The King Comes In God’s Time

John 12:12 On the next day much people that came to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem…

It is the right year, the right week, the right day, and the right hour. The prophets have laid it out clearly and explicitly, from Daniel to Zechariah.

In the days prior, Jesus had avoided the conflicts and the Confrontations, saying frequently, “Mine hour is not yet come. No man takes my life from Me. I lay it down of Myself.” He has been and is the architect of every move.

Now He knew it was time to die. The time had come, not when the world decided He would die, but when He decided it was time to give His life for us. Jesus did it all in His own time, and forced the whole issue at the exactly right moment in time. He brought about the whole thing, that it might happen
exactly on the Passover day.

The Fickle Crowd’s Reaction

John 12:13 Took branches of palm trees and went forth to meet Him and cried, “Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel that comes in the name of the Lord!”

The mob of people going from Bethany to Jerusalem is joined by another mob coming from Jerusalem surrounding Jesus. All of them are waving branches, crying out “Hosanna, here’s the King of Israel who comes in the name of the Lord.”

They grab palm branches, which were always the sign of a conqueror. They’re not hailing Him as a spiritual Messiah, they’re hailing Him as a political savior, a political deliverer, a political conqueror.

Hosanna means two words in English: Save Now. They are saying to Jesus, “O great conqueror, King of Israel, save now.” They’re not talking about spiritual salvation; they’re talking about political revolution.

The Confused Disciples

John 12:14 So Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it was written. 12:16 These things His disciples understood not at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things unto Him.

The disciples were confused. All the prior times, Jesus had kept a low profile and did not want any attention. He often even said “Don’t tell anyone.” Now, He is allowing Himself to be placed out front for everyone to see.

We should never get consumed with trying to figure God out. Nor should we remain in a prolonged disappointment when things don’t happen the way we think they should.

Jesus’ Reaction

John 12:15 Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King comes, sitting on an donkey’s colt.

Now, Jesus does not back off from these Hosannas. He’s introducing them to a Messiah in a completely different way than they had anticipated. They were anticipating a purely political Messiah. However, Jesus shows He is not a political Messiah by the way He enters the city, riding a donkey, not a white horse.

John does not record Jesus’ reaction to the crowd, but Luke does. Luke 19:41 And when He had come near, He beheld the city and wept over it.

He sees behind the Hosannas. He sees the hatred.

On the outside, this fickle crowd appeared to be accepting and supporting Jesus, but He knew their hearts and what the consequences would be—and His heart is broken.

Luke 19:43 For days will come upon you and your enemies will put up an embankment against you, and will surround you and press you hard from all directions.

Less than 40 years later, Titus in his passion and vengeance came. He built a trench around the city, surrounded and sieged the city, slaughtering 1,100,000 Jews and levelling the city of Jerusalem. Jesus knew the fickleness of their hearts. He was under no illusions at all. While they were shouting Hosanna, He was weeping.

The Frustrated Pharisees’ Reaction

John 12:19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “Perceive ye how ye prevail not at all? Behold, the world has gone after Him!” Luke 19:39 And some of the Pharisees from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

This was the day to hail the King, and if the mouths of the people did not do it, the earth itself would hail Him. This was the day of exalting the Messiah, Who is due all.

The Sanhedrin had made a decision (John 11:49–53) to kill Jesus, but had to be patient because of the crowds. Jesus was getting stronger, and they concluded accurately, ‘we are losing.’

From their perspective, everyone in their world was going to commit to Jesus. But they did not, and in less than a week, those who praised Him, yelled “Kill Him!”

Let us be careful in our own fickleness, to believe we are “committed to Jesus” when He knows we are not. As it was for the Jews that Jesus spoke to that day, it is the same with us.

Our commitments bring consequences, good or bad. The King Has Come! Don’t miss out. Don’t miss Him.