Study John's Gospel Volume Ii

By Paul Avent

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 28, 2010
• ISBN: 9781453570173

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INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER 12

WHAT PART OF JESUS’S MINISTRY SEEMS TO CONCLUDE WITH THIS CHAPTER? WHAT PART OF JESUS’S MINISTRY WILL JESUS OPEN WITH CHAPTER 13? (1) (2) (3) WHAT THREE EVENTS WILL GOD USE TO CONCLUDE THIS PART OF JESUS MINISTRY?

WILL JESUS SHOW WHY SOME DID NOT BELIEVE? HOW WILL JESUS CONCLUDE THIS PHASE OF HIS MINISTRY? (M) (God in authoring this Gospel) has practically concluded his account of the public ministry. Chapter 13 begins the section on the final discourses addressed to the disciples in the upper room after which John goes on to the events surrounding the Passion. This chapter then contains Jesus’s last teaching and acts before the general public. [God] selects three incidents: the [1] the anointing at Bethany, [2] the triumphal entry, and [3] the visit of the Greeks to Jesus. Then he rounds the section off with an appeal to prophecy, showing why it was that some did not believe, followed by a rousing call to faith, spoken by Jesus himself.

IN CHAPTER 12, HOW WILL WE SEE MARTHA? HOW WILL WE SEE LAZARUS? HOW WILL WE SEE MARY? (I) Jesus longed for human fellowship and was glad when he found it. What a beautiful picture of that in this twelfth chapter. [Here we see] . . . set forth three aspects of Christian life. We see in Martha service; in Lazarus, fellowship; in Mary, worship.

CHAPTER 12

12:1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived in Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

WHY DID JESUS GO BACK TO BETHANY? SINCE BETHANY IS SO CLOSE TO JERUSALEM, DO YOU THINK JUDAS TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY FOR MAKING A LITTLE EXTRA MONEY? DID JESUS RESIST THE EVIL JUDAS DID? DID JESUS KNOW WHAT JUDAS WAS UP TO? HOW COULD JESUS OFFER HIS LIFE AS A SACRIFICE WHEN JUDAS IS BETRAYING HIM? (C) Now Christ came to Bethany first that he might go to Jerusalem three days later. Meanwhile, he wanted to give Judas a suitable time and place to betray him so that he might present himself a victim prepared for the sacrifice at the appointed hour. He is not ignorant of what is to happen but comes to his sacrificing voluntarily.

WHY DOES GOD SO CAREFULLY DESCRIBE THE EXACT TIME WHEN JESUS CAME TO JERUSALEM? WHAT DAY DID JESUS ARRIVE IN BETHANY? WHY IS JESUS’S NAME USED TWICE WHEN A PERSONAL PRONOUN WOULD HAVE BEEN ADEQUATE? (M) The chief priests and the Pharisees were seeking to put Jesus to death. He had no intention of rushing needlessly into danger and accordingly had retired to a quiet spot [11:54] . . . . [God’s] interest in precise detail comes out in that he tells us exactly when Jesus came to Bethany, locating his arrival characteristically with a reference to one of the great feasts . . . . Jesus may have arrived on the Friday after sunset, or alternatively he may not have traveled very far so as not to exceed the Sabbath Day’s journey . . . . The repetition of the name of Jesus may be a way of emphasizing the personal activity of the Lord.

WHEN DID JESUS LEAVE HIS TEMPORARY ABODE (NEAR THE WILDERNESS OF JUDEA) TO COME TO BETHANY? TO WHOSE HOUSE DID JESUS COME? WAS THIS THE HOME OF ANY DISCIPLE OF JESUS? (I) We learn from Matthew 26:6 that this took place in the house of Simon the Leper. He could not have been a leper still, for then it would have been impossible for him to have dwelt there. (B) On the Sunday before Passover Jesus and his disciples left their temporary abode near the wilderness of Judea and came to Bethany on the slopes of Mount Olive rather less than two miles along the Jericho road from Jerusalem . . . . In Bethany, and especially in the home of Lazarus and his sisters, he had for long been a welcome and honored guest; now, naturally, he was more welcome and honored than ever.

12:1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived in Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

WAS THE SUPPER GIVEN IMMEDIATELY UPON JESUS’S ARRIVAL IN BETHANY? WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF THE SUPPER? WHAT EVENT, IF ANY, COULD THIS SUPPER CELEBRATE? (B) The meal may well have been intended in part to celebrate the recent recovery of Lazarus from death, so Lazarus was treated as one of the guests of honor, alongside the Lord to whom he owed his new life. 2: Here a dinner was given in Jesus’s honor. Martha served while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.

HOW LONG AFTER JESUS ARRIVED WAS THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS CELEBRATED? DID THIS, FOR A CHANGE, SHOW THE ATTITUDE OF JESUS’S LOVING FRIENDS? HOW WAS THIS CELEBRATION A TESTIMONY OF HOW MARY, MARTHA, AND LAZARUS FELT ABOUT JESUS? (I) In Mark’s Gospel we read that it was actually two days before the Passover that the supper was given to him. Four days went by, and then they made him this supper. It was a testimony on the part of his loving friends, an evidence of their affection for him. 2: Here a dinner was given in Jesus’s honor. Martha served while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.

2: Here a dinner was given in Jesus’s honor. Martha served while Lazarus was among these reclining at the table with him.

WHY DOESN’T GOD TELL US WHO ARRANGED THE SUPPER? WHO WAS ACTING HOSTESS? ANY REASON WHY LAZARUS WAS A GUEST? IF IT WERE AT THE HOME OF LAZARUS, WHY IS LAZARUS MENTIONED AS A GUEST? (M) The result of Jesus’s visit was a dinner. [God] does not say who arranged it . . . . Martha is mentioned first, which may indicate that she was acting hostess. She was active in serving . . . . Lazarus is placed among the guests; he was one of those who reclined at table with Jesus. This is perhaps a more natural remark if the meal were in another house than Lazarus’s own. His presence among guests could be assumed in his own home.

3: Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’s feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

DOES GOD WANT TO TIE THE EVENTS IN THE HOME OF MARY, MARTHA, AND LAZARUS WITH THE RAISING OF LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD? HOW MUCH PERFUME DID MARY POUR ON JESUS? DID MARY ANOINT JESUS TO CELEBRATE SOMETHING? ON WHAT OCCASIONS DID THE JEWS COMMONLY USE PERFUME? (M) [God] is tying the anointing with the preceding happenings. Mary now took ‘about a pint’ of very costly unguent. This would be scented oil that might be poured on the head as a mark of festivity. ‘Perfume’ gives the sense of it. The quantity Mary used is quite a large one, and this perfume was expensive, so Mary’s was a very costly action . . . . The use of unguents was very common among first-century Jews especially on festive occasions.

