The Gospel of John: John 12.12-26

Read and meditate on John 12.12-26.
All Jesus’ earthly sojourn has been moving toward this “hour.” As He has held this hour off, now He enters it, so that He might be glorified.

                            ¹²The next day He began
to go unto Jerusalem. A great
assembly, who had come to celebrate
the feast, when they heard He was coming to
Jerusalem, ¹³took palm leaves, and went to
Him, crying, “Save us, Lord! And blessèd be
the King of Israel, He Who comes to free
us in the Lord’s Name!” ¹⁴And when Jesus knew
that they were coming, and what He must do,
then He sat on a donkey He had found,
as it is written, ¹⁵“Let not fear surround
you, Zion. See, your King is coming! He
is sitting on a donkey’s colt.” ¹⁶Now these
things His disciples did not understand
at first. But they remembered and began
to know them after He was glorified,
that is, once Jesus had been crucified,
and resurrected. They remembered what
was written about Jesus, namely, that
the Jews would do these things to Him.

                                                  ¹⁷Therefore,
the people who were with Him witness bore –
they who were there when He raised Lazarus from
the dead. ¹⁸And others, hearing this, had come
to meet Him also. ¹⁹Then the Pharisees
complained among themselves: “And now you see
that you accomplish nothing. Look now! All
the world has gone out to Him!”

                                         ²⁰And a small
contingent from the Gentiles – Greeks – had come
there. ²¹They to Philip came, for he was from
a town in Galilee. They said unto,
him, “Sir, we would see Jesus.” ²²He went to
tell Andrew, and in turn, the two of them
told Jesus. ²³And then Jesus answered them
and said, “The hour has come; the Son of Man
will now be glorified. ²⁴But understand,
unless a grain of wheat is buried in
the ground and dies, it is alone. But when
it dies, it brings forth much more grain. ²⁵And he
who loves his life will lose it, although he
who hates his life in this world will preserve
it unto life eternal. ²⁶All who serve
Me, let them follow Me; and where I am,
My servant will be also with Me. Him
who serves and follows Me, My Father on
him honor will bestow.”
- John 12.12-26

Reflect
1. Jesus certainly knew what awaited Him in Jerusalem. He had been preparing for this “hour” for a long time, and was already looking past His suffering to His glorification and the coming of His Kingdom. What do you think was going on in Jesus’ mind, as He entered the city of Jerusalem? What was He thinking? How was He able to do this? Complete this prayer: Lord, You knew the Scriptures and the promises of the Father, and You clung to these in the face of danger. Help me also to…

2.  We have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2.16). Sadly, we do not always yield to the mind of Christ when we’re facing difficult situations, potential trials, temptations, or the fear of others. Why? What keeps us from “seeing through” such challenges to the promises of God, like Jesus did? Give me grace, Lord, so that I’m always thinking, planning, and going forward according to…

3.  The disciples, John tells us, didn’t understand all this. Did they understand that going to Jerusalem was fraught with danger? But did they go anyway? How were they able to do this? What can we learn from them? Lord, help me to be as close to You as the disciples were, so that, even thought I don’t understand everything…

4.  The multitude cried out for Jesus to save them. This is the meaning of Hosanna! What do you think they understood by salvation? What kind of king did they think Jesus would be? Were they right? Do we sometimes fall into thinking the way the multitude was thinking? Explain. I must follow You, Lord, on Your terms, according to Your agenda and purpose, and this means…

5. This passage is full of portent. John sowed the seeds of many things that were yet to come, but which were all on stage as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on that Sunday. How do you see that? What does this suggest about the purpose of John’s gospel? About the purpose of the New Testament? Bring together into one prayer the prayers you composed for questions 1-4.

Summary
“Christ’s servants are those who look out for his things rather than their own. ‘Let him follow me’ means ‘Let him walk in my ways and not in his own,’ as it is written elsewhere. … For if he supplies food for the hungry, he should do so in the way of mercy, not to brag about it. He should be looking for nothing else there but to do good and not letting his left hand know what his right hand does. In other words, any work of charity should be utterly devoid of any thought of ‘what’s in it for me.’ The one who serves in this way serves Christ and will have it rightly said to him, ‘Inasmuch as you did it unto one of the least of those who are mine, you did it unto me.’ … And the one who serves Christ in this way will be honored by his Father with the peculiar honor of being with his Son and having nothing lacking in his happiness ever again. And so, when you hear the Lord saying, ‘Where I am, there shall also my servant be,’ do not think merely of good bishops and clergy. But you yourselves should also serve Christ in your own way by good lives, by giving to the poor, by preaching his name and doctrine as best as you can too. Every father [or mother] … too will be filling an ecclesiastical and episcopal kind of office by serving Christ in their own homes when they serve their families so that they too may be with him forever.” Augustine (354-430 AD)

What are the most important lessons for you from this story of Jesus’ triumphal entry? His entry portends a greater “triumphal entry” yet to come (cf. Pss. 47, 110). Explain.

Closing Prayer
I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.
For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16.8-11

Psalm 16.8-11 (All to Christ: Jesus Paid It All)
You are ever with me, Lord; in You I shall not fall.
But rejoicing in Your Word, I abide within Your call.
    Make me know life’s way! Pleasures fill Your hand;
    Fill my life with joy each day! Before Your face I stand.

Soon Your glory I shall see, for as Jesus rose again,
You will come to gather me to my home with You in heav’n.
    Make me know life’s way! Pleasures fill Your hand;
    Fill my life with joy each day! Before Your face I stand.

T. M. Moore
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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series IV a and b: John, edited by Joel C. Elowsky, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Verse translation of John by T. M. Moore.