John 12:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.

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

NASB: On the next day, when the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

CSB: The next day, when the large crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

NLT: The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors

KJV: On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

NKJV: The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

Within the last few days, Jesus raised a man to life who had been dead for four days: Lazarus, from a town very close to Jerusalem (John 12:1). In response to this, many of the people of Jerusalem had come to see Lazarus for themselves, and been convinced of Jesus' power (John 12:9). The date is also nearing the Passover, so Jerusalem is overflowing with pilgrims and visitors who are there to observe the feast day. Many of the people coming from outlying territories have already heard and seen Jesus.

Prior to these events, Jesus has often told people to avoid proclaiming Him as the Messiah (Matthew 16:20; Mark 8:30; John 6:15). That fits into His frequent mention of God's timeline (John 2:4; 7:6). As described in upcoming verses, however, Jesus will now openly accept the adoration of the people. He will fulfill Messianic prophecy by riding on a donkey's colt (John 12:14–15), and the crowd will shout kingly blessings to Him (John 12:13).

Jesus' earlier instructions for people to be discreet were meant to preserve this moment in time. Daniel 9:25 seems to suggest a specific timeline for the arrival of the Messiah. In short, that interpretation from 444 BC pointed to a moment in 33 AD, quite possibly predicting to the day when Jesus made this triumphal entry.

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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.