John 12:9-19 O Save Us!

John 12:9-11 Since Jesus had returned to metropolitan Jerusalem, word got out and many Jews came to see Him. Evidently the chief priests got wind of it, and planned not only to get rid of Jesus, but also to get rid of Lazarus as he was pretty much an irrefutable proof and a living testimony to Jesus' deity.

John 12:12-19 John's account of the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday parallels that of the other gospels. (Matthew 21:1-11;  Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44) The cutting of the branches of palm trees and rejoicing before the Lord was actually commanded by Moses to be part of the celebration of the feast of booths. (Leviticus 23:40) This follows the day of atonement in the Mosaic calendar of festivals, in the seventh month of the year, while the Passover (John 12:1) was in the first month of the year (Leviticus 23:5).  There is a mystery here in that the day of atonement that precedes the feast of booths would seem to speak of the crucifixion of Christ, yet the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world is pictured in the Passover. The Mosaic calendar seems to have these as two separate events. In the Mosaic calendar, the Passover was instituted to remind the Israelites to remember their deliverance from Egypt on that day when the death angel slew the firstborn sons of all the Egyptians but passed over the Israelites who had sacrificed the Passover lamb. (Exodus 12:25-27) The feast of  booths was instituted so that later generations of Jews would remember that the generation that had been delivered from Egypt had camped in the wilderness for forty years, sleeping in booths (Leviticus 23:43) Without knowledge of the plan of redemption that was to unfold in the next week, the Jews who celebrated Jesus' entry into Jerusalem combined the observances of the feast of booths at the time of the Passover celebration, at least to the extent of cutting palm  branches and waving them and strewing them in the road. It is also possible that the feast of booths pictures the Incarnation, in which God was tabernacling with man  in Jesus.

          John quotes two Old Testament passages that were fulfilled on this day (Psalm 118:26 and Zechariah 9:9), noting that the disciples did not understand this until Jesus had been glorified. All four gospels report that the crowd was shouting the verse from Psalms. Psalm 118 is a song of thanksgiving that begins with, "Give thanks to The Lord for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting." The body of the psalm gives an account of being delivered, and joyful celebration of that deliverance. Psalm 118:22-23 is quoted by Matthew: "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our sight." The prophetic aspects of this psalm need no further elaboration.

          Why were the people shouting this Psalm as they waved the palm branches? Most likely it was connected to the Passover, celebrating deliverance from Egypt. That the palm branches were connected to the feast of tabernacles may have nothing to do with the shouts of the crowd.

          The writers of the gospels point out the fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9. It is not clear if the crowd understood this moment that fulfilled prophecy. Zechariah 9 discusses The Lord going to war to deliver the tribes of Israel from the surrounding nations. The verse that is quoted seems almost out of place in this chapter. The imagery in this verse evokes apparent self-inconsistency.  A conquering king would usually ride a very large war-horse. This king, who delivers the tribes of Israel from Hamath, Tyre, Sidon, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Ashdod, will enter the gates humbly, riding on a donkey's foal - a very small and unglamorous steed. A vivid picture of the way God Almighty operates.

          Perhaps we should think about why this story is one of the few told in all four gospels, including references to the same Old Testament scriptures. Certainly John, who wrote last, saw no need to repeat most of the details in the synoptic gospels. Including this indicates that he thought it was important for the reader. In the same category as the baptism of Jesus, His crucifixion, and His resurrection. John's unique addition is that he ties this event to the story of Lazarus, as an attesting miracle, the response of people, and the Pharisees' response. It seems to be precisely because Jesus delivered Lazarus from death that He was recognized as a king; in fact as that king foretold by the psalmist and Zechariah, and that He had arrived. Jesus had been preaching the arrival of the kingdom of God for three years or so, and the people were finally getting it! And so this story acts as a gateway to understand that Jesus had come to establish the kingdom of God, and what that kingdom would look like. He showed them a the first part of a picture of authority in the kingdom of God, which would be fully developed in His crucifixion and resurrection.

          The kingdom of God, this type of kingdom, was and is God's response to the cry of the people. 'Hosanna' is usually used as part of a phrase of worship, because it is here followed by a blessing on Jesus. A literal translation of the Hebrew word, which was transliterated into Greek, is 'O save'. The people cried out to be saved, and blessed the one who came to do it. God's kingdom is established in the lives of those who know they need Him and cry out to Him. And ultimately these people, the ones to whom God's kingdom comes, are those who receive Him and allow Him to change and redeem those parts of their lives where His kingdom is established. Otherwise it's all just words, and we are people who are hearers of the Word but not doers of it. (James 1:22-27)