John 11B. And healing a man of leprosy. These men are unbelievers

Transcription

1 Jhn 11B Jesus has just raised Lazarus frm the dead It was a mst impressive miracle In fact, it was ne f the three miracles said t be signs f the Messiah s arrival The ther tw were healing a man brn blind, which Jesus did in chapter 9 And healing a man f leprsy S nw that Jesus had accmplished smething undeniably supernatural and beynd the Pharisee s ability t cntradict, they knw they must act against Jesus These men are unbelievers They are Jews f the type Jesus describes in Revelatin when He says Rev. 2:9 I knw yur tribulatin and yur pverty (but yu are rich), and the blasphemy by thse wh say they are Jews and are nt, but are a synaggue f Satan. These men think they are representatives f Gd, but in reality they are representatives f Satan And they detest the idea f smene like Jesus stealing away the hearts and minds f the peple S in the last part f chapter 11 and int chapter 12, Jhn recrds hw Jesus death was planned by the Jewish leaders Jhn 11:44 The man wh had died came frth, bund hand and ft with wrappings, and his face was wrapped arund with a clth. Jesus said t them, Unbind him, and let him g. Jhn 11:45 Therefre many f the Jews wh came t Mary, and saw what He had dne, believed in Him. Jhn 11:46 But sme f them went t the Pharisees and tld them the things which Jesus had dne. Jhn 11:47 Therefre the chief priests and the Pharisees cnvened a cuncil, and were saying, What are we ding? Fr this man is perfrming many signs Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 Jhn 11B 2 f 19 Jhn 11:48 If we let Him g n like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Rmans will cme and take away bth ur place and ur natin. Jhn 11:49 But ne f them, Caiaphas, wh was high priest that year, said t them, Yu knw nthing at all, Jhn 11:50 nr d yu take int accunt that it is expedient fr yu that ne man die fr the peple, and that the whle natin nt perish. Jhn 11:51 Nw he did nt say this n his wn initiative, but being high priest that year, he prphesied that Jesus was ging t die fr the natin, Jhn 11:52 and nt fr the natin nly, but in rder that He might als gather tgether int ne the children f Gd wh are scattered abrad. Jhn 11:53 S frm that day n they planned tgether t kill Him. As I read last week, Lazarus cmes frth frm the grave in a dramatic display f Jesus pwer ver death Clearly, the ne with pwer t raise the dead is divine, fr nly the Creatr Himself has the authrity t decide the life and death As Jhn reprts, many f thse wh had cme t supprt Martha and Mary in their murning nw becme fllwers f Jesus They are transfrmed by the miracle f Lazarus And they crrectly recgnize that Jesus must be the Messiah Nevertheless, there were thers in the crwd wh were nt persuaded, fr they were nt amng Jesus sheep Instead, they belnged t the enemy As a result, they saw this display as a threat And s they immediately left t reprt what they had seen t the Pharisees in nearby Jerusalem If there were ever any dubt cncerning the Pharisee s hard hearts, we see it clearly nw These men have n dubts cncerning the stries they hear abut Jesus On the cntrary, it s because they believe Jesus was raising men frm the dead that they feel all the mre cmpelled t act against Him Hey cnvene a cuncil t cnsider hw t stp this frce 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 Jhn 11B 3 f 19 In fact, ne says if they let Jesus cntinue n in this way, many will believe He is the Messiah Yu shuld hear thse wrds as spken frm the muth f Satan, fr they were Thugh a nameless human being made this statement, it was Satan himself wh authred it in the heart Satan culd nt stand the prspect f Jesus cnvincing the wrld t fllw Him Smething must be dne t stp Jesus On a human level, the primary cncern was plitical If Jesus gained a large fllwing, a revlutin wuld likely result The peple f Israel wuld rally arund their new king, threatening the rule f Rme Predictably, the Rmans wuld respnd with verwhelming frce t put dwn the rebellin And in the prcess, the Pharisees wuld lse their privileged psitin as religius leaders ver Judea - Which is smething n ther prvince in Rme enjyed S ut f a desire t preserve their plitical pwer, the Pharisees were determined t destry Jesus But at this pint, the High Priest, Caiaphas, made a prphetic declaratin, thugh nt ne he realized was inspired by the Spirit Caiaphas rebukes his cmrades as n-nthings He was High Priest that year, but he had received his ffice frm Rme, s his allegiance was t Rme He replaced his father-in-law, Annas, as high priest when Annas refused t cncede t the Rman s rule S while Caiaphas held the title, many peple in Israel cntinued t see Annas as the true High Priest Nevertheless, the Sanhedrin cntinued t lk t Caiaphas as their authrity, since the Rmans held all the cards 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 