John 12:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey 's colt!"

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

NASB: DO NOT FEAR, DAUGHTER OF ZION; BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING, SEATED ON A DONKEY’S COLT.'

CSB: Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion. Look, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt.

NLT: 'Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem. Look, your King is coming, riding on a donkey’s colt.'

KJV: Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt.

NKJV: “Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

This is a quotation from Zechariah 9:9. Much of what happens during this triumphal entry is a fulfillment of prophecy. People in the crowd are shouting phrases from the Psalms (John 12:13). Jesus has purposefully selected a donkey—an animal associated with peaceful work—to ride into town (John 12:14). That not only coordinates with Scripture, it symbolizes the nature of His mission. Military leaders would have used a horse: an animal then used for war. Messiah's use of a donkey speaks to the fact that His kingdom was not, yet, to be "of this world" (John 18:36).

This deliberate action by Jesus is also a contrast to His earlier instructions. He often told people not to proclaim Him as Messiah (Matthew 16:20; Mark 8:30; Luke 5:14). This is in keeping with His frequent references to acting only according to God's timeline (John 2:4; 7:6; 12:23). All of this, also, maintains consistency to Old Testament prophecy. Daniel 9:25 predicts a certain time from a decree to rebuild Jerusalem's walls to the arrival of Messiah. The decree was March 5, 444 BC, and Daniel's prediction points to March 30, AD 33—which is the Monday prior to Passover (John 12:1, 12).

It's no exaggeration to say the Old Testament has predicted this very moment when referring to the Messiah. Sadly, Scripture also predicts that most people—even among those cheering—expect something from the Promised One very different from what's going to happen (Isaiah 53:3–6).

John 12:12–19 describes the triumphal entry: Jesus' celebratory parade into Jerusalem a few days before Passover. To this point, Jesus has been relatively quiet about His mission, even asking people not to proclaim Him. Now, He fulfills prophecy by riding into the city on a donkey, as people shout ''Hosanna'' and throw down coats and palm branches. This affirms the fears of local religious leaders, who worry Jesus' popularity will attract the anger of the Roman Empire. As it turns out, most of these people misunderstand Jesus' mission, thinking His plan is to overthrow the Romans to free Israel. This event is also described in Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–10, and Luke 19:28–40.

Jesus is treated to an honorary dinner at the home of Lazarus, whom He has recently raised from death. At this dinner, Lazarus' sister, Mary, anoints Jesus with expensive oil. Jesus then enters Jerusalem to great fanfare, stoking fears that His popularity will attract the anger of the Roman Empire. That anger even inspires a murder plot against Lazarus. After being approached by non-Jewish seekers, Jesus offers a final plea for people to understand His ministry. In effect, these are the last public words spoken by Jesus in the gospel of John.

In the prior chapter, Jesus spectacularly raised Lazarus from death in front of a crowd of witnesses. This inspired local religious leaders to commit to having Him killed. Here, after a celebratory dinner where Jesus is anointed with oil, He will fulfill prophecy by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, celebrated with shouts of ''Hosanna'' and a massive crowd. This leads to a group of curious non-Jews approaching Him. Christ then offers a final plea for belief in Him and His message. After this, His ministry will turn to preparing the disciples for His impending death and resurrection. The next several chapters of the gospel of John are almost entirely made up of his teachings to these men.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.