The Triumphant Entry

John 12 part 2

This event is written in every Gospel account, more details in the other accounts. Matt. 21, Mark 11, Luke 19.

After Jesus had been anointed by Mary and also Judas impending betrayal was fueled even more, by Mary’s anointing and Jesus’ response.

The setting is the next day. Sunday.

Verse 12......Word had spread that Jesus was coming, possibly Judas or the other Jews that didn’t believe had spread the word.

A large crowd had gathered because they had received the word and wanted to see the One Who raised Lazarus from the dead.

This crowd would have been hundreds of thousands because of the upcoming Passover feast.

Jesus coming to Jerusalem would have been 2 fold for the people.

Some generally were curious about the raising of Lazarus

Others were wanted Him dead!

Verse 13.......When the worship began......

Psalm 118:25-26 “Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord.”

Hosanna meaning “Save us, now”

They had done something like this 100 years before.  A conqueror by the name of Judas Maccabeus had essentially conquered Acra, brought back Acra to Israel.  One hundred years before our Lord, they did something like this.  They threw down palm branches, and were hoping that he who had conquered Acra was their Messiah who would throw out all the occupying enemies and give them back their freedom and bring in the promises of God.  He was not.

This whole scene is a Messianic expectation

Jesus allows this presentation of Himself to go, but He is not their typical conqueror!

He comes humbly.  He comes peacefully.  He comes to die.  His coming has critical biblical prophetic significance.  He will fulfill prophecy.  He will fulfill divine prophecy.

All of this hoopla, sent the religious leaders into frenzy. They did not want to kill Jesus during this time, during this feast. Too many people and it would fulfill prophecy.

Verse 14-15.........The 3 other Gospels gives a more detailed account regarding the selection of the donkey.

This was another fulfillment of prophecy.....Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; Lowly, and riding upon an ass, And upon a colt the foal of an ass.”

You remember the story.  Jesus chose the colt to ride and not the mother.  Why the two?  Jesus wanted to come into the city in humility.  He didn’t even ride the older more mature animal.  He rode the weaker, younger animal.

This is the way Jesus could demonstrably express the humility that was going to come His way during that week.

Philippians 2:8 “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Let’s pause for a moment.....we could get into a deeper conversation about Daniel 9 and his prophecies, but I just want to note that this is all done/ordained by God and has been ordained. This is the 1st coming of Jesus Christ and this is a rightful celebration for some and proper for the coming Prince of Peace. For some the motives were wrong........Isaiah 53 explains it all for them......... The first time Jesus came, He came to deal with transgression, sin, and iniquity.

Isaiah 53:5 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon him; And with his stripes we are healed.”

Verse 16..........This is much like what John said about the disciple in John 2:22 “When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.”

Verse 17-19.........Those that witnessed had spread the raising of Lazarus everywhere and because of that people were going to be where ever Jesus was.

The Pharisees was indignant about this uproar........ “You see.....” they told those ones spreading the news about Lazarus.........You see, you are not helping our attempts at killing Him, the world is gone after Jesus.

It seems strange that this perception by the Pharisees, seems to suggest that this was an impossible task now. Because of all the people that were following after Jesus.

However, we know that just a few days later they were able to convince some of those same people to declare crucify Him!

It is amazing how quickly we can be deceived or grow tired of something.

Verse 20-22.....The Greeks came to Jesus.....

Most likely this was Gentiles who have converted to Judaism.

These “Greeks” stood in contrast to those Pharisees who are enraged by Jesus, the Greeks wanted to be with Jesus and also worship Him!

This passage has no record other than Jesus’ teaching in the next few verses to whether or not they met with Jesus or not, most likely, yes. Simply, because it was included in this account and John goes straight into Jesus teaching.

Verse 23-24........Jesus gives a simple explanation of His purpose.

He tells them and us that just like a seed, He must die in order to bring forth much fruit!

Ephesians 2:13-14 “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;”

The Word of God does better at expounding on this than I do.

Without the death if Jesus we would never be able to approach the Father.

The Law has no power to save, only Jesus in His death!

If the Gospel of Christ is not fulfilled, then the Godhead would be without humans.

Verse 25-26..........Following Jesus.....

I read in a commentary: “We must be so committed to living for Christ that we hate our life by comparison.”

1 Peter 2:21 “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:”

If Jesus would have loved His life more than the Father’s will, then we would have no redemption.

In the same way we live our lives, hating this world. What does that mean?

I believe it is simple Matt. 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

Denying ourselves would imply the meaning of preferring something over something else.

If the thing we prefer is different than our surroundings, it would certainly be a struggle or suffering (bearing a cross) for that decision.

Romans 8:13 “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”

Powerful teaching for us!!

This preferring the life of Christ over the world, God will honor.

This is a calling into His service, to live for Jesus and after Jesus!

Verse 27-29......This is similar to the prayer in the Garden, but this is a affirming of what He just taught us.....