Jhn 11B 4 f 19 S Caiaphas interrupts the debate and tells the cuncil that they must stp arguing and mve t actin He declares it s expeditius fr ne man t die in rder t save the entire natin As he spke thse wrds, Caiaphas meant that by killing Jesus, the cuncil wuld prevent the Rmans frm destrying the natin In his mind, Jesus death wuld save Israel frm military and plitical destructin And therefre, murdering Jesus culd be justified n that basis But Jhn seizes upn the high priest s wrds t pint ut hw prphetic they are spiritually Jesus death was ultimately intended by Gd t save Israel But initially, the saving is spiritual, since Jesus dies t save Israel frm the penalty f sin Eventually, Jesus death is the means t save the natin physically in making a way fr it t mve int the Kingdm And nt just his natin, as Jhn says in v.52, but als a natin f Gentiles scattered arund the wrld But f curse, Caiaphas has n idea his wrds carried such significant prphetic meaning He s very much like the dnkey in the stry f Balaam Wh spke by the pwer f the Spirit, but had n idea what s he was saying A sber reminder fr any Bible teacher Frm that day frward, the plt t kill Jesus tk rt Certainly, these men wished t see Jesus taken dwn lng befre this day But it was the High Priest s declaratin that Jesus must die that slidified their decisin t kill Him 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 Jhn 11B 5 f 19 It wuld simply be a matter f time and pprtunity befre their plan came t fruitin And that timing was a matter f Gd s will, nt their wn creativity We have n better evidence that these men were far frm Gd and nt His representatives than t see their hearts revealed in this decisin They are murders, just like their father the devil, as Jesus said They have harbred murder in their heart lng befre they acted n it And s the ccasin f Lazarus raising will be the cause fr Jesus death in end Jhn 11:54 Therefre Jesus n lnger cntinued t walk publicly amng the Jews, but went away frm there t the cuntry near the wilderness, int a city called Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples. Jhn 11:55 Nw the Passver f the Jews was near, and many went up t Jerusalem ut f the cuntry befre the Passver t purify themselves. Jhn 11:56 S they were seeking fr Jesus, and were saying t ne anther as they std in the temple, What d yu think; that He will nt cme t the feast at all? Jhn 11:57 Nw the chief priests and the Pharisees had given rders that if anyne knew where He was, he was t reprt it, s that they might seize Him. At this pint in His ministry, Jesus altered His methds dramatically We might suppse that Jesus learned f the Sanhedrin s plt t kill Him frm the sympathetic member, like Nicdemus And as He heard hw serius the circumstances had becme, Jesus retreats frm the public eye It s nt that Jesus was afraid f these men accmplishing their task Rather, Jesus wants t be sure they accmplish it accrding t Gd s timing and purpse S at this pint, in the dead f winter, Jesus stps ministering publicly He withdraws t the wilderness where Jhn the Baptist ministered 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 Jhn 11B 6 f 19 This wuld have been a lnely utpst in Israel, ff the beaten track A winter f discntent, indeed Then in v.55 Jhn jumps frward t the arrival f the Passver in springtime This is the Passver in which Jesus is killed as the Lamb f Gd Thugh we re nly halfway thrugh Jhn s Gspel, he has mved directly int the final week f Jesus life Clearly, Jhn wants t emphasize what Jesus experienced in His final days As Jews returned t Jerusalem t celebrate the Passver, as was required, many wndered abut Jesus They hadn t seen r heard frm Him since He last appeared at the time f the Feast f Dedicatin a little ver three mnths early Obviusly, the peple expected t see Jesus in the city again as was required fr Jewish males Fr the same reasn, the religius leaders are giving rders fr anyne wh knws Jesus whereabuts t reprt it t them Remember, in this perid f histry, it was relatively easy fr a man t disappear fr a time There were n phnes r TVs S it required cnsiderable effrt t pass wrd abut smene s mvements And by the time wrd reached the interested parties, the persn they sught culd have easily mved n S the Pharisees depend upn infrmants with knwledge nt nly f Jesus lcatin but als f His plans Having set the scene fr Jesus death, Jhn nw mves us frward int the final week f Jesus life 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 Jhn 11B 7 f 19 Jhn 12:1 Jesus, therefre, six days befre the Passver, came t Bethany where Lazarus was, whm Jesus had raised frm the dead. Jhn 12:2 S they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was ne f thse reclining at the table with Him. Jhn 12:3 Mary then tk a pund f very cstly perfume f pure nard, and aninted the feet f Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the