MASS APPEAL
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Opening Prayer
Father in Heaven, thank you for your love and willingness to sacrifice your Son for me. Son of God, thank you for coming to pay for my sin, to suffer and die in my place. Holy Spirit, thank you for bringing me to saving faith and giving me hope for today and forever.
Read JOHN 12:12–19
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
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 realize 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!”
Reflect
‘Hosanna to the Prince of Light / that clothed himself in clay, / entered the iron gates of death, / and tore the bars away.’1
It might seem strange that a crowd should celebrate Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem. However, it was probably not unusual for pilgrims in the city to celebrate a new arrival—especially if he had a reputation as a prophet. Maybe they were even hoping that Jesus might take some political action, challenging Roman rule: this seems to be implied by the acclamation, ‘the king of Israel’ (v. 13), and the waving of palm branches that were associated with Jewish nationalism.2 Another crowd was also attracted to Jesus. The people who saw him raise Lazarus from the dead, with others who heard about it, spread the word and went to meet him. No wonder the Pharisees complained that ‘the whole world’ has gone after him (v. 19).
The question is, did any of these people fully understand who Jesus was and why he came? For one crowd, he was a pilgrim, a prophet, and perhaps a political agitator. For others, he was a miracle worker. Even the disciples didn’t completely appreciate Jesus’ significance. They must have thought Jesus’ choice of transport—a borrowed donkey—rather peculiar. (Imagine a Hollywood celebrity arriving at a grand event, not in a luxury limousine but on a second-hand bicycle.) Only after Jesus’ death and resurrection did they realize that Jesus was fulfilling Zechariah’s promise that Jerusalem’s king would come ‘seated on a donkey’s colt’ (v. 15).3 Only then did they realize that he would achieve victory, not through might and honor but through humility and self-sacrifice.
How much do we dwell upon Jesus’ full character? He was King of Kings; yet he chose the form of a servant. He was a raiser of the dead; yet he chose not to save himself. What will it mean for you to ‘go after’ him (see v. 19)?
Apply
What would be your answer if someone asked you who Jesus is?
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, prepare me to see you at work in surprising places and at unexpected times, doing what only you can do.
1 ‘The Resurrection of Christ’, Isaac Watts 1674–1748. 2 Ford, 236 3 Zech 9:9.
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