John 12:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.

NIV: Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him.

NASB: For this reason also the people went to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign.

CSB: This is also why the crowd met him, because they heard he had done this sign.

NLT: That was the reason so many went out to meet him — because they had heard about this miraculous sign.

KJV: For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle.

NKJV: For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.

Jesus' miracles are described in the gospel of John as "signs." Like a carved or printed road sign, these are meant to provide some specific message, or direction. In the case of Christ's miracles, that message is that He is the Son of God, and we are meant to believe in His message (John 20:30–31). Scripture shows us that many people reacted to Jesus and His miracles, but not many seem to have correctly understood them. When Jesus fed thousands in a miracle (John 6:9–14), the people were more concerned with free food and political issues than spiritual truth (John 6:15, 26). Confronted with a more accurate understanding, many turned away from Christ (John 6:66).

Many of the people cheering for Jesus during this triumphal entry (John 12:12–13) are excited because they've heard about His recent accomplishment: raising Lazarus from the grave after four days (John 11:38–44). Those same people are aware of Old Testament promises of a Savior, who will free Israel—much of the shouting and praise being spoken echoes those prophetic passages (John 12:14–15). However, just as the people who saw Jesus multiply food are distracted by material things, many of the people cheering for Jesus in Jerusalem are misguided. They're excited to see a worldly conqueror—a social savior—rather than Scripture's full picture of what Messiah will be (Isaiah 53:3–6; Mark 8:31; Luke 17:25).

This mob also stokes the fears of Jerusalem's religious leaders. Earlier, they'd committed to having Jesus killed to prevent Him from arousing the anger of Rome (John 11:45–53). Seeing the people openly hail Jesus as their king suggests those fears were valid.

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.