The Triumphal Entry (John 12:12-54)Verse 12: "The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!"
Jesus last week is considered to be the most eventful week of His life on earth, by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey under a canopy of palm branches, with crowds hailing him as their king.
Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem is considered by many to be one of highlights of His earthly ministry. For John to refer to the size crowd as "large" could possibly mean that thousands were now following Him. As mentioned in (Marks' gospel, chapter 11) the people also spread their garments which represented royalty, also in that day the spreading of branches were waved in homage to rulers. And the word "Hosanna" as used in this verse, comes from (Psa 118:25-26) means "O Save." The psalm they were singing was one sung regularly at Passover time, so the people would have been familiar with the words. The Passover season was a time when Hopes for deliverance ran high, and these people were singing and referring to Jesus as "the King of Israel," hoping that He was the one who would deliver them from their enemies and restore the Davidic kingdom as well as their country.
Though the crowds were praising God for giving them a king, we will see, that again, they had the wrong idea. Turning a deaf ear to the words of the prophets, and as we know, were blind to Jesus' real mission, they were sure He would be the leader who would restore their country to it's former glory. But, as we will see, many of these same people soon turned against Him when they realized He was not going to fulfill their hopes. Verses 14-15: "And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 15"Fear not, daughter of Zion;behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!" Since this is a study of the "Gospel of John" we only occasionally go to the other gospels for clarification. And we are told in the other gospels that Jesus sent the disciples for the colt as well as to find a room and make the necessary preparations for Jesus and His disciples to hold Passover.
The following prophetic scripture is found in the Old Testament Book of Zechariah written some 520 years earlier:
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zech 9:9)
Verse16: "His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him."
So, it seems the only One who really knew, until after the crucifixion, what was actually going on was Jesus. It was only after the resurrection that the disciples were able to understand many of the prophecies and the things Jesus had told them. In retrospect, by the power of the Holy Spirit they could seen how the pieces of what seemed to them to be a puzzle had fit together.
Verse 17-19: "The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. "The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19So the Pharisees said to one another, "You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him."
This crowd, though not understanding His complete mission, after seeing Him raise Lazarus from the dead, had remained faithful and continued to tell others what they had seen.
The multitudes had heard their words and wanted to learn more. For the most part it was only out of curiosity, there was no real commitment. Even those who had seen Lazarus raised from the dead did very little if anything in attempting to prevent Jesus death. But the Pharisees saw the crowds and became even more desperate to do away with Jesus. They began to blame one another, and, in another of John's Ironies, began to pronounce curses upon themselves.
Some Greeks Seek Jesus Verse 20-22: "Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." 22Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus."
These Greeks were probably converts to the Jewish faith who had come to worship and take part in the Passover. The name "Phillip" is a Greek name, who by the way, was the only disciple with a Greek name; also Philip was from Bethsaida, just north/northeast of the Sea of Galilee and close to these gentile cities. So Philip may have been familiar with these Greeks; which may possibly explain why they approached him to asked to see Jesus.
So Phillip and Andrew told Jesus:
Verse 23: "And Jesus answered them, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified."
Wouldn't that seem to be a strange answer?
In John 2:4, John refers to "Jesus' hour" as being the time of His crucifixion. Jesus entire ministry was a journey to the cross, which as we can see here, had begun to affect the whole world, not just the Jews. It's almost as if their message prompted or reminded Jesus that His time was near.
And in Verse 24, goes on to say: Verse 24: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." Isn't this deep? Do any of you have a comment on this verse? Do you see the similarity of Jesus dying, being buried, then resurrected, and in that of a grain of wheat that is planted, or buried in the ground and appears to die, then after a time, enters a new phase of life that goes on to deliver many times as much grain as the single grain planted? Unless a kernel of wheat is buried in the ground, it will not became a blade of wheat producing many more seeds.; Jesus had to die to pay the penalty for our sin, as well as to show His power over death. His resurrection proves He has eternal life, and because He is God, Jesus can give this same eternal life to all who believe in Him.
