John 12:12-26 (ESV)

¹² The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. ¹³ So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” ¹⁴ And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, ¹⁵ “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” ¹⁶ His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. ¹⁷ The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. ¹⁸ The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. ¹⁹ So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.” ²⁰ Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. ²¹ So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” ²² Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³ And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵ Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

The assembly of the religious leaders, the Sanhedrin, planned to kill both Jesus and Lazarus, since Lazarus had come back to life from the dead, and many believed in Jesus as a result. John stated that many who were at the Passover feast heard that Jesus was coming. The Passover crowd must have been massive as every Jewish man was called to celebrate the Passover in the city of Jerusalem. The Jewish historian Josephus records that over two million Jews came at one time to celebrate. When this huge gathering of people, who had heard about Jesus and his great works, learned that he was coming to the city, they picked up palm branches and began to shout, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Many palm trees grew in and around Jerusalem, but palm branches weren’t traditionally picked up during the Passover feast. Between the time of the Old and New Testaments, palm branches had become a national symbol of victory. Over one hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the Jewish people drove the Syrians from Jerusalem, and their success was celebrated with music and palm branches. Would Jesus drive the Romans from Jerusalem? Was he another political deliverer? In eager anticipation, the Jews cried out, “Hosanna!” or “God, save us right now!” and they proclaimed Jesus to be the King of Israel. The crowd waited and watched for Jesus to present himself as the coming King.

But Jesus came in a way quite different from what the crowds expected. Jesus got on a donkey and rode the small, young animal into the great city. Normally, a conquering king would come into his home city riding a strong and majestic horse. But Zechariah 9:9 declares that the righteous King of Israel would come to the people of God riding on a donkey. Jesus let the onlookers know in a visual way that he wouldn’t do as they wanted, but would do things God’s way instead. How often do we expect and demand certain things from God? We want our relationships fixed, our financial problems solved, and our health restored. But Jesus came to do something far greater. He came to qualify those who follow him for entrance into his eternal kingdom. If Jesus doesn’t seem to be “making things happen” for you, may the joy of your salvation outweigh your difficulties today.