John 12:12-19

Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting,‘Hosanna!Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—   the King of Israel!’Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written:‘Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion.Look, your king is coming,   sitting on a donkey’s colt!’His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him. The Pharisees then said to one another, ‘You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!’

This is the Palm Sunday story: Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey while multitudes cheer him on, waving palm branches as they do so.

It is interesting to note that although Jesus had that special group of 12 disciples, the real reason for the increase in numbers coming out to see him this time round was that people who had witnessed him raising Lazarus from the dead had not stopped talking about him. At the end of the day, no matter how many famous or prominent Christian leaders there are, people are more likely to respond to the gospel message when they hear it – or see it in action – from regular folk whom they know well.

The disciples don’t come off too well in this passage. Even though they have spent time with Jesus and heard him speak over and over, they did not fully understand the significance of what was going on around them until much later.

The Pharisees, meanwhile, were becoming more incensed by Jesus’ increasing popularity, and more entrenched in their belief that he must be stopped.

Blessings as we raise our Hosannas to our Lord and Savior.  Be safe!  Be well!  The Spirit has come!

To Ponder:

• Have you ever been involved in a historic event? If so, how did it feel being part of something special?
• Why do you think it took the disciples so long to understand the things that were happening?