ACCORDING TO HISTORIAN PLINY, WHAT PART OF THE BODY WAS ANOINTED WITH THE FESTIVE AND EXPENSIVE PERFUME? HOW MUCH OF THE BODY OF JESUS DID MARY ANOINT WITH THIS PERFUME? HOW MUCH OF PETER’S BODY WAS CONSIDERED WASHED WHEN JESUS WASHED PETERS FEET? (C) Anointing was usually of the head, and for this reason Pliny regards it as extravagant when someone anointed the ankles . . . . Mary did not anoint him sparingly but poured a large quantity of ointment on him . . . . [God’s] reference to his feet is equivalent to his saying that Christ’s whole body was anointed down to the feet. (Recall what Jesus said to Peter when Jesus washed Peter’s feet [13:10]: He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet but is clean every whit.) 3: Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’s feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

3: Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’s feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

WHERE WAS THE PERFUME ORDINARILY POURED? WHY DID MARY POUR THE PERFUME ON THE FEET OF JESUS? WHOSE JOB WAS IT TO TAKE CARE OF THE MASTER’S FEET? WHY DID MARY WIPE THE OIL OFF? WHY DID SHE USE HER HAIR INSTEAD OF A TOWEL? DID MARY VIOLATE JEWISH CUSTOM BY USING HER HAIR TO WIPE JESUS’S FEET? DO YOU THINK THAT MARY ACTUALLY PERCEIVED THE SAME PURPOSE IN THE ANOINTING THAT JESUS DID? DID JESUS LATER SET A PRECEDENT THAT EXPLAINED MARY’S ACTS HERE? (M) But the oil was normally poured on the head, and the peculiar thing about this anointing was that Mary poured it on Jesus’s feet. This is probably to be taken as an act of utter humility. Mary is taking the lowliest possible place . . . . To attend to the feet was the task of the lowliest slave, so Mary’s action involved great humility as well as great devotion. This is further emphasized by her using her hair to wipe the feet. It is perhaps curious that the oil was wiped off at all . . . . The use of the hair rather than a towel or the like may also something of a personal involvement. The act is all the more striking in that a Jewish lady never unbound her hair in public . . . . Mary did not stop to calculate public reaction. Her heart went out to her Lord, and she gave expression to her feelings in this beautiful touching act . . . . Jesus’s words to Peter in connection with the feet washing imply that the washing of the feet ‘is equivalent to a complete washing’ [13:9-10] . . . . Possibly the same principle may hold good here.

WHY DID GOD TELL US THAT THE ODOR OF THE PERFUME FILLED THE HOUSE? WAS THERE A RABBINIC SAYING BROUGHT INTO FOCUS HERE? (M) (God tells us) that ‘the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.’ This looks like the reminiscence of someone who was there. It is possible also that it has a further significance. There is a rabbinic saying, ‘[The scent of] good oil is diffused from the bed chamber to the dining hall while a good is diffused from one end of the world to another.’ If some such thought is in mind, this may be [God’s] equivalent of saying that the action would be spoken throughout the world [Mk 14:9].

4: But one of his disciples—Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him—objected.

WHAT WAS THE SURNAME OF JUDAS? WHY DOESN’T GOD IMMEDIATELY BEGIN TO PUNISH JUDAS? HOW DOES GOD BRING OUT THE ENORMITY OF THIS OFFENSE AND THE OFFENSE OF BETRAYAL? HOW IS JUDAS ISCARIOT, THE SON OF SIMON? (6:71) (M) (God) singles out Judas for mention and characterizes the man in three ways: he gives his surname ‘Iscariot’ [see on 6:71], he speaks of him as one of Jesus’s disciples, and he reminds us that he would betray Jesus. He does not launch out on a tirade against the traitor. The only way he brings out the enormity of the offense is by setting side by side the statements that he was a disciple and that he would betray the Lord.

5: Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.

IS THE OBJECTION OF JUDAS PLAUSIBLE? (C) Judas takes up a plausible position for his wickedness when he puts forward the poor, for whom he cared nothing.

HOW MUCH WAS THE PERFUME WORTH IN TODAY’S DOLLARS? HOW DO WE ARRIVE AT THAT VALUE? (M) Judas points out that the nard was valuable. He asks why it was not sold for 300 denarii and the proceeds given to poor folk. The sum is a large one. A laborer was paid a denarius a day [Matt 20:2] so that allowing for Sabbaths, it was about a year’s wages for a laboring man. (If minimum wage equals to $5.75, then this would mean about $12,000 [$5.75 x 40 x 52 = $11,960]).

WAS IT ONLY JUDAS WHO OBJECTED? HOW WOULD YOU FEEL ABOUT POURING OUT PERFUME THIS VALUABLE? WAS MARY’S WILLINGNESS TO SPEND SUCH AN EXPENSIVE PERFUME TO JESUS AN INDICATION OF HER RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM? IS IT HARD TO SYMPATHIZE WITH JUDAS’S POINT OF VIEW? WAS THIS AN IMPULSIVE OR WELL-PLANNED GESTURE? CAN DEVOTION BE MEASURED IN TERMS OF DOLLARS TODAY? (B) On this occasion [Judas] voiced what was probably the feelings of many as they say with stupefaction what Mary was doing. ‘Might not this have been sold for much and given to the poor?’ is a sentiment not infrequently voiced by people who imagine that they are quoting Holy Writ, whereas, in fact, they are echoing a criticism that was rebuked by our Lord. Devotion cannot be measured in terms of pounds and pence, although some people think it can. And yet it is easy to sympathize with Judas’s point of view . . . . All this wealth had been wasted, it appeared, in one impulsive gesture!

6: He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

WAS THERE A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE ANOINTING AND THE BETRAYAL OF JESUS? (C) (Judas) really had only one reason for betraying Christ: to regain somehow the loot that had slipped out of his fingers. It was indignation over his lost gains that drove him to the design of betraying Christ.

WHY DID JESUS CHOOSE A THIEF TO BE HIS TREASURER? (C) It is surprising that Christ should have chosen as treasurer a man whom he knew to be a thief. For what was it but giving him a rope to hang himself with?

DID JUDAS REALLY CARE ABOUT THE POOR? WHAT DOES IT SEEM THAT JUDAS DID CARE ABOUT? DID JUDAS HAVE GOOD FINANCIAL SENSE? (M) Such a gift would have been a worthwhile benefaction especially considering the small size of the apostolic group. But [God] now volunteers the information that Judas did not speak in this way out of concern for the poor but out from motives of dishonesty . . . . [Judas’s] words here revealed that he had a sharp sense of financial values and no appreciation of human values . . . . [God] characterizes him as a thief, his word indicating something like a sneaky thief.

