The Triumphal Entry Into Jerusalem
THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM
JOHN 12:12-19
In spite of the growing opposition of the religious leaders, many more people now began to shout for Jesus.
A great crowd of the Jews had come out to Bethany to see Jesus and Lazarus. Now a great crowd of those who had come as pilgrims to the festival hear that Jesus is coming to Jerusalem and set out to meet him. They took with them branches of palm trees such as had been used to hail Simon Maccabaeus after his victory (1 Maccabees 13:51). They greeted him with words from Psalm 118, which was in use at the Passover, applying the words to him as the King of Israel. There is no doubt that they were giving him a Messianic welcome into the city. He could not now avoid being King as he had done before in Galilee (6:15).
But Jesus will not have Messiahship of the sort that they are looking for. He must come into Jerusalem but he does so, not on a regal charger, but on an ass, the beast of burden symbolizing peace. His interpretation of the incident was based on Zechariah 9.9 and was more far-reaching than theirs. For the passage was in a context of the Messiah’s universal reign of peace and his liberating mission through the blood of the covenant. No wonder the disciples did not understand this until after the resurrection (cf. 2:22; 14:26). The excitement of Messianic expectation had spread from crowd to crowd until it seemed to the despairing Pharisees that the whole world had gone after him. They, like the high priest, were prophesying unwittingly.
Notes The story occurs in all four Gospels. There are some minor differences between the account in John and the others. 12:13: “Hosanna”—a Hebrew word meaning “save now.” It had the general force of “Hail!” 12:15: this is a free rendering of Zechariah 9:9. “Fear not” could be an echo of Isaiah 40:9.