huse was filled with the fragrance f the perfume. In the year f Jesus death, the day f Passver began n a Wednesday at sundwn and cncluded n Thursday at sundwn Therefre, six days earlier refers t the Friday befre the week Jesus died On that day, Jesus is traveling back tward Jerusalem fr the Passver The Synptic Gspels recrds many f the events that transpired during the time Jesus traveled int the city, including the triumphant entry, which Jhn recrds in this chapter But befre Jesus reaches Jerusalem, He pays a visit t Mary, Martha and their (very alive) brther Lazarus Interestingly, we find Lazarus reclining with Jesus while Martha and Mary serve, albeit in different ways This scene in their hme is the final mment f Jesus teaching in Jhn s Gspel Accrding t Matthew and Mark, this dinner tk place in the hme f Simn, a frmer leper wh Jesus healed S in this rm we have gathered tw f the three beneficiaries f the Messianic miracles Jhn s repeated emphasis f Lazarus in the scene (and later in v.10) suggests that he had becme a persn f ntriety fllwing his resurrectin, which is understandable Fr nw, thugh, it s Jesus Wh is the center f attentin at this dinner And His disciples are present as well, f curse 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 Jhn 11B 8 f 19 While they are reclining fr the meal Martha is preparing, Mary takes the initiative t anint Jesus with a very valuable perfume When men reclined arund a table, they literally lay n the flr The table was set directly n the flr And thse gathered arund it arranged themselves n the flr facing the table with their feet stretched ut behind them They prpped themselves up n the left elbw while using their right hand t eat This psitined their feet behind them, fanned ut arund the table S Mary apprached behind Jesus and began t anint His feet, which was the nly part f Him that she culd reach while He lay at the table She retrieved a valuable perfume The name is nard, which refers t an il made frm the rts f the nard plant fund in India Jhn says it was pure nard, which means a high quality prduct Such fine and imprted perfume wuld have been very expensive then as it is nw In fact, we might say it was even mre valuable then than it is nw In Jesus day, bathing was nt cmmn, and s the smell f unwashed bdies was cmmn Therefre, perfume was all the mre valuable fr its ability t mask drs In Greek, Jhn says Mary retrieved a litre f perfume, which was a Greek measure f abut 11 unces That was an extravagant amunt f perfume, much as it wuld be tday Imagine if a persn were t take the equivalent f a Cke can filled with fine, French perfume and pur it n yur feet 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 Jhn 11B 9 f 19 As yu can imagine, the use f s much perfume fills the air with arma, as Jhn says in v.3 S Mary takes an extrardinary amunt f valuable perfume and uses it like water t wash Jesus feet The ther Gspels recrd that she aninted Jesus head in this scene, s we must assume that she did bth Certainly there was enugh perfume t anint His entire bdy Emphasizing the aninting f His head cnntes Mary s desire t hnr Jesus, while emphasizing His feet cnntes her humility Clearly, bth are true in this case After washing His feet, Mary uses her wn hair t dry them A Jewish wman wuld nt nrmally let dwn her hair in this way in public It shamed her t d s S nt nly is she making a huge financial sacrifice t lavish Jesus with perfume, but she is humbling herself in the prcess Mary gives testimny t ne f Paul s well-knwn cmmands in Rmans Rm. 12:1 Therefre I urge yu, brethren, by the mercies f Gd, t present yur bdies a living and hly sacrifice, acceptable t Gd, which is yur spiritual service f wrship. Mary thught nthing f giving up what was prbably her mst prized earthly pssessin s she culd hnr and glrify the Lrd But Mary s respnse isn t merely charity; she s respnding t the Lrd s blessing in her life In that day, when the man f a hme died, the remaining wmen were ften left destitute They wuld have great difficulty making ends meet, and eventually every valuable pssessin they wned wuld be traded fr necessities 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 Jhn 11B 10 f 19 In Mary s case, the Lrd restred Lazarus, ensuring the family wuld nt be withut his prvisin Therefre, ffering her perfume t Jesus was a small sacrifice in light f the great blessing He had been t them But nt everyne in the rm thught Mary s actins were apprpriate Jhn 12:4 But Judas Iscarit, ne f His disciples, wh was intending t betray Him, said, Jhn 12:5 Why was this perfume nt sld fr three hundred denarii and given t pr peple? Jhn 12:6 Nw he said this, nt because he was cncerned abut the pr, but because he was a thief, and as he had the mney bx, he used t pilfer what was put int it. Jhn 12:7 Therefre Jesus said, Let her alne, s that she may keep it fr the day f My burial. Jhn 