DOES THE APPARENT DISAPPOINTMENT OF JUDAS FURNISH MOTIVE FOR BETRAYAL? WHAT DO YOU THINK JUDAS HAD IN MIND FOR THE PERFUME? WOULD THE VALUE OF THE PERFUME FURNISH THE PRICE OF SUPPORTING THE DISCIPLES FOR SOME TIME? WHAT ADDITIONAL INCENTIVE DID JUDAS HAVE? (M) He also gives us information that Judas was the ‘treasurer’ of the little band, which argues that he was a man of some ability. It also meant that he would be in a position to help himself from time to time. It further opens up the possibility that disappointed avarice may have been one of the motives leading Judas to betray Jesus . . . . [An] impression left is that Judas, seeing one source of personal enrichment lost, hastened to create another. And if this is the character of the man, we may well feel that he was dissatisfied with the way the mission of Jesus was turning out. Certainly he would have hoped for better pickings when he first attached himself to the little band.

HOW DID MONEY USUALLY GET INTO THE BOX THAT JUDAS CARRIED? DID JUDAS CARRY THE MONEY BOX ON HIS PERSON? (B) So, we are told, it was a mercenary spirit rather than an altruistic solicitude for the poor that underlay Judas’s words. The ‘money box’ [may have been] the receptacle for gifts made to Jesus and the disciples by well-disposed people like the women of Luke 8:2-3 who ‘provided for them out of their means.’ . . . Here Judas is said not only to have carried the money box but to have also appropriated its contents.

7: Leave her alone, Jesus replied. It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.

HOW DID JESUS DEFEND MARY? DOES THIS MEAN THAT WE SHOULD GIVE COSTLY AND EXPENSIVE GIFTS TO GOD? HOW WOULD YOU FEEL ABOUT AN ABSURDLY RICH CHURCH IN THE MIDST OF AN ABSURDLY POOR PEOPLE? (C) The anointing, which Judas blames, is defended on the ground that it is for his burial . . . . They are absurd interpreters, therefore, who infer from Christ’s reply that costly and splendid worship is pleasing to God.

IN DEFENDING MARY, WAS JESUS OUT OF STEP WITH CUSTOM? HOW? WAS ANOINTING A MARK OR BODY PREPARATION FOR BURIAL? (M) Jesus immediately took Mary’s part. He would have nothing to do with the criticism brought against her, though there is difficultly in understanding the precise bearing of his defense. In the first place, it is curious that he should refer to his burial. Anointing was usually a mark of festivity. Its omission was an act of discourtesy toward a guest [Lk. 7:46]. When people were engaged in solemn activities such as fasting, they sometimes refrained from anointing as a way of drawing attention to what they were doing, a practice that Jesus discouraged [Matt 6:16-17]. Anointing was associated with revelry rather than funerals.

WHY DOES JESUS TALK ABOUT HIS BURIAL HERE? DOES MARY SHARE WITH JESUS A COMMON STATE OF MIND? DID MARY OBTAIN THIS PERFUME WITH THIS PURPOSE IN MIND? (M) A remark about a burial is not at all what we would have expected. We must take this as a measure of the extent to which the Passion was in Jesus’s mind at this time. It loomed large in his thoughts and therefore an action that at another time might arouse very different associations he immediately linked with his death and associated Mary with this view. He may mean that she had entered more fully into his mind than others and knew that the end could not be far off. Or he may mean that she had procured the perfume with a view of his final anointing.

WAS IT UNUSUAL TO GIVE VERY EXPENSIVE GIFTS AT A FUNERAL? IF NOT, WAS MARY WELL DEFENDED BY THIS RESPONSE OF JESUS? (B) Jesus’s reply suggests that the outpouring of the ointment should be regarded as an anticipation of what might have been reserved for his burial. Unusual expense at a funeral was not regarded as unseemly; why should anyone object if the ointment that would otherwise have been used to anoint his dead body in due course was poured over him while he was still alive and able to appreciate the love that prompted this action?

7: Leave her alone, Jesus replied. It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.

HOW COULD JESUS TALK ABOUT SAVING THE PERFUME WHEN MARY HAD JUST POURED IT OUT? (M) Another difficulty is in understanding what meaning we are to put into the word ‘save,’ for Mary had just done the very opposite of ‘saving’ the perfume.

WHAT IS MEANT WHEN JESUS SAID THAT THE OINTMENT HAD BEEN KEPT? IS THE COST OF OUR GIFT TO JESUS AN INDICATION OF OUR LOVE FOR HIM? DO YOU THINK JESUS WANTED PEOPLE TO GIVE HIM EXPENSIVE GIFTS? (C) When he says that the ointment had been kept, he means that it was not poured out at the wrong time but at the proper time . . . . It is certain that if anyone earlier had loaded him with costly delicacies, he would not have allowed it.

WAS THIS A ONE-TIME ANOINTING? WHAT WAS THE ANOINTING A SYMBOL OF? HOW WAS MARY MOVED TO DO THIS EXTRAORDINARY ACT? (C) But he says that Mary did this not as something ordinary but as her last duty toward him. Moreover, the anointing of bodies was a spiritual symbol then, not an empty rite. It set before them the hope of the resurrection . . . . The anointing of Christ was not superfluous then, for he was soon to be buried and was anointed as if to be laid in the tomb. The disciples did not know this yet, and undoubtedly Mary was suddenly moved by the directing of the Spirit to do something that she had not thought of before.

HOW IS THIS EXTRAORDINARY ACT AND EXTREME EXPENSE JUSTIFIED? (C) Since . . . his resurrection had not yet brought the end of the shadows of the law, his burial had to be adorned with an outward ceremony. The scent of his resurrection is now strong enough of itself to quicken the whole world without spikenard and ointments.

8: You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.

DOES JESUS SEEM TO INDICATE THAT IN HIS BODILY ABSENCE GIVING GIFTS TO THE POOR HAS SIMILAR MERIT TO WHAT MARY DID FOR JESUS? WAS THERE AN URGENCY HERE? (M) Opportunity is to be seized while it is there. The poor are always present [cf. Deut 15:11]. But Jesus is not. He will not live to old age but will soon be taken from among them. The time for actions of devotion toward him is much shorter than those at the table think. Jesus accordingly welcomes Mary’s action.

8: You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.

IF PEOPLE TRY TO IMITATE MARY BY GIVING COSTLY GIFTS, WHAT DO THEY IGNORE THAT CANNOT BE IMITATED? (THE PRESENCE OF JESUS) DOES THIS MEAN THAT WE DESECRATE THE PRESENCE OF JESUS WITH US BY THE GRACE AND POWER OF HIS HOLY SPIRIT WHEN WE TRY TO BUY WITH MONEY WHAT HE PAID FOR WITH HIS BLOOD? ARE GIFTS TO THE POOR A SWEET SAVOR TO GOD, AS WELL AS AN ACT OF WORSHIPPING HIM? (C) A distinction is drawn here between Mary’s extraordinary action and the daily service due to Christ. They who want to worship Christ with splendid and costly trappings are apes, not imitators. Christ approved what was done that once but forbade its repetition. His saying that he would not always be with his disciples should be referred to the kind of presence to which carnal worship and extravagant honors are suitable. His presence with us by the grace and power of his Spirit, his dwelling in us, and His feeding us with his flesh and blood has nothing to do with the bodily observances. . . . When he says that the poor will be with us always, he is [giving us a valuable lesson] that alms for relieving the needs of the poor are a sacrifice and a sweet savor to God and that any other expense in the worship of God is out of place.

9: Meanwhile 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.

INTRODUCTION TO 12:9-19 BY MORRIS

IS THE NARRATIVE OF JESUS’S TRIUMPHAL ENTRY TO JERUSALEM WRITTEN ABOUT IN OTHER GOSPELS? WHAT IS THE PRIMARY MEANS OF GLORIFICATION OF JESUS? DOES JESUS GET THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS ANGRY WITH HIM AGAIN? (M) The narrative of the triumphal entry is found in all four gospels . . . . John does not include all the details we find elsewhere . . . . But John tells enough to bring out the royalty of Jesus. Characteristically he does not think of this as a glorification of Jesus [for that he looks to the cross, v. 16]. But he leaves no doubt that the challenge of Jesus was felt and appreciated.

ARE THERE SOME THINGS THAT JOHN WRITES ABOUT THAT OTHER SYNOPTIC GOSPEL WRITERS DO NOT WRITE ABOUT? ARE THESE INSIGHTS VALUABLE? (M) He [John] has some touches of his own. He alone [1] dates the incident on the Sunday preceding the Passover. He alone [2] mentions the palms, [3] the reference to raising of Lazarus, [4] that fact that the disciples did not understand these happenings until after Jesus ‘was glorified,’ and [5] the pessimistic utterance of the Pharisees who came not only because of him but also because of Lazarus.

9: Meanwhile 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.

WHEN JOHN MENTIONS THE JEWS, IS HE TALKING ABOUT HIS FRIENDS? WAS JESUS THE ATTRACTION, OR WAS IT LAZARUS THEY CAME TO SEE? WAS LAZARUS A TESTIMONY TO THE POWER OF GOD? (M) The crowd is described as ‘of the Jews’ . . . an expression that in this gospel naturally applies to Jesus’s enemies rather than to those who were disposed to be friendly toward him . . . . They came to know that Jesus was there, and so they came. John makes it plain that Lazarus was a great attraction for them. They came not simply to see Jesus but to see Lazarus. To this man’s name John adds ‘whom he had raised from the dead.’ He does not let his readers lose sight of the stupendous miracle.

WHERE DID THE CROWD OF JEWS COME FROM? WHERE HAD JESUS COME FROM? (See 11:54) (B) The crowd of Jews probably came out from Jerusalem, less than two miles away. Jesus had not remained in Bethany when he came from the Jordan Valley to raise Lazarus but withdrew immediately to the wilderness.

HOW DID EVERYBODY SEEM TO KNOW WHAT JESUS HAD DONE? WHAT WAS IT ABOUT JESUS AS A PERSON THAT CAUSED GREAT EXCITEMENT? (B) But the news of the raising of Lazarus spread quickly and aroused great excitement, so the next time he came to Bethany, a great crowd came to see him and to seize the opportunity of seeing Lazarus too.

WAS THE WIDESPREAD EXCITEMENT ABOUT JESUS PART OF GOD’S PLAN? DID THE PEOPLE BEGIN TO SUSPECT THAT JESUS WAS DIVINE? WAS THE RAISING OF LAZARUS PROOF TO YOU THAT JESUS WAS DIVINE? (C) "‘Then a great multitude knew.’ The nearer the time of Christ’s death approached, the more necessary it was that his name should be made known everywhere as a preparation for a fuller faith after his death. In particular, the evangelist relates that the recent miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus became very widely known. Since Christ had shown in it a striking proof of his divinity, God wanted it to have many witnesses."

DID LAZARUS HAVE ANY OTHER PUBLIC APPEARANCES THAT WE KNOW OF? WHAT DID LAZARUS DO TO PROTECT HIS SISTERS FROM TOO MUCH PUBLICITY? (B) Lazarus was perhaps shielded by his sisters from vulgar curiosity after he was restored to them, but this supper would have been something of a public occasion.

10: So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well.

WHAT EFFECT DID THE RAISING OF LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD HAVE ON THE CHIEF PRIESTS? DO THE WORDS AS WELL INDICATE THAT THEY WANTED TO KILL SOMEONE BESIDES LAZARUS? DID THEY BELIEVE THAT JESUS HAD RAISED LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD? IF THEY KILLED LAZARUS, HOW DID THEY THINK THEY WOULD PREVENT JESUS FROM RAISING LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD AGAIN? (M) John now records the effect [of raising Lazarus from the dead] on the high priests. They took counsel in order that they might kill Lazarus . . . . This seems a strange desire since the death had not been able to hold him in the face of Jesus’s command. But the ‘as well’ is significant. They wanted to destroy both Lazarus and the man who had raised him. Perhaps, too, they felt that the raising had not been genuine so that if they could really secure Lazarus’s death, it would be an end to the mischief that the reports of his raising were causing.

WAS A LIVING LAZARUS A WITNESS THE LEADERS FOUND DIFFICULT TO FACE ON A DAILY BASIS? WHERE WAS IT THAT THE LIVING LAZARUS WAS SUCH AN EFFECTIVE WITNESS FOR JESUS? WHAT PRICE WOULD YOU PAY TO BECOME SUCH AN EFFECTIVE WITNESS FOR JESUS? (B) Now it looked as if it might be expedient to have Lazarus put to death as well because he was a living witness to the power of Jesus; so long as he was around, people would remember the ‘sign’ that had been performed for him and acknowledge Jesus as the resurrection and the life.

HOW DID THE CHIEF PRIESTS FEEL ABOUT THE MIRACLE JESUS HAD DONE? WHAT GOOD WOULD IT DO FOR THEM TO KILL LAZARUS? IF YOU HAD BEEN A CHIEF PRIEST, WOULDN’T YOU BE AFRAID OF FIGHTING GOD BY TRYING TO KILL LAZARUS? (C) "‘But the chief priests took counsel.’ Satan torments the wicked with such a spirit of giddiness that their madness is unending, even though God should set heaven and earth and sea against them. For this wicked council meeting is described in this way to show us that Christ’s enemies were brought to their great obstinacy, not by error or folly but by furious wickedness, so that they were not even afraid to make war with God."

10: So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well.

WHY WASN’T THE DECISION OF THE COUNSEL IN (11:50) TO KILL ONE MAN ENOUGH? WHY DID THEY NOW DECIDE THAT THEY HAD TO KILL TWO? WAS THE SEED OF EVIL THEY PLANTED BY DECIDING TO KILL ONE MAN GROWING? SINCE THE SADDUCEES DID NOT BELIEVE IN THE SUPERNATURAL, WAS THE RAISING OF LAZARUS A PROOF OF FALSEHOOD IN THEIR DOCTRINE? (M) Caiaphas had said, ‘It is better for you that one man dies’ [11:50]. But one was not enough; now it had to be two. Thus, evil grows. For the Sadducees Lazarus was a double embarrassment. Not only did he cause people to go over to the side of Christ, but he was also a standing condemnation of their doctrine. They denied that there would be a resurrection, and here was a man who had lived through death.