My soul is troubled.......but what shall I say about it?????

Nothing, because this is why Jesus was sent, He was sent to glorify the Father, God!

No matter the difficulty of earthly life, in comparison, that difficulty does not measure to the Glory of God! So, there is nothing to say but carry on!

Jesus here prays for His Father’s will to be done....Father, Glorify Your Name!

Verse 30-33.......God answers Jesus.........This scene is debated by some.......Some do not even deal with it......

God tells Jesus that He has glorified His Name and will Glorify It.

By faithfully completing God’s purpose, Jesus has glorified God the Father.

The text tells us that the people thought it was thunder or that an angel had spoken to Jesus.

It seems that there was some speech heard, but John seems to imply that they did not fully understand what they heard. The discussion among some is to why did Jesus say that what God has said to Jesus was not for Himself but for the people gathered around?

I doubt nobody will ever come to an agreement of any of this, I will just say that it seems that God’s immediate answer to Jesus’ prayer was for the crowd’s sake! Whether they full understood the words or not, it came from Heaven, after the prayer of Jesus!

Now the judgement of this world.......Jesus’ 1st coming is salvation, but intertwined in the redemption of Christ, is that He becomes the ONLY WAY. In so becoming, that casts judgement on those that reject Him!

John 3:18-20 “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”

Therefore, since the ultimate impact of the world’s verdict is to condemn itself, so also it is to condemn Satan as its ruler and guiding influence.

“Cast out” (Greek ekballo) should probably be understood in the context of the figure of a prince who is deposed or forced from his throne. Jesus is saying that there is to be a revolution against Prince Satan and that his regime of terror is to be swept away. That revolution will trace its legitimacy to Christ’s cross; it will begin at Calvary.

Being lifted up, Jesus is speaking of His death by crucifixion, which is most certainly His exaltation, by what Jesus just spoke in His prayer.

By this love, by this offering, by the sacrifice of Jesus, He will draw all men unto Him!

This is also up for debate amongst commentators. I do not see the issue!

Because of Jesus atoning for sin on the cross, He is the Only Way to God. All of the sacrificial system has placed upon Him, once for all and it goes through Him.

With that as truth, then we must understand that every human has to deal with Jesus. Gentile or Jew. All of them, has to come through Jesus!

They have to make a decision for Christ! All men!

All could mean that He is available for all.

However, if we keep it in context with what Jesus is teaching we must understand that salvation is through Jesus and no other method or means and the Jews have lost their old way and must go through Jesus!

God will pull everyone, to deal with Jesus! They have to, because of the Cross of Christ!

Verse 34.......The people heard and had read that the Messiah will live forever (reign forever)

How can you say that the Christ will be lifted up or be crucified?

Isaiah 9:7 “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, Upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, To order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice From henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”

Who is this Son of Man? (Mentioned back in verse 23)

By this they do not seek simple identification, but demand to know what kind of Son of Man/Messiah Jesus has in mind, of whom it can be said that he will die. That is not only the sort of question we might expect the crowds to ask the historical Jesus during the closing hours of his public ministry, it is also the sort of question that Jews and Jewish proselytes interested in Christianity at the end of the first century would need to have answered, before they could become Christians.

Verse 35-36.....Jesus’ plea for them and us to walk in the light......Stay in Jesus Christ, do not become overwhelmed with thew world but stay......

Darkness-without Jesus..........Confusing, everything weighs in the balance

With Jesus everything is answered, stay in the light of Jesus Christ!

Verses 37-43....In these verses John gives the Scriptural explanation such large scale, catastrophic unbelief on the part of the Jewish nation.

John quotes Isaiah 53:1 “Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” And....

Isaiah 6:10 “Make the heart of this people fat, And make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.”

I read this commentary: “Just as God intensified the original hardness of Pharaoh’s heart and directed it to His own purposes, so He did with O.T. Israel and so He is doing with these Jews who have rejected Christ. While they are totally responsible for their great sin of rejecting Him, they are actually fulfilling God’s plan as they do so. Peter explains this principle very clearly in Acts 2:23 ‘Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:’”

Lastly, some of the chief rulers believed on Jesus, but did not confess Jesus openly......

The faith of these rulers was so weak that they refused to take any position that would threaten their position in the synagogue.

This is one of the saddest statements about spiritual leadership, for they preferred the praise of men above the praise of God.

This goes right back to what Jesus taught them in verses 25-26!

“If any man serve Me, him My Father will honor”!

Verses 44-50.....Jesus summarizes His teaching.........

Jesus is the Only Light for the world, faith or desire for anything else is darkness.....

Everything that Jesus is and does is of the Father.....

Jesus is the revealer of God!

That is how He is the light! That is the Truth that extinguishes darkness!

God will judge them, Jesus as the judge will judge as the Father judges!

Only One source is the rightful measure for judgement and it is God!

5. Everything Jesus does is of the commandment of God..

1 Corinthians 11:3 “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.”