When we are born again we die to our old ways, (We symbolize our death, burial, and resurrection with Christ through baptism,) and our life takes on a whole new dimension; a life filled with the Holy Spirit to guide, comfort, and work through us to accomplish His will. And when our days on this earth are over, we will be with Him throughout eternity.
Verse 25-26: "Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."
Quite often I find myself asking, what does following Christ mean to me? What depth of commitment does He require? Is it that I should simply try to be good, that go to church on Sunday, or am I to be as some of our missionaries who suffer hunger, imprisonment, rejection, even in the United States, and in some countries death? When I was a kid I attended a week long summer bible camp, and in this camp were missionaries. This was well over fifty years ago when many tribes in the Congo and other remote places had never seen a white person. The missionaries had been telling us stories of how the cannibals would kill and eat their victims, and how the Voo-Doo Dr's hated the missionaries and would attempt to place various types of spells and hexes on them. Something that isn't spoken of much in our churches today, but that really made a deep impression on me was when they asked us to think deeply about whether or not, if it came down to it, we would actually give up our lives rather than to publicly and verbally disown Christ. They asked for each one who made the decision to raise their hand.
I was as serious as any ten year old could be and it took me several minutes to decide, but I finally raised my hand. I hope that time never comes, but if it does to still be able to honor that commitment. This kind of faith requires a who new way of thinking, "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind..."(ROM 12:2) Nothing in this world is to be allowed into our lives that can come between us and Christ. I have decided that God is all He says that He is, and that everlasting life with Him is worth whatever it costs me on this earth.
26If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him." The Jews thought the gospel/word of God was only for them, so by using the word "anyone" as Jesus did in this verse would have a different message for them. Hopefully the Greeks got the message; because Jesus message is for the whole world, with no particular race or nationality in mind. Here Jesus says "If anyone serves me." So, Jew, Greek, whoever would believe MUST follow Christ, not should, or hopefully will, but MUST!! And with the promise "the Father will honor him." The word "serve" as used above according to Vines Complete dictionary is also used for servant, as in personal service. In these verses Jesus calls for a willingness to follow, serve and if necessary to die for Him.
The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up Verse 27: "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour." Jesus knew His crufixion was drawing near which the human side of him seemed to be dreading, but at the same time realized this was His mission and He wasn't stepping aside. He knew that He would have to take the sins of the world on himself which would temporarily separate Him from the Father. We can never do what Jesus did but are to obey. Whatever the Father asks, we should do.
Verse 28: "Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." In Jewish tradition voices from heaven were frequently regarded as substitutes for prophecy. According to Strong's, the word "glorify" as use here denotes to magnify, extol, or praise.
Verse 29: "The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." 30Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not mine." To those in this study it would seem that these Jews were not only spiritually blind, but also deaf. Evidently they couldn't see or hear anything from God. And Jesus doesn't try to explain or to reassure them that the voice was indeed from heaven, and simply says "This voice has come for your sake, not mine."
Verse 31: "Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out."
In nearly all Jewish texts God is the ruler, but here He is speaking of satan and his dominion in human affairs, and of the defeat of demonic spiritual forces He (Jesus) was about to carry out. Satan is real not symbolic, and is constantly working against God and those who obey him, but because of Christ's victory on the cross people can be delivered from him.
Verse 32-34: "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." 33He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. 34So the crowd answered him, "We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?"
Jesus was telling them that He was going to be "lifted up" which meant crucified, and they knew what He meant. He wanted them to know what kind of death He would die, but they simply seemed to ignore, or reject all He said. they had a 'mind set' and refuse to see anything else. They had wrongly interpreted the scriptures to say the Messiah would never die; and so were waving Palm Branches for a victorious Messiah who would set up a political, earthy kingdom that would never end. They could not accept that the Messiah had to first suffer and die, and then one day set up His kingdom. They were trying to forced Jesus into their mold.
Verse 35-36: "So Jesus said to them, "The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them."
Even we can see that Jesus was the "Light of the World," yet these spiritually blind Jewish scholars could not. Even so, Jesus never gave up on them, but continued to the very last to teach and guide them into the truth. Jesus warned them that time was running out, and that He would be with them in person for a only a short time; that if they walked in His light, they would become "sons of Light."
Then we are told that "When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.
The Unbelief of the People Verse 37: "Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, As we can see, the following scripture prophecies that the people would not believe in Jesus. The very fact they did not believe fulfills this prophecy.
Verse 38: "so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" 39Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, 40 "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them." "Their eyes were blinded" which explains why they could not grasp the words of Jesus. "Where the eye is absent, or where it has become impaired from any cause, light is useless, Man naturally, is incapable of receiving spiritual light in as much as he lacked the capacity for spiritual things." (Vine's Expository Dictionary)
Verse 41: "Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him." According to John, Isaiah saw the glory of "God the Son," Jesus (Isaiah 6:1-5).
Verse 42: "Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue;"
So, it is clear that MANY of the leaders believed in Jesus, but as we have previous discussed, feared being excommunicated, put out of the synagogue. To them, man's opinion and maintaining their ranking position among the other Pharisees and leaders, was more important than their faith in God.
Verse 43: "for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God."
This word for 'glory' can also be translated as reputation or honor. Honor was the goal of high society and considered critical in a status-conscious culture obsessed with shame and dignity.
Apart from the trial of Jesus, the rest of this chapter contains Jesus' last words that were addressed to the public outside His disciples. Most scholars sense a finality in these words, as in a last appeal.
Jesus Came to Save the World Verse 44: "And Jesus cried out and said, "Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45"And whoever sees me sees him who sent me." Jesus said that God had sent Him, which is verified by the scripture found in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." Jesus repeatedly stated that He only did what the Father told Him; therefore we can know what God is like by studying the life and words of Jesus Christ.
Verse 46: "I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness."
Light equals happiness, And the word translated here, "Skot-ee-ah" means darkness, gloom, evil, sin, obscurity... and is use in the New Testament in a metaphorical sense of ignorance of divine truth, man's sinful nature, total absence of light, and a lack of spiritual perception.
Verse 47-49: "If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. "For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak."
Judaism believed that "God's Law" was the standard by which He would judge His people at the end time. Jesus is saying that the law has been fulfilled, and the "New Covenant" which the Jews are rejecting, is in effect. His word is now law, and as always, man is given choice to either receive the life and teachings of Jesus, or reject them; then at the last Judgment at the "Great White Throne," to be judged, condemned, and eternally separated from God. On being rejected in verses 48-49, One was to receive an agent or ambassador with the honor due his sender. The agent was to represent his sender accurately. Jesus was not only "God the Son," but also God's agent. These people should have received Him with the same honor they would have received "God the Father."
Verse 50: "And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me." The theme of eternal life mentioned in verse 50 repeats what has been stressed through out this gospel. John concludes the public ministry of Jesus with a statement which stresses the importance of His teaching and serves as a link to our next study, which concentrates on teaching to the disciples.
So, we are moving right along in our study of the Gospel of John and are near the very end of Jesus' earthly life just before the crucifixion. Here Jesus concentrates on teaching and instructing his disciples with what some would call a "accelerated course" including what would seem to be, all the information and training they could humanly receive.
For Next week's study we can read: (John 13:1-38) the entire chapter; which includes Jesus washing the disciples feet, the Last Supper, and Jesus predicting Peter's denial.
So, we are moving right along in our study of the Gospel of John and are near the very end of Jesus' earthly life just before the crucifixion. Here Jesus concentrates on teaching and instructing his disciples with what some would call a "accelerated course" including what would seem to be, all the information and training they could humanly receive.
For Next week's study we can read: (John 13:1-38) the entire chapter; which includes Jesus washing the disciples feet, the Last Supper, and Jesus predicting Peter's denial.
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