Jesus enters Jerusalem. John 12:12-19 Against the backdrop of devotion's beauty, fellowship's joy, and faithful service's satisfaction, there was also the darkness of evil under satanic control by Judas and the chief priests. Jesus went the very next day into Jerusalem to fulfill prophecy concerning the coming King. Pilgrims from all over the nation, as well as Jews from various parts of the empire, had gathered in Jerusalem for Passover. Residents of Jerusalem were noticeably absent from this event. Likely, they had already made up their minds to follow the religious leaders rather than join the crowd of “lower-class people from the hinterlands.” At first, there was adulation as the easily swayed crowd shouted “Hosanna!”
Multitudes were waiting for the coming deliverance by the King, longing for the freedom and glory they hoped He would bring to the nation. They gathered by the road expecting a victory parade, thinking perhaps this was the day they would be freed from Roman rule. They had heard He raised the dead by the power of His deity, so maybe He would kill the living and, as King, seize power. The watching Greeks came closest to understanding what everyone saw; they wanted to know the person who had filled their hearts with awe. The King is who we honor, not the promised “kingdom come.” The “corn of wheat” that died is the life-giving One, giving new life to those who believe in Him.
The Father glorified His name through the service of His Son. He accomplished every task He came to do. He never left any relevant prophecy unfulfilled or any work undone that needed to be fully finished so the Son of God could make us truly free. By His death on Calvary’s cross, where He was lifted up to die, He made it possible for everyone to draw near to God through Jesus’ death and, from then on, be empowered to live a new life in divine light. No longer children of darkness who struggle in the night, here on earth today we spend time with Jesus in our midst and enjoy new life and blessings because we are where He is with us.
The chief priests, filled with implacable hatred against Christ, were willfully blinded and had hardened their hearts to the light of the Lord Jesus Christ and the blessings He brought to others, including Lazarus. They deliberately rejected Christ and now planned to kill two instead of one because many people believed in Jesus due to the raising of Lazarus from the dead.
The Jews expected the Messiah to bring national deliverance without needing a change of heart. That day will come, there is no doubt about it. When that happens, the entire world will know that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is the King of kings. We who know Him now honor Him in that way today, in our lives and gatherings, as we look forward to His coming glory.