Read John 12:12-15. Circle the words that stand out to you. What is the Lord saying to you?
12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the king of Israel!”
14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:
15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey’s colt.”
Reflections on the Word
Shouting! Almost never public, especially at church but sometimes in private with our spouse, children, or even a neighbor. Shouting is often seen as being rude, overbearing, and out of control. I don’t recall anyone shouting in the prayer meetings that I have attended. Nor have I ever seen anyone shouting praises to God at any of our Thanksgiving Services or testimonial times. Normally, it is very subdued and controlled. In general, no one shouts out in praise or in prayer to our God, at least not in public.
The people who heard the testimonies of Lazarus being raised from the dead and saw Jesus riding on a young donkey raised their voices in shouts of praise. Was it mass hysteria? Were the people swept up in the moment of emotion as in a concert or at a game?
This wasn’t the first time the people saw Jesus. They had heard of His miracles in Galilee and in Judea. They had seen Him in the Temple teaching and being publicly questioned by the scribes and Pharisees. Up until this point, no one dared to raise their voice too loudly to declare that Jesus was the Messiah as they faced the prospect of being cast out of the Temple or their local synagogue. he Pharisees already set this precedent in dealing with the blind man’s testimony.
But now there is not just the testimony of one supposed blind man, there are many witnesses of Lazarus being raised from the dead after three days. The testimony of the many witnesses of the miracle removed any doubt in the people’s mind that Jesus was the Messiah. No one had done or even seen this before! If Jesus could raise the dead from the grave, imagine what else He could do! The crowds wanted to make Him ruler and king over Israel.
But what about the 12 disciples, what was their response? Did they lift their voices in praising Jesus or were they just soaking it all in? Were they passive observers or thrilled to be part of the procession?
If you were there, what would your response be: quiet and contemplative or shouting and lifting one’s hands up to Jesus? Would any of us turn and walk away saying to ourselves, “The noise is hurting my ears! This is too much!”
Let’s ask ourselves, “What will it take for you and me to literally “shout” our praises to God?” Would you be willing to express more of your love for Him and the deeds that He has done than your normal Sunday subdued tone of voice? If you’re thinking, “I don’t have to express myself with shouts to my God. He’s not deaf. He hears it all!” Could it be that the real reason for not shouting His praise rests more on you than Him?
-Kingston