John 12:9-16

⁹Meanwhile 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. ¹⁰So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, ¹¹for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in Him. ¹²The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. ¹³They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"^[Psalm 118:25, 26^] "Blessed is the King of Israel!" ¹⁴Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, ¹⁵"Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your King is coming, seated on a donkey's colt."^[Zechariah 9:9^{] 16}At first His disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.

Throughout John's gospel, the enormous impact of Jesus' miracles and the opposition to them has been very clear; in no case is this twofold reality more clear. The resurrection of Lazarus from the dead was the pinnacle of Jesus' sign-miracles. So we see now the climax building as Pharisaical opposition to Jesus rises to its final extreme. They are not only trying to kill Jesus, but they are so jealously opposed to Him that their murderous rage is spreading even beyond Jesus, focusing on a person whose only fault was that, although entirely passive (dead!), he was the object of Christ's miracle. Lazarus is on the verge of martyrdom, being killed on account of Jesus.

The following day (after Mary anointed Jesus), Jesus rode into Jerusalem, in what has come to be known as "the triumphal entry" (see Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-40). Perhaps more than any other event in His life, this day symbolized exactly what sort of ministry Jesus had on this earth. It was a glorious ministry, deserving of and resulting in the exuberant worship of the multitudes. However, this glory was accomplished and displayed far differently than might have been expected. Instead of a magnificent white horse (Revelation 6:2; 19:11), en route to a genuine group of devoted followers, Jesus humbly rode on the colt of a donkey, to a crowd that lacked authentic faith in Him. In the same way, the most glorious event in all of history was His crucifixion. Yet this most glorious event in all of history was also the lowliest and most shameful.

We see here the fickle, false faith of the crowds, who, because of His signs, line the street to honor Jesus, hailing Him as their King and Savior - but their faith is not genuine and will soon turn against Him (see John 6:15). But regardless of their sincerity or depth of knowledge, this event was a fitting and necessary accomplishment in the ministry of Jesus - so necessary, in fact, that if the multitudes had been silent, the very rocks would have cried out in worship and testimony to who Jesus truly was (Luke 19:37-40)! Jesus was declaring the commencement of His reign - by marching to His death! This very event had been prophesied in Zechariah 9:9, as John tells us, though he adds the phrase "Do not be afraid" to the quotation. This addition is fits with the spirit of the text: even though Jesus would be a mighty and glorious King, He would be humble and lowly, so that even sinners might approach Him without fear.

First, the crowd gathers to see Him; this is nothing unusual. But they gather palm branches and wave them and lay them down for Him as He comes to the City of God. That's a bit strange. The palm was the emblem of victory and peace among the ancients, but tradition was to employ branches of palm trees when bestowing kingly power on anyone, or when humbly submitting to a conqueror. It appears here that the crowd is using the palms as a token of gladness and rejoicing at receiving a new king. "Hosanna" means "save," or literally, "Give salvation now!" Used only once in the Old Testament (Psalm 118:25), the Hebrew and Greek texts translate it the same. The following phrase, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," is from Psalm 118:26; this reference is significant because it was always sung during the Feast of Tabernacles, in expectation of the Messiah. David wrote this Psalm speaking of himself, but he knew, as did the Jews, that Messiah would be one from the line of David, coming in the Lord's name, which is no small thing (coming in the name of Lord was synonymous with representing the Lord fully - which of course is exactly what Jesus proclaimed to be doing (Hebrews 1; Colossians 2))! Thus it was proper to sing this psalm thinking not of David, but of the Christ. In fact, it was customary to wave palm branches in celebration at the mention of the word "Hosanna," just as the crowds were doing here. So, in essence, the people were saying, "We recognize that You are the Messiah who should bring salvation, the One whom we have been awaiting. Salvation is here!" The whole crowd - a mass of people in town for Passover - is shouting, and everyone's attention is focused here on Jesus. Though often used and known by all, this phrase was put into the mouths of the crowd (they were unknowingly made heralds) by the Holy Spirit to announce the coming King. And when we recite the phrase in the Lord's Prayer, "Thy Kingdom Come," we are saying a similar thing. Do we even know it?

Some make much over the apparent inconsistency regarding the donkey. Was it a donkey? Or was it the colt of a donkey? Well, plainly and fitting with Zechariah 9:9, Jesus rode on the colt which was brought alongside its mother, as Matthew's account declares. Also, the address is to the daughter of Zion, by which Zechariah meant the Church. This admonition is for us. "O Church, do not fear for Your King is coming!"

As we've already mentioned, v16 tells us that only later did the disciples realize the significance of this event. Just as the seed does not spring up as soon as it is planted, so the result of the works of God is not immediately seen. The disciples were the servants of God to fulfill the prophecy, but they did not understand what they were doing. They heard the shout of the multitude, a distinct salutation of Jesus as Christ the King, but they did not perceive what it means. To them, it was a meaningless exhibition, until the Lord, after His glorious resurrection, opened their eyes.