12:8 Fr yu always have the pr with yu, but yu d nt always have Me. Sme f the disciples bject t Mary s actins, thinking it a waste Jhn recrds Judas bjectin, while Matthew and Mark mentin multiple disciples bjecting t the extravagance Judas remarks that the perfume culd have fetched 300 denari, which represents abut a year s salary fr an average wrking man in that day S imagine watching smene pur a $50,000 bttle f wine dwn the drain Or burning $50,000 in cash in a fireplace t warm the huse T see such a thing, we very well might react in a similar way Thugh multiple disciples expressed these cncerns, Jhn chse t single ut Judas Judas decisin t participate in this prtest is the height f hypcrisy And it was especially revealing f his heart, which was Jhn s pint in highlighting Judas in this mment Judas states that the mney shuld be given t the pr instead Jhn clarifies that this suggestin was nt made ut f genuine cncern fr the pr 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 Jhn 11B 11 f 19 Instead, it was because he was a thief wh had been stealing ut f the grup s mney bx He was the grup treasurer, which allwed him easy access t the mney As we learned back in Jhn 6, Judas is nt a believer Mre than that, he was nt ne f the sheep, which means he was never destined t be a believer Jesus called him a devil, and yet Jesus selected him t jin the grup f twelve This was intentinal n Jesus part, f curse He needed a man clse t Him wuld betray Him at the right time This scene ffers us a glimpse int the heart and mtives f the unbeliever wh adpts a frm f gdliness while denying its pwer, as Paul says Jude is typical f such a persn Jude didn t knw the Lrd as Lrd, fr that knwledge lay utside His grasp spiritually Nevertheless, he prtrayed himself as ne interested in the plight f the pr and needy Yet in reality, these gd wrks were merely self-serving And in his heart he remained wicked, hypcritical and selfcentered The unbelieving wrld perates in this same way tday just as it has always dne Ungdly men and wmen wh d nt knw the lve f Christ will cmmnly express cncern fr the needs f humanity They want t see the pr fed and humanity lifted up, r at least they say they d But they are hypcritical, having selfish mtives in all they d Whether fr plitical pwer, scial credit, eg, r financial gain 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

12 Jhn 11B 12 f 19 It s these peple Paul is speaking abut when he said that depraved men deprived f the truth suppse that gdliness is a means f gain Because f these selfish interests, they wrk t slve the wrng prblem They seek t slve afflictins f thers withut appreciating their wn spiritual pverty Judas thught the purpse f Jesus mvement was t empwer humanity, either scially r plitically Naturally, if yu dn t knw Jesus as the Creatr, then yu are nly thinking abut things f this wrld Jesus defends the aninting by declaring it is purpseful and necessary fr His sakes Jesus says let Mary alne, allw her t keep it fr the day f His burial That translatin is a bit cnfusing A better way t translate Jesus wrds wuld be, Leave her alne. Fr the day f my death she has dne it. Jesus is saying that Mary did what she did as a preparatin fr His day f death Murners traditinally aninted the bdies f the deceased Since Jesus will be buried in haste prir t the Passver, He will nt receive a prper aninting in the day He dies S Jesus says Mary is perfrming His aninting in advance And fr that aninting there is nt enugh cstly perfume in the all the wrld Of curse, n ne understd that Jesus was nly days away frm dying n a crss Still, the Spirit mved Mary t anint the Lrd in preparatin fr His burial withut her understanding why Mary was acting ut f a thankful heart and cnvictin being lead by the Spirit, And as she beyed she was misunderstd by nlkers 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

13 Jhn 11B 13 f 19 Believers will always be misunderstd in this way Mary traded the wealth f that il fr a spiritual blessing Frm an eternal perspective, her actins made perfect sense t the spiritually enlightened Likewise, when yu step ut t lve, glrify and serve the Lrd, yu will inevitably be called t trade earthly things fr spiritual things And these actins will make sense t believers wh live with eyes fr eternity But we will cnfuse a wrld that nly understands the material Sell yur pssessins and mve t a far away place t serve the Lrd Turn yur back n advancement and pwer and wealth t live a humble and simple life, and yu will be dismissed as a zealt Decline t jin in great wrks f scial justice and equality s yu can preach the Gspel t thse with ears t hear, and yu re painted as heartless r uncaring Ntice Jesus says they will always have the pr, but they wn t always have Him In this cntext, we understand Jesus wasn t dismissing the plight f the pr, but He was setting things in their prper pririty Of curse, the Lrd cares fr the physical needs f humanity He brings the rain n the righteus and the unrighteus But Jesus didn t cme t slve the prblem f mankind s physical pverty He came t slve the prblem f ur spiritual pverty Lazarus cmment turns this pririty upside dwn He is suggesting that endeavring t slve the prblem f wrld hunger is mre imprtant advancing the wrk f glrifying Christ In thery, if we spent all ur time n slving wrld hunger, we might achieve that end 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