11: For on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him.

DO THE JEWS USUALLY FAVOR OR OPPOSE JESUS? WHAT KIND OF FAITH DID MANY OF THE JEWS HAVE? WAS THIS A ONE-TIME EVENT OR ONE THAT CONTINUED? (M) ‘Many of the Jews’—that is of the group normally opposed to Jesus—‘were going over to Jesus.’ John uses the imperfect tense, which may indicate continuity, in which case he sees the process as going on for quite some time. Or it may be inceptive ‘they began to go away,’ ‘they began to believe.’ The construction used for ‘putting their faith’ in Jesus is that which John habitually uses for a deep and genuine faith.

HOW DID THE OBJECTORS TO GOD’S POWER, DEMONSTRATED IN THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS, PLAN TO WIPE OUT ITS EFFECT? WERE THE OBJECTORS TO THE DEMONSTRATION OF GOD’S POWER ASSISTED BY ANY SUPERNATURAL POWER? WHAT SHOULD BE OUR RESPONSE TO A DEMONSTRATION OF GOD’S POWER? (C) "God’s power in the raising of Lazarus was not obscure, for the only way in which ungodliness could wipe it out was by basely and shockingly doing away with an innocent man. Moreover, Satan tries his hardest to bury all together or, to some extent, to obscure the works of God, and therefore it is our duty to devote ourselves diligently to continual meditation on them."

12: The next day the great crowd that had come for the feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.

WHAT VERSE CONTAINS THE PREVIOUS TIME MARK THE NEXT DAY, GIVEN IN THIS VERSE? IS THIS GREAT CROWD THE SAME PEOPLE REFERRED TO IN VERSE (9)? WHAT WAS THE DESTINATION OF EACH OF THESE GROUPS? (M) "‘The next day’ is a typical Johannine note of time and refers back to verse 1. ‘The great crowd’ is the same expression that is used in verse 9 . . . but it does not refer to the same people. There it is designated the people from Jerusalem who went out to Bethany; Here it refers to the people from other parts who were coming up to Jerusalem for the feast, probably many of them from Galilee. Some of them had apparently reached Jerusalem and now ‘went out’ to meet Jesus."

HOW DOES CALVIN SEE WHAT GOD IS DOING WITH THIS NEW CROWD? WHAT SOLEMN CEREMONY DOES CALVIN SEE AS THE INAUGURATION OF THE REIGN OF JESUS OVER HIS KINGDOM? DID THE CROWD SEEM TO KNOW MORE ABOUT JESUS THAN THE OFFICIAL ENEMIES OF JESUS? (C) "‘On the morrow a great multitude’—before he is dragged to the cross, he wants to be received by the people as their king in a solemn ceremony. Nay, he openly acknowledges that his reign is inaugurated by his marching to death. But though his arrival was acclaimed by a great crowd of people, he remained unknown to his enemies until he proved that he was the true Messiah by fulfilling the prophecies."

HOW COULD THESE PEOPLE KNOW MORE ABOUT JESUS THAN THE RELIGIOUS OFFICIALS? HOW CAN WE EXPLAIN THE ENTHUSIASM OF THESE PEOPLE? WHAT WAS IT THAT MADE THESE PEOPLE RECOGNIZE JESUS AS MESSIAH? (M) "These would accordingly be people among whom the greater part of his ministry had been exercised, a fact that perhaps explains their enthusiasm. Doubtless many of them had felt for some time that Jesus’s teaching and miracles showed him to be the Messiah. But until now he would not make the claim. He would never set himself up as king."

DID THESE PEOPLE REALLY UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD? DID JESUS ALLOW ANYTHING TO BE DONE THAT WAS INCONSISTENT WITH THE KINGDOM OF GOD? IN THE FUTURE WOULD THESE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD? (C) I confess that the people who went out to meet him did not really understand the nature of this kingdom. But Christ looked to the future. In the meanwhile he did not allow anything to be done that was inconsistent with his spiritual kingdom.

12: The next day the great crowd that had come for the feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.

WAS THIS CROWD MORE ENTHUSIASTIC THAN THE CROWD WHO CAME OUT FROM JERUSALEM TO SEE JESUS AND LAZARUS WHOM JESUS HAD RAISED FROM THE DEAD? WAS GOD INVOLVED IN BRINGING THIS PARTICULAR CROWD TOGETHER FOR THE SOLEMN CEREMONY GOD HAD IN MIND HERE? WERE THESE PEOPLE INTERESTED IN MAKING JESUS KING IN THE SAME WAY THEY DID WHEN JESUS FED THE FIVE THOUSAND? (C) "‘A great multitude that had come to the feast’—there was a much greater zeal in these others who had left their own lands to come together to celebrate the feast. They eagerly ask about Christ and, when they hear that he is coming to the city, go out and rejoice with him. But there is no doubt that they were aroused by a secret impulse of the Spirit to go to him. We do not read of this being done before. But as earthly princes summon their subjects by the sound of a trumpet or the voice of a herald when they enter into possession of their kingdom, so Christ assembled these people by the moving of his Spirit to acclaim him as king. When the crowds wanted to make him king in the wilderness, he withdrew into a mountain in secret, for the only kingdom they thought of then was one in which they could be well fattened like cattle."

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!

DID JESUS ACCEPT OR REJECT THE ACCLAMATION OF THE PEOPLE ON THIS OCCASION? WAS JESUS DOING WHAT THE PEOPLE WANTED HIM TO DO ON THIS OCCASION? WERE THE PEOPLE ALREADY IN THE PLACE WHERE THEY MET JESUS, OR DID THEY GO OUT TO MEET HIM ON PURPOSE? (M) On this occasion he did not reject their acclamation; their enthusiasm knew no bounds. He was now doing, they thought, what they had always wanted him to do. As John tells it, these people did not happen to be in the way as Jesus came. They heard that he was coming and went out of set purpose to meet him.

IS THERE ANY WAY IN WHICH WE REMEMBER NOW IN A CEREMONY WHAT HAPPENED TO JESUS IN THESE FEW VERSES? WAS IT A SUNDAY WHEN THESE THINGS HAPPENED? (B) The palm branches, which they carried, have given their name to the anniversary of this event in the Christian calendar: Palm Sunday [though the day does not appear to have been a Sunday by John’s chronology].

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!

WHAT DID THE PALM BRANCH SYMBOLIZE? ON WHAT OCCASIONS WOULD THE PALM BRANCHES BE SHOWN? WHAT WAS THE OCCASION HERE? (C) "‘They took branches of the palm trees.’ The palm was a symbol of victory and peace in antiquity. But it was also customary to use branches of palm trees when they [1] conferred kingship on anyone or when they [2 ]humbly asked pardon of a conqueror."

DO THE PALM BRANCHES HAVE A PART IN ANY JEWISH CEREMONY? WHAT CEREMONY USED PALM BRANCHES? WAS THE DATE RIGHT FOR PASSOVER OR FOR TABERNACLES (see 12:1)? WHAT POLITICAL EXPECTATION MIGHT THE PEOPLE HAVE HAD? DOES THE TEXT HERE SHOW WHAT THESE PEOPLE EXPECTED? (B) "But the palm branches themselves raise one or two questions. There was no difficulty in procuring them; date palms grew [and still grow] in and around Jerusalem, even if dates do not ripen on them as they do down in Jericho. But what did they signify? Palm branches played no prescribed part at Passover; it was at Tabernacles that the people were commanded to rejoice before the Lord seven days with ‘branches of palm trees’ [Lev 23:40] . . . . On this occasion, then, the palm branches may have signified the people’s expectation of imminent national liberation, and this is supported by the words with which they greeted our Lord."

DID THESE PEOPLE FEEL LIKE PRAISING A PERSON OR LIKE PRAISING GOD, OR DID THEY FEEL LIKE THEY WERE DOING BOTH? (M) They took palm branches, and they cried out . . . ‘shouting all the while.’ Both the actions and the words expressed their praise.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER OCCASIONS WHEN THE NEW TESTAMENT RECORDS THE USE OF BRANCHES IN A CEREMONY? WAS THIS A FESTIVE OCCASION FOR THIS CROWD? IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD, ARE PALM BRANCHES USED TO SYMBOLIZE ANYTHING? (M) "John’s word for ‘branches’ is found only here in the New Testament . . . . It is to John that we owe the information that they were palms. The law provided that palms would be used at the Feast of Tabernacles [Lev 23:40], and later they were used on other festal occasions . . . . In keeping with this we read in Revelation of a multitude before the throne with palms in their hands [Rev 7:9]. Palms were an emblem of victory, and in John’s mention of them here, we must detect a reference to the triumph of Christ."

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!

WHAT IS THE TRANSLITERATION THE WORD HOSANNA? WHAT WAS THE MISSION OF JESUS WHEN HE ENTERED JERUSALEM HERE? (M) The word ‘hosanna’ is the transliteration of an Aramaic or Hebrew expression with the meaning ‘Save, I pray’ [Torrey translates it to ‘God, save him!’] . . . . John was probably mindful of the meaning and thought of Jesus as entering the city on a mission of salvation, indeed on a royal triumphant mission of salvation.

IN HEBREW WORDS WHAT IS THE WORD HOSANNA EQUIVALENT TO? WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF USING THE WORDS BLESSED IS HE THAT COMETH IN THE NAME OF THE LORD? DID JESUS AND THESE PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME KINGDOM IN MIND? DID THE CROWD HAVE IN MIND A NEW KINGDOM OR THE RESTORATION OF THE KINGDOM OF DAVID? (C) The word ‘Hosanna’ is made up of two Hebrew words and is equivalent to ‘Save!’ or ‘Make safe, I pray you!’ . . . To the same purpose is what immediately follows: ‘Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.’ This is a joyful prayer for the happiness and prosperity of that kingdom on which the restoration of blessedness of the Church of God depended.

DOES CALVIN THINK THE PEOPLE KNEW THESE WORDS OR THAT THE WORDS WERE SUPPLIED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD FOR THIS TIME AND PLACE? WERE THE WORDS FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE MESSIAH? WHERE IS THIS PROPHESIED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT? (C) "‘Cried out, Hosanna‘—by using this expression, they showed that they recognized Christ as the Messiah promised of old to the fathers and from whom redemption and salvation were to be looked for. Psalm 118:25-26, from which the acclamation is taken, was written about the Messiah so that all the saints might ardently long for His coming . . . . So the Spirit of God supplied words for these men to wish Christ well, and He chose them as heralds to bear witness that the Messiah had come."

WHAT DID GOD WANT THE PEOPLE TO GIVE THANKS FOR IN PSALM 118:25? (PROSPERITY AND SALVATION) DOES THIS PSALM AND THE CROWD HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR SALVATION IS ABOUT? ARE WE TO GIVE THANKS FOR OUR OWN SALVATION IN THESE WORDS? DID JESUS COME TO JERUSALEM FOR SALVATION OF JEWS OR FOR ALL MANKIND? IS THERE ANY CAUSE FOR US TO USE THE SAME WORDS AS THE CROWD USED? (B) The words of greeting are an elaboration of Psalm 118:25ff., from a psalm of thanksgiving to the God of Israel for a victory granted to His people. ‘Hosanna’ represents . . . ‘give salvation now’ or ‘give victory now.’ ‘Blessed is he who comes’ is the Jewish idiom for welcome; ‘Welcome in the Lord’s name’ is what they say.

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!

DID JESUS REPUDIATE THE PRAISE OF THE CROWD HERE? DID THE CROWD KNOW THE PURPOSE OF JESUS’S COMING TO JERUSALEM? IF JESUS HAD COME AS A MILITARY LEADER, WOULD THERE HAVE BEEN ANY VICTORY FOR US? (B) The crowd, however, spelled out plainly what the psalmist meant and what they meant. They had their own clear ideas of what the king of Israel would do; Jesus, without repudiating the title that they gave Him, repudiated the military and political ideas that they associated with it by his following action.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PROCLAIMING BLESSEDNESS AND PRAYING THAT JESUS MIGHT BE BLESSED? IN WHOSE NAME WAS THE MESSIAH TO COME? HOW DID JESUS COME HERE, ACCORDING TO THE CROWD? (M) The crowd are proclaiming the blessedness of Jesus rather than praying that He might be blessed . . . . The expression here is a messianic title. There is evidence that the Jews looked for ‘a coming one.’ The Messiah might be spoken of in various ways. Here the thought is that He comes in God’s name. To this the crowd adds that He is ‘the king of Israel.’

HAS THE ROYALTY OF JESUS BEEN SPOKEN OF BEFORE IN THIS GOSPEL? IS THE MANNER OF THE CROWD HERE AND THEIR EXPECTATIONS DIFFERENT? (M) In the first chapter Nathanael had greeted Jesus as Israel’s king [1:49]. Now John brings out the royalty of Jesus by ascribing the same conviction to the multitude at large.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO COME IN THE NAME OF THE LORD? WHY CAN WE SAY THAT IN GOD’S VIEW JESUS WAS THE ONE WHO CAME TO US AND TO ISRAEL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD? (C) "‘That cometh in the name of the Lord’—we must first understand the meaning of ‘to come in the name of the Lord.’ . . . Because [1] the Spirit of the Lord rested on Christ and [2] he is the head of all things so that [3] all who have ever been ordained to rule the church are under his command—or, rather, [4] are streams flowing from the fountain—he is properly said to have come in the name of God."

14: Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written.

DID THE CROWD THINK THAT JESUS WOULD RIDE INTO JERUSALEM ON A DONKEY? WHO DID THEY THINK THAT JESUS WAS? DID THE CROWD ALL SHOUT THE SAME THINGS? (M) When this enthusiasm began to be manifested, Jesus chose to accept it. But He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey to symbolize a conception of messiahship very different from that of the crowds. They hailed him as the messianic king. He came as the Prince of Peace. There is, of course, no great significance in the fact that the shouts of the crowd are differently reported in the several accounts. In the crowd people shout many things.

WHAT WAS GOD’S REASON FOR HAVING JESUS RIDE INTO JERUSALEM ON A DONKEY? WHAT IS ONE OF THE PROPHECIES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT THAT JESUS FULFILLED? (B) Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey was an acted parable, designed to correct the misguided expectations of the pilgrim crowds and to show the city its true way of peace . . . . Moreover, it is probable to the point of certainty that our Lord himself had the oracle in mind and deliberately arranged to fulfill it [see Zech 9:9].

HOW DO THE JEWS EXPLAIN ZECHARIAH (9:9)? HOW DO THEY FEEL ABOUT OUR INTERPRETATION OF THIS VERSE? DOES OUR FAITH AND THE PRESENT JEWISH FAITH REST ON DIFFERENT TESTIMONIES? WHAT TESTIMONY DOES OUR FAITH REST ON? (C) "‘And Jesus, having found a young ass’—the Jews are forced to explain the prophecy of Zechariah [9:9], which was then fulfilled, of the Messiah. But at the same time they laugh at us for being deceived by a mere trifle into giving the honor of Messiah to the son of Mary. But our faith rests on very different testimonies. When we say that Jesus is the Christ, we do not start out from His entry into Jerusalem sitting on an ass. For in him such a glory belonging to the Son of God is visible . . . . But it was in his resurrection that his divine power was shown forth. Yet we should not despise this confirmation that by his wonderful providence God showed in that entry, as in a theater, the fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy."

WHY DOESN’T JOHN TELL US ABOUT HOW JESUS GOT THE DONKEY? DOES JOHN TELL US ANYTHING ABOUT OTHER THINGS CONNECTED WITH THE DONKEY? (M) Nothing is said as to the way Jesus obtained the ass. John simply says that he found it and sat on it. The other gospels tell how Jesus sent disciples into a village with instructions for finding the animal. They also tell us that when the ass was brought, the disciples sat Jesus on it, using their garments as a saddle. John says nothing about these things.

15: Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.

IS THE FULFILLMENT OF ZECHARIAH (9:9) IMPORTANT TO JOHN? DOES JOHN EVEN QUOTE ZECHARIAH (9:9)? WHO IS THE DAUGHTER OF ZION? (M) But [John] does go on to speak of the fulfillment of scripture. For him it is important that the will of God was done. He quotes from Zechariah 9:9. Zion appears originally to have denoted either the citadel at Jerusalem or the hill on which it stood, but the word was used poetically as a designation of the city itself. ‘Daughter of Zion’ is a collective, referring to the inhabitants of Jerusalem as a whole.

IS THE QUOTE FROM ZECHARIAH (9:9) EXACTLY AS WRITTEN IN ZECHARIAH? DOES GOD BY THESE WORDS ENCOURAGE US TO BE FILLED WITH THE SAME JOY THIS CROWD WAS FILLED WITH? WHY SHOULD WE HAVE JOY AT THE RECITATION OF ZECHARIAH (9:9)? (C) "‘Fear not’—the prophet’s actual words are different . . . . But our evangelist expressed how our minds exalt with true joy. It is when that fear is removed with which all must be tormented until they are reconciled to God and obtain the peace that is born of faith [Rom. 5:1]. Therefore, we receive through Christ the benefit that, freed from the tyranny of Satan, the yoke of sin broken, guilt canceled and death abolished, we safely glorify, relying on the protection of our king, since they who are put under his guardianship need not fear any danger."

DOES GOD GIVE THE CROWD AND US A PROMISE ABOUT JESUS’S COMING INTO JERUSALEM? DID THE WORDS OF ZECHARIAH (9:10) COME FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE? WHAT KIND OF PROGRAM DOES GOD USE TO INAUGURATE HIS PEACE PROGRAM? (B) [The text of Zechariah 9:9 is quoted along with the divine promise, along with the divine promise from Zech 9:10.] The last words, presaging worldwide sovereignty for Zion’s king, are borrowed from Psalm 72:8, where they refer to the Son of David. His reign establishes peace on earth; it is inaugurated with a disarmament program.

DID WARLIKE KINGS RIDE ON DONKEYS? WHAT KIND OF ANIMAL DID A CONQUEROR RIDE INTO A CONQUERED CITY? WHAT KIND OF KING WOULD HE BE WHO RODE A DONKEY INTO THE CITY HE WAS TO CONQUER? (M) The words of this prophecy point to a distinctive mark of Christ’s kingship. The ass was not normally used by a warlike person. It was the animal of men of peace, a priest, a merchant, or the like . . . . A conqueror would ride into the city on a warhorse . . . . The ass speaks of peace. John sees accordingly not only a fulfillment of prophecy but also such a fulfillment of prophecy indicates a special kind of king.

15: Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.

WHAT KIND OF KING WOULD JESUS BE IF HE HAD RIDDEN A WARHORSE INTO JERUSALEM? WHAT DOES ZACHARIAH (9:9-10) SAY ABOUT A HORSE? (B) The choice of an ass as the royal mount, both in the oracle and in its historical fulfillment, underlines this king’s peaceful policy; had a warhorse been preferred, a militant policy would have been clearly indicated, but no one would have thought in that case of quoting Zechariah 9:9ff., where the warhorse is ‘cut off’ from Jerusalem.

WAS A MILITARY VICTORY A WAY MANY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SEEN JESUS ENTER INTO JERUSALEM? HAD THE CROWD EXPRESSED THIS DESIRE EARLIER BY THE SEA OF GALILEE? WHAT KIND OF A PEACE PLAN DID JESUS OFFER TO JERUSALEM UPON HIS ENTRY? DID THESE PILGRIMS TO THE PASSOVER UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD DID HERE THROUGH JESUS? DID THE DISCIPLES UNDERSTAND WHAT JESUS WAS DOING BY HIS ENTRY HERE? (B) The establishment of peace and independence as a sequel to successful resistance would have been an attractive prospect to many, and now in Jerusalem, as earlier by the Sea of Galilee [Jn. 6:15], Jesus could have commanded a ready following had he been disposed to adopt this course of action. But he offered Jerusalem the policy of quiet and patient submission as the right one to follow, and the city did not recognize the things that made for peace with disastrous consequences. Whether the pilgrims appreciated the meaning of his action is doubtful; even the disciples’ comprehension was slow and drawing. The authorities thought they understood what was involved only too well.

DOES RIDING A DONKEY SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE POMP, SPLENDOR, WEALTH, AND THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE OF POWER OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD? WILL GOD’S KINGDOM HAVE SPLENDOR, POWER, AND WEALTH OF ANY KIND? WAS JESUS’S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM CONSISTENT WITH THE KINGDOM OF GOD? (C) When he [the prophet Zachariah] describes Christ as riding on an ass, he means that his kingdom will be quite different from the pomp, splendor, wealth, and power of the world; and it was proper that this should be made known by an outward appearance so that all should know perfectly that it is spiritual.

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.

WHEN DID THE DISCIPLES UNDERSTAND WHAT JESUS DID BY HIS MANNER OF ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM? CAN AN UNREGENERATE PERSON EVER UNDERSTAND WHAT JESUS DID BY RIDING A DONKEY INTO JERUSALEM? WHO WOULD REVEAL THE TRUTH OF WHAT JESUS DID HERE TO BELIEVERS? (M) Later John tells us that when the Holy Spirit came, he would lead believers into all the truth. In this verse he gives us an example of this. At first the disciples did not understand what these things meant, things that they themselves had done. It was only when Jesus was ‘glorified’ that they recalled these prophecies and saw how they had been fulfilled [cf. 2:22]. The meanings of the happenings in the life of Jesus are not open for every unregenerate person to see. They are revealed only by the Holy Spirit of God.

WAS JESUS SOWING THE SEEDS OF TRUTH HERE? WHY DIDN’T GOD AT LEAST EXPLAIN WHAT HE WAS DOING TO THE DISCIPLES? WILL HE WHO WITHHELD THE TRUTH FROM THE DISCIPLES NOW BE THE ONE TO EXPLAIN IT TO THEM LATER? DO YOU THINK THAT GOD DEALS NOW WITH THE TRUTH IN THE SAME WAY HE DID WITH THE DISCIPLES HERE? WHY DOESN’T GOD TELL THE DISCIPLES NOW WHY JESUS RODE A DONKEY INSTEAD OF A WARHORSE? (C) "‘These things understood not’—as the seed does not germinate the moment it is cast into the earth, so the fruit of God’s works does not appear immediately. The apostles are God’s servants in fulfilling the prophecy, but they do not understand what they are doing. They hear the shout of the multitude as distinctly welcoming Christ the King and not as a confused noise. But yet they do not see the point of it or what it means. To them, therefore, it is an empty show until the Lord opens their eyes."

HAD JESUS EVER BEFORE WITHHELD THE TRUTH OF WHAT HE WAS DOING FROM THE DISCIPLES? WHERE DOES GOD TELL US THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL REVEAL TRUTH THAT JESUS WITHHELD? WAS IT BETTER FOR THE TRUTH TO BE WITHHELD FROM THE DISCIPLES AT THIS TIME? (B) A similar remark to this comes in John 2:22 after the narrative of the temple cleansing and Jesus’s following words about the temple, which He would raise up in three days: ‘So when He had been raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this, and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.’ In both places the evangelist’s remark is probably to be understood in the light of Jesus’s promise in 14:26 that the Spirit, when he came, would bring to their remembrance all that he himself had told them, which means that he would not only bring the Lord’s words to their remembrance but enable them to understand them as they had not understood them at this time.

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.

DID THE CROWD’S UNDERSTANDING OF JESUS AS KING AGREE WITH OR CONTRADICT THE DISCIPLES’ LACK OF UNDERSTANDING? IS GOD AFFIRMING HERE THAT THE CROWD OF PILGRIMS HAD A CORRECT UNDERSTANDING OF JESUS AS KING? AFTER JESUS WAS GLORIFIED, DID THE DISCIPLES UNDERSTAND THE KINGSHIP OF JESUS IN THE RIGHT SENSE? (M) Barrett sees the narrative as self-contradictory: the multitude recognized that Jesus was the messianic king [v. 13], but it was not possible for the disciples to recognize this until after the glorification of Jesus . . . . John is not affirming the multitude correctly evaluated the person of the Lord. They thought of him as king in a wrong sense. After the glorification the disciples thought of him as king in a right sense. There is no contradiction.

DID THE DISCIPLES KNOW ALL THEY NEEDED TO KNOW IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE HUMILITY OF JESUS AT THIS POINT IN TIME? WHERE DO WE LEARN WHAT THE DISCIPLES LEARNED TO MAKE THEM CAPABLE OF UNDERSTANDING THE HUMILITY OF OUR LORD JESUS WHEN HE ENTERED JERUSALEM? DOES THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN (7:39) AFTER HE WAS GLORIFIED HELP US KNOW WHERE THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING COMES FROM? (C) Christ honored his disciples with this grace after his resurrection because the time was not ripe for the Spirit to pour out his riches as it were with a liberal hand until he was received into the heavenly glory . . . . [see 7:39]. Let us be taught by this example to form our judgment of everything that relates to Christ, not by the sense of our flesh but from the scriptures.

HAD JESUS DONE THESE THINGS TO HELP THE DISCIPLES UNDERSTAND WHO HE WAS AND TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND PROPHECY? HAD THERE BEEN PROPHECIES ABOUT WHEN THEY WERE MEANT TO UNDERSTAND THE HEART OF GOD IN HIS KINGDOM? DOES GOD DO THINGS IN OUR LIVES WE DON’T UNDERSTAND UNTIL LATER? (C) "The clause ‘that these things were written concerning him and that they had done these things unto him’ I interpret thus: Then, for the first time, it came to the disciples’ minds that Christ had not done these things thoughtlessly and that the men were not just playing a meaningless game, but that the whole affair had been governed by God’s providence because it was necessary to fulfill all that had been written. Understand it, therefore, as ‘they did these things to him, just as had been written about him.’"

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.

WHAT WAS THE GLORIFICATION OF JESUS? WHAT THREE EVENTS WERE A PART OF THE GLORIFICATION OF JESUS? (B) His being ‘glorified’ is not confined to his being raised from the dead; it is one continuous movement of which [1] his crucifixion (his being ‘lifted up’), [2] resurrection, and [3] ascension are phases.

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.

DO WE NOW MEET A DIFFERENT GROUP WHO COMES TO JESUS (see verses 12 and 17)? HOW WERE THEY DIFFERENT? WHAT HAD THIS CROWD BEEN DOING, AND ARE THEY SPREADING GOD’S WORD? ARE THEY WITH JESUS, OR ARE THEY MENTIONED BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY DID AND ARE DOING? (M) John now introduces us to a different group: ‘the crowd that had been with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead.’ . . . The crowd in verses 12 and 18 seems to be the people who had come to Jerusalem for the feast while this crowd was from Bethany. Mention is made both of the calling of Lazarus from the tomb and of his being raised from the dead. The latter was the important thing, but the way Jesus had done it in calling the dead man to come out of the tomb had evidently made a profound impression. The multitude is described as bearing witness, the imperfect tense denoting a continuing process.

WHERE IS THIS CROWD SPREADING NEWS ABOUT LAZARUS’S RESURRECTION? DOES THIS WORD ABOUT JESUS EXCITE OTHERS INTO WANTING TO SEE JESUS? (C) "‘The multitude bear witness.’ He again repeats his statement that many had been aroused by the report of such a great miracle to come to meet Christ. They