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John 12:12-19 The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! (Save Now) 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 upon it, as it is written, 15 “Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt.” 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 they had done these things 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 given this miraculous 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!”
THE Pharisees were very distressed. They had debated with Jesus. They had accused him of being a pretender, a magician, a false teacher and even of the devil. For most of Jesus’ ministry, some Pharisees sought to kill him. But now a boisterous, happy crowd in Jerusalem for the Passover Feast praised him as the long awaited Messiah, the King of Israel. Their cry, “Hosanna!” is actually a prayer, “Save us now!” It was often prayed at the Feast of Tabernacles, remembering that God had dwelt with the Jews through the exodus. While the ruling Jews – the “church” of that day – sneered, the crowds cheered. The Pharisees were concerned about their power and about Rome’s power. If the people believed Jesus’ is the true Messiah, their authority was gone. They also knew Rome’s heavy hand on such demonstrations. Rome relied on the Jews to keep the peace. If the Jews could not, Rome could. The incarnate God stood before them, and the ruling Jews were afraid because, “The whole world is following him.” The Pharisees and Sadducees saw Jesus, but they missed the wonder of God in their midst. Do we as a church see the wonder of God dwelling in our midst? The Holy Spirit dwells within us, doesn’t he? Are we then attentive to pray, “Hosanna – Save Now, Jesus.” for people in desperate need of Jesus’ eternal salvation? Or might we inadvertently keep people from Jesus? One way we may keep people from seeing Jesus is to be too casual about him. We may express little joy and wonder at Jesus’ triumphal entry into our lives. God’s saving work as the expression of his extreme love for us. If we see God’s redemption as something he should do for us, we will miss the fullness of his grace. When you deeply appreciate someone, you are willing to tell others about that person’s goodness on your life. Let’s be sure we deeply, lovingly appreciate the Father’s work through the Son and Spirit to dwell with us. To be a church that lives a resurrected life, keep Jesus’ Triumphal Entry in your heart and foremost in your mind. Be a Christian who adores the resurrected Jesus. With heartfelt joy and loving wonder. Remember to often pray “Save my loved ones and neighbors now. Blessed are you, Holy Spirit, who has come to me in the name of the Lord!” Resurrection Truth: Ephesians 2:22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Comments are closed.
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AuthorBob James Archives
July 2025
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