Read John 12:16-19. Circle the words that stand out to you. What is the Lord saying to you?
16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.
17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”
Reflections on the Word
Have you said to yourself, “Did I do that?!” or “I didn’t say that. Did I?!” When we reflect on past situations, we may be wowed, shocked, or even puzzled at what we have said. Maybe for some of us, we are a person who thinks ahead. You see the dangers and the probable outcomes not only for yourself, but also your friends and family. With good intentions, we may say, “It’s not going to turn out good. Please, don’t do it!” or “You’re going to regret it!”
As the Apostle John wrote about the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, he didn’t fully realize what was happening at that moment. He may have thought the accolades given to Jesus was like a Roman dignitary that would enter Jerusalem or Rome. The people who hailed Jesus didn’t truly believe that Jesus was the Messiah or else they wouldn’t have crucified Him days later. They were caught up in the moment.
Likewise, the Pharisees were caught up in the moment too. They saw Jesus as a threat to themselves and to the nation. If they did nothing to stop Jesus, it would mean the end of them and the nation. They had to do something to stop Jesus, to stop the beginning of an uprising. The picture was becoming very clear to them. It’s Him or us. For them, the good of the many outweighs the rights of the few. It’s not about what’s right and wrong.
Both the crowd, the disciples, and the Pharisees may have been caught up in the moment of the thrill of seeing Lazarus alive again. As Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowd probably had high expectations of Jesus to perform more mind-blowing miracles. If He raised the dead outside of Jerusalem, then He must have another miracle that’s even better when He is in Jerusalem. I can imagine the crowd going home thrilled and excited, anxiously waiting to see the next day’s events.
At the end of each day, let us try to reflect on what God is doing in our lives and through our lives. Reflections give us a moment to pause from our plans and to ponder our attitudes and actions. We may not understand the events that enter our life at that moment, but perhaps in days, weeks, months, or even years, we will gain further insight into what is God doing in and through our lives to make us more like Jesus.
-Kingston