When it all starts to make sense
12:12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the king of Israel!”
14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:
15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey’s colt.”16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realise that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.
17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”
John 12:12–19 (NIV)
Any person’s faith in Jesus is always a work in progress. From the most aggressive atheist to the most pious pastor, we always need to be humble enough to recognise that we do not have it all sorted. There are things that we do to deepen our understanding and develop our relationship with Christ, but no matter how many books you read or how many Bible studies you attend, you will never fully “get it”.
There are several reasons why we can never fully understand God and how he relates with us. One of those reasons is because we don’t have to. Jesus says that not even he knows when the final judgment will come, but only the Father (Mt. 24:36). God’s business is his to worry about, not ours. His ways and his thoughts are far higher than ours (Is. 55:9).
There are times, though, when God chooses to reveal himself and his plans for us. Palm Sunday is one of those times. There are three distinct groups of people here that are all in progress: the crowds, the world, and the disciples. All three of these groups are aware of Jesus’ arrival, but none of them really “get it”.
The crowds
Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.
The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the king of Israel!”
John 12:9–13
Jesus had clearly gained a reputation throughout his three-or-so years of ministry, but the raising of Lazarus was the sign that caught the Jews’ attention. John mentions that people wanted to see Jesus, but they also wanted to see Lazarus. You can imagine the questions people would’ve had: “What was it like to die? Did it hurt? Do you feel different?”
Who needs social media when you’ve got word of mouth? The grapevine had done its work. People had heard about this thing that Jesus had done and wanted to check it out for themselves. Word on the street is that this Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah we’ve been waiting for. They had heard that he was coming to Jerusalem, so they gathered at the city gate and lined the street.
The palms themselves are an interesting thing. Only John’s gospel specifically mentions palm branches. Matthew’s gospel says that they “cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road” (Mt. 21:8). Mark’s gospel says they “spread leafy branches they had cut from the fields” (Mk. 11:8). Luke’s gospel doesn’t mention branches at all.
Palm trees grew in the valley along the river Jordan, not in the mountain heights near Jerusalem. The branches used for Jesus might have been left over from some kind of Tabernacle ritual use.
Their cry comes straight from Psalm 118, which was sung in the Tabernacle:
Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.
Psalm 118:25,26
The cry of “Hosanna!” (literally, “Save us, please!”) is what the people cried when the king went up to the temple. “God save the King” might be our equivalent.
This isn’t the first time that Jesus has been welcomed like a king by a crowd. After Jesus had fed the five thousand, Jesus withdrew to a mountain because the people were going to take him by force and make him king (Jn. 6:15). The next time the crowds call him a king will be in mockery (19:14) but the greatest crowd that can’t even be numbered will adore the King of heaven and earth for eternity (Re. 7:9–12).
The crowd has some perception of what’s going on. Being well-educated in the Old Testament as all Jews are, this crowd knew a fair bit about the Messiah. They knew enough to use a liturgical Psalm to welcome him into the city.
The palms. The words of the crowd. The city of Jerusalem. There are layers and layers of significance for the Jews. They are right to welcome Jesus as their Messiah and King, but they do not understand the nature of his rule.
Horses were reserved for military use. Jesus arrives on the back of a donkey that has never even been ridden. He turns up in a Ford Laser rather than a Rolls-Royce.
His choice of vehicle goes unnoticed by the crowds. They don’t get it. Jesus comes as a King in humility and peace, not political or military might.
The world
Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”
John 12:17–19
Again, you can see how important the raising of Lazarus is in John’s gospel. Word has spread and the crowds are gathering. Hype is building, and on the eve of the Passover festival of all times. Jesus is interrupting everything.
We read in the previous chapter in John that not everyone who witnessed Jesus’ signs was convinced. Some of them went back to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. His rapidly building popularity was a threat to their power and control of the Jewish nation.
The Pharisees and chief priests got together for an emergency meeting of the Sanhedrin:
“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”
John 11:47b,48
They had reason to be worried about the Romans. They reacted very harshly against rebellions, riots, and any kind of disorder. The Jewish leaders feared that if Jesus used the mob to his advantage, the Romans would crack down and destroy both the temple and the nation itself.
These are logical fears, but they just don’t get it.
Caiaphas, the high priest, who will feature on Good Friday as well, turns the conversation. This is where God’s plan for the salvation of the world really starts to take shape. Caiaphas says,
“You know nothing at all! You do not realise that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”
He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life.
John 11:49b–53
There is evidence here that shows that Caiaphas has good intentions. He is a man of Scripture and he recognises that the death of this Jesus will bring about some kind of unity. He even sees that this isn’t just about the Jews, but even the “scattered children of God.”
Yet, the underlying intention is in his words: “I’d rather see Jesus die than risk losing our nation.” Keep in mind that these are leaders of the nation, both politically and spiritually. They are willing to put Jesus to death to keep hold of their power, influence, and control.
So, the leaders of the nation have decided that Jesus will be put to death because the temple and the nation itself is at risk. And then Jesus is given a king’s welcome by a massive crowd as he arrives in Jerusalem.
The Pharisees are stressing out. “This is useless! The whole world has gone after him!” Their fear is blowing reality out of proportion. They have no idea that this is all a part of God’s plan to save the world.
As Jesus had said to the Samaritan woman at the well: “Soon, there won’t be any need for the temple or holy mountains because God’s people will worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
The world does not get it, and nor do the Pharisees.
The disciples
At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realise that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.
John 12:16
The disciples fully understood the Messiah’s welcome that Jesus was receiving. What they didn’t understand—yet—was that Jesus kingship is not to do with political or military might, but humility and peace.
The signs that Jesus gives are not always obvious. The palms and the shouts of “Hosanna!” are just a couple of dots in the whole puzzle.
Right back at the start, in John 2, Jesus talks about rebuilding the temple in three days.
[The disciples] replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
John 2:20–22
Sometimes, you just need to get to the end of the story before you can understand all the little hints that were given along the way. When you look back, it all makes sense and it even seems obvious. “How did I not see that at the time?”
Even the disciples, Jesus’ chosen inner circle, didn’t get it at the time. But they did get it when Jesus was glorified. Once Jesus’ work was complete and the victory over death was won, that’s when it started to make sense.
What does all of this mean for us? It means that to know anything about God or his will for us, he needs to reveal it to us.
If he doesn’t tell us, we don’t know. If he doesn’t show us, we can’t understand.
When we see Jesus on the cross, bearing the sin of the whole world, we begin to understand the magnitude of our sin, but also the sheer abundance of God’s love for us.
When we see the risen Jesus walking and talking with his disciples, we can trust him when he says that whoever believes in him will never die.
The crowds didn’t really get it. The world didn’t get it either, and nor did the Pharisees. The disciples didn’t get it, but when Jesus was glorified, the pieces started to fall into place.
Do you get it? Has God revealed himself to you? Has God shown you who he is?
You bet he has. More than once while you’ve been sitting here this morning! Through his Word, your baptism, the Lord’s Supper, the words of absolution, or even a whisper by his Spirit.
As we commence this Holy Week, may God reveal himself to you again as we journey with Jesus to the upper room, to the cross, and finally to the empty tomb.
