John 12:12-19

John 12:12-19

The next day, a great crowd that had come into the temple – after hearing that Jesus comes into Jerusalem – took branches of palm trees and came out into a meeting with Him and they were crying out, “Hosanna!  The one who comes in the name of the Lord is having been blessed – even the king of Israel!”  And after finding a young donkey, Jesus sat down upon it just as it is having been written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion.  Behold, your king comes while sitting upon a colt of a donkey.”  His disciples did not understand these things in the beginning, but when Jesus was being glorified then they remembered that these things were being written upon Him and that they did these things to Him.  Therefore, the crowd, the one that is with Him when He summoned Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him out of the dead, was testifying.  The crowd went out to meet Him because He did this thing, because they heard that He has done this sign.  Therefore the Pharisees said to each other, “Do you all see that you all do not accomplish any goal?  Look!  The world went away after Him.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

This scene before Holy Week is an amazing one.  The name of Jerusalem means, “City of Peace.”  Waving palm branches before a leader was a sign of welcoming the ruler in peace.  The fact that they called Jesus the king of Israel demonstrated that they embraced Him.  How ironic that in only a few days this welcomed king into the city of peace would walk out of Jerusalem beaten, bloody, and with a cross upon His back!

What is the irony about the way that Jesus enters Jerusalem?  How does the knowledge that Jesus is the “City of Peace” shape your understanding of Holy Week?  How does it shape your understanding of God’s love?

Second Thought:

Jesus fulfills scripture.  What is really neat about this passage, though, is that it speaks openly and honestly about the disciples.  They didn’t get it.  They didn’t understand.  Sure, they got it eventually – after Jesus died and was raised to new life.  But they didn’t get it in the moment.  We see this again and again in the Bible.  So often we don’t get what God is doing before it happens.  Most of the time we only truly understand God’s hand at work in the perspective of hindsight.

If this is true, why is it important to submit to God rather than assume we have the answers?  When we think we have God figured out, what are we really saying to God?  How can this passage give us permission to not have all the answers but instead turn to God?

Third Thought:

As the religious rulers of the day looked upon this scene, they couldn’t believe what they saw.  In fact, it appears that factions began to develop among them.  Some of them began to accuse the others because their efforts against Jesus are doing absolutely no good.  They see that the crowds are embracing Jesus.  The Jewish leaders know that something has to be done.  This is Passover, the city is full of emotional people, and the Jewish leaders believe that they are on the cusp of political revolution.  They will put their plan of action into motion once and for all.

Why does Jesus’ triumphal entry inspire fear in the Jewish leaders?  How can this teach us about how one person’s success can actually bring about jealousy, envy, and irritation from others?  Who in the church are the least likely to appreciate the success of others?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 12:20-26