was a shout of praise to God. Quoting Psalm 118:26, they ascribed messianic titles to Jesus as He who comes ( “the Coming One”; John 11:27) in the Name of the Lord.
The next praise, “Blessed is the king of Israel!” is not in the psalm and departs considerably from its intent. We thus understand that the crowds are greeting a national liberator.
“Triumphal entries” were common in the ancient world. A conquering hero or king would return to his city, bringing the spoils of his battles and stories of conquest. This imagery would not be missed. When John says that the crowd “went out to meet him,” this is a common expression used for cities meeting their triumphant, returning king. In a Jewish context, “Hosanna” was used to greet such incoming kings (2 Sam. 14:4; 2 Kings 6:26). In fact, Jewish culture adopted these forms of “royal welcomes.” [Burge, Gary M.; NIV Application Commentary, John:, 342. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, © 2000.]
II. A PROPHETIC FULFILLMENT, 14-16.
Jesus accepted this enthusiastic royal welcome and worship. Yet as we see in verse 14 He chose a donkey instead of a horse to make the statement that He was a different kind of King or Messiah than they expected. Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written,
The selection of Jesus’ mount or mode of entry is significant. Matthew 21:1-7 tells that Jesus sent His disciples to find a specific donkey and colt. He could have sent them to find any animal He chose.
Jesus’ riding into the city on a young donkey was a sign of peace. He did not ride a war horse or carry a sword or wear a crown. Nor did He ride in a wheeled vehicle, as did many kings. He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey to symbolize a conception of messiahship radically different from that of the crowd. They wanted a conquering hero that would establish an earthly kingdom of dominance and power. This man would have ridden on a prancing war steed. Jesus came as an the humble Prince of Peace who would liberate His followers from self, sin, and Satan.
John records an abridge version of the prophetic fulfillment of the entry in verse15. “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”
His manner of entry fulfilled Zechariah’s prophecy which contrasted Jesus’ coming (Zech. 9:9) with the coming of earthly kings Great (Zech. 9:1-8). Daughter of Zion is a symbolic way of referring to God’s true people, those born out of Zion, the spiritual center of Jerusalem. Here, in quoting Zechariah 9:9, Jesus is called the coming King. Verse 10 of Zechariah’s prophecy proclaims Him world-wide sovereign. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
This “humble king” is not a man of chariots and war horses, swords and bows (Zech. 9:10), but one who will bring peace to all nations. His gift is a gift of life, not conquest. Hence, Jesus is forcing a messianic reinterpretation of His purposes for the crowd, which is caught up in a frenzied passion for Jesus’ kingship. [Burge, Gary M.; NIV Application Commentary, John:, 342. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, © 2000.]
The messianic entrance has reaches its crescendo. Verse16 is a parenthetical statement concerning the event. These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him.
The crowds are not the only ones who fail to understand the true nature of Jesus’ messianic mission. The disciples, though close to Jesus and participants in these events, did not understand them. They lacked the perspective of the Cross, the Resurrection and the ascension. It was not until Jesus was glorified and they were filled with God’s Spirit that they understood the real significance of what was happening (Jn. 14:26). It is always the Spirit of God who leads us into understanding the truth of God
III. A SIGN ACKNOWLEDGED, 17-19.
John reminds us in verse 17 that the catalyst for the crowd’s excitement was the raising of Lazarus. So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him.
The people who saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead testified to others, to a different group [than who was there to proclaim Him king,] what they had seen. Thus the news of the great miraculous sign spread through out the city.
Verse18 tells why the crowds looked for Him. For this reason also the people went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign.
The size of the crowd kept increasing. Groups of people surged out to meet Him. It is significant that it was because of the sign Jesus performed that the people came out to see Him. The raising of a man four days in the grave is a sign full of meaning. It was the means of teaching men a spiritual truth and pointing them to God. The raising of Lazarus demonstrates Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life Who overcomes death.
The implication is also there that in their misunderstanding they came looking for Him believing that One who summoned a dead man back to life would certainly be able to deliver them from the power of Rome. For when He did not give them what they wanted the crowds would turn against Him.
The disciples and the people did not fully understand, but the authorities understood what was happening, and as verse 19 states, it was not to their liking. So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him.”
The mass reception of Jesus made the Pharisees’ plans to kill Jesus impossible. They were becoming increasingly apprehensive. They feared He would begin leading a band of freedom fighters to free the people from their present authorities and leaders, both Roman and Jewish. They were anxious because their previous attempts to stop Him had meet with failure and their time to stop Him was getting nearly gone. So they continued “looking for some crafty way to arrest Jesus and kill Him. But not during the Feast, they said, or the people may riot ” (Mark 14:1-2).
Pessimistically they acknowledged, “the whole world has gone after Him.” Though they thought He was winning over the world, the irony is, most of those people did not really believe in Jesus.
The dark background of hate in the hearts of the unscrupulous leaders makes the Palm Sunday spectacle all them more dramatic. It also indicates the gulf dug by those who should have been the most ready to receive Jesus.
CONCLUSION
It was a day of great popular acclaim for Jesus, but sadly the people had little spiritual perception. The struggle between light and darkness was reaching a fever pitch. The light is shining with brilliance in the world, calling people come and see themselves and the world as they truly are. At the same time, the forces of darkness are working to extinguish it and keep the world in ignorance and sin.
Jesus is still the humble King who offers peace. The question is will you accept it before time runs out. The answer is up to you.