14 Jhn 11B 14 f 19 But we wuld nt have spent time spreading the Gspel, which brings suls int Heaven Such that even when the whle wrld has becme fat, dumb and happy, they still spend eternity in hell S Jesus says we will always have the pr He means that the pprtunities t minister t the needs f the human cnditin will never be exhausted Mankind culd slve wrld hunger, and we wuld still have cancer, vilence, abuse, and cuntless ther tragedies that mark ur fallen wrld S dn t make it yur life s gal t slve the human cnditin thrugh physical slutins But we wn t always have Jesus Jesus meant it literally cncerning His time with these disciples But He als meant it spiritually We nly have s lng t represent Christ t the wrld And the wrld itself nly has s lng t knw and believe befre they die and face judgment S dn t get distracted in slving earthly prblems Remain fcused n glrifying Christ Humbling urselves in service t Him Making ur lives a living sacrifice t the praise f His Name While Jesus is eating at the huse, a large crwd learns that Jesus is here Jhn 12:9 The large crwd f the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, nt fr Jesus sake nly, but that they might als see Lazarus, whm He raised frm the dead. Jhn 12:10 But the chief priests planned t put Lazarus t death als; Jhn 12:11 because n accunt f him many f the Jews were ging away and were believing in Jesus Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

15 Jhn 11B 15 f 19 Jesus been ff the radar fr several mnths, s they are excited t finally discver His lcatin Ntice they are cming nt just fr Jesus but als fr Lazarus This guy wh was raised frm the dead has becme a lcal celebrity He s prbably been in hiding himself Lazarus fame has put a bullseye n his chest The mvement has suddenly gained serius mmentum and it s scaring the religius leaders The Pharisees are determined t stamp ut this mvement befre it can gain any mre steam They want t kill Jesus and als Lazarus The next day marks Jesus triumphant entry int Jerusalem Jhn 12:12 On the next day the large crwd wh had cme t the feast, when they heard that Jesus was cming t Jerusalem, Jhn 12:13 tk the branches f the palm trees and went ut t meet Him, and began t shut, Hsanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King f Israel. Jhn 12:14 Jesus, finding a yung dnkey, sat n it; as it is written, Jhn 12:15 FEAR NOT, DAUGHTER OF ZION; BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING, SEATED ON A DONKEY S COLT. Jhn mentins a crwd that had cme t Jerusalem fr the feast, referring t the upcming feast f Passver This is ne f the three feasts that required Jewish men t travel t Jerusalem, and many brught the rest f the their family The city wuld swell t several millin n this week The crwds spill ut f the city and int the surrunding cuntryside It creates quite the scene, and it s int this excitement that Jesus enters fr the final week f His life 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

16 Jhn 11B 16 f 19 The intensity f the crwds devtin and interest in Jesus and Lazarus cntrasts with the Pharisees intense hatred Clearly, the cnflict is abut t cme t a climax What fllws is the nly public display in all Jesus earthly ministry Jesus will prceed int the city f Jerusalem amidst crwds declaring Him t be Messiah This is ne f the rare mments that all fur Gspel writers recrd, indicating it s imprtance The next day f these events are Sunday This is traditinally the start f the preparatins fr the Passver celebratin Families were required by the Law t bring a 3-year ld lamb int their hme in preparatin fr the sacrifice The lamb wuld be inspected fr three days t ensure it was indeed sptless During that time, the family wuld establish a bnd with the animal living in their midst All f these details pictured the sacrifice f Christ Three days befre He is crucified, Jesus enters the city f David ges int Temple, the huse f Gd S n this day as Jesus enters the city, a crwd is assembled alng the rde leading int the east gate t greet the Messiah They place palm branches n the grund in frnt f Jesus as He rides in n a dnkey, in fulfillment f Zechariah s prphecy f the Messiah riding n a dnkey Zech. 9:9 Rejice greatly, O daughter f Zin! Shut in triumph, O daughter f Jerusalem! Behld, yur king is cming t yu; He is just and endwed with salvatin, Humble, and munted n a dnkey, Even n a clt, the fal f a dnkey Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

17 Jhn 11B 17 f 19 The palm was a natinal symbl in Israel It was inscribed n cins made during the rebellin against the Rmans in AD S a large crwd waving palm branches was a prvcative act f defiance against Rman rule It sent a message that the crwd saw Jesus as their King cming t establish the kingdm The crwd shuts blessed is He Wh cmes in the name f the Lrd This statement is a Messianic declaratin frm Psalm 118 At the three feasts that Jews attended in Jerusalem, they recited the Hallel, which was Psalms Psalm 118 was written t hnr the crnatin f David as king And the Jews understd that it was prphetically speaking f the Messiah entering Jerusalem t establish the kingdm S as Jesus enters the city, the crwd declares here cmes the Messiah Earlier in the Gspels, Jesus said this in respnse t Israel s rejectin f Jesus as the Messiah Luke 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prphets and stnes thse sent t her! Hw ften I wanted t gather yur children tgether, just as a hen gathers her brd under her wings, and yu wuld nt have it! Luke 13:35 Behld, yur huse is left t yu deslate; and I say t yu, yu will nt see Me until the time cmes when yu say, BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD! Jesus tld the peple f Israel that their rejectin f Him as Messiah wuld mean dire cnsequences fr this generatin They had cmmitted the unfrgivable sin, leaving them with n rescue And furthermre, the entire city f Jerusalem wuld be made deslate as a judgment against the natin fr rejecting the Messiah Furthermre, Jesus says the natin will nt have a secnd chance t embrace Him as Messiah until they reverse this mistake 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

18 Jhn 11B 18 f 19 The natin must acknwledge Jesus t be the Messiah And nce they make that acknwledgement, nly then will He return t them Zechariah 12 describes this future mment, which takes place at the end f the Tribulatin at Jesus Secnd Cming S in this mment, the crwd expects the fulfillment f Psalm 118 t take place n this Palm Sunday Right idea, wrng timing They declare the Psalm in expectatin that Jesus will set up His Kingdm right away But if these admirers shuld have paid clser attentin t the cntext f Zechariah 9 That chapter describes a humble arrival f Messiah fllwed by a triumphant arrival like lightening acrss the sky The Kingdm is set up nly after the secnd arrival And the crwd were nt the nly nes t misunderstand the circumstances Jhn 12:16 These things His disciples did nt understand at the first; but when Jesus was glrified, then they remembered that these things were written f Him, and that they had dne these things t Him. Jhn 12:17 S the peple, wh were with Him when He called Lazarus ut f the tmb and raised him frm the dead, cntinued t testify abut Him. Jhn 12:18 Fr this reasn als the peple went and met Him, because they heard that He had perfrmed this sign. Jhn 12:19 S the Pharisees said t ne anther, Yu see that yu are nt ding any gd; lk, the wrld has gne after Him. Jhn speaks retrspectively, nting that he and the rest f the disciples were blivius f all that was happening in that mment Only after the resurrectin f Jesus did they lk back and recgnize that this mment had been fulfillment f scripture 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

19 Jhn 11B 19 f 19 I think Jhn s statement may be his best effrt t explain, in advance, why the disciples fled Jesus at the crucifixin yet later became His strngest representatives Their behavir in the midst f the turmil f the Passver is explainable as ignrance and fear Their cntrary behavir fllwing Christ s resurrectin in the face f threats and persecutin is prf that their understanding had changed They were able t act in curage and cnvictin because they knew the Risen Lrd and understd the prgram f Gd Meanwhile, thse wh had been there at the raising f Lazarus cntinued t testify f Jesus as Messiah This crwd is fueled by the signs and wnders they have seen Jesus d f late This bservatin als serves t explain why the crwds turn against Jesus in nly a few days Many are fllwing Him seeking freedm frm Rman ppressin Others have been impressed by the miracles and signs Many are believers while ther may be simply curius nlkers Nevertheless, they will all turn n Jesus r at the very least abandn Him during His passin They depart fr the same reasn that the apstles depart They are expecting the wrng thing, nt understanding what s happening in the mment Only later d they understand And f curse, all this excitement is driving the Pharisees t the edge f panic They see their pwer ver the peple disappearing rapidly, while the crwd cntinued t declare Jesus is their new leader They turn n ne anther declaring that smene needs t d smething t stp it 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.