John 12 - The Dramatic Entry

Overcome the drama & confusion you'll face this week by spending quiet time reading God's Word.

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John 12 Summary

Jesus is heading back towards Jerusalem now, knowing there's a price on His head, and knowing that the cross awaits Him there. On the way, He stops by to see His good friends, Mary, Martha & Lazarus, and they hold a dinner in His honor.

Mary, more emotional than her sensible older sister Martha, breaks open a jar of pure nard and pours it as an offering onto the only pure man, Jesus. Jesus, showing that He is God, accepts Mary's worship.

The next day, Jesus enters into Jerusalem in what's often referred to as the Triumphal entry, but perhaps it would be better described as the Dramatic entry. Certainly many of the people there gave genuine praise to Jesus, but then there were others who just wanted to glimpse Jesus' as a celebrity, and lurking behind all the others are the establishment, who are becoming more and more desperate.

To add to the drama, God's voice booms from heaven in a way that all could hear - though not all believed - answering Jesus' prayer that the Father's name be glorified (v28).

Finally, the scene ends with Jesus - at the height of His popularity - disappearing from the crowd of people who had flocked there to praise Him, gawk at Him, and plot to kill Him. The tension is beginning to ratchet up.

In between all of this drama, John records several statements from Jesus that form the bedrock of our faith.

Dig Deeper

Do you ever feel like you're the one person in the crowd who doesn't get what's going on? Maybe it's just me, but probably not.

Jesus' disciples felt this way often, and as Jesus enters into Jerusalem on the back of a young donkey, confusion settles over them once again. John puts it this way:

His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him (v16).

Notice here how the disciples find clarity; it doesn't come in the moment, but rather later (in this case, months later) when they've had time to slow down and meditate on what they've seen & heard. Secondly, the lights come on as they study scripture (the things that had been written).

The best way for you to clear the confusion in your life is to find quiet times often to meditate (think deeply) about what's going on and to know scripture so well that you begin to recognize God working in what's going on around you.

AAA Prayer :

ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, whose name is most glorified through His Son (v28)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God to equip you to follow Jesus, and to be where Jesus is (v26)
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: