Jesus,
having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written, “Don’t be afraid, daughter of Zion. Behold, your King comes, sitting on a donkey’s colt.” His disciples didn’t understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about him, and that they had done these things to him. The multitude therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb, and raised him from the dead, was testifying about it. For this cause also the multitude went and met him, because they heard that he had done this sign. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “See how you accomplish nothing. Behold, the world has gone after him.”
John 12:14-19
John 12 [12.] On the next day a great multitude had come to the feast. When they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they took the branches of the palm trees, and went out to meet him, and cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!”
John 12 [14.] Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written, “Don’t be afraid, daughter of Zion. Behold, your King comes, sitting on a donkey’s colt.” His disciples didn’t understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about him, and that they had done these things to him. The multitude therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb, and raised him from the dead, was testifying about it. For this cause also the multitude went and met him, because they heard that he had done this sign. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “See how you accomplish nothing. Behold, the world has gone after him.”
John 12 [20.] Now there were certain Greeks among those that went up to worship at the feast. These, therefore, came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn, Andrew came with Philip, and they told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life will lose it. He who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life. If anyone serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there will my servant also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
Meaning:
A great crowd of Passover pilgrims had gone out of Jerusalem with palm branches to meet Jesus, crying, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!” (John 12:13). These verses describe how Jesus answered their welcome, what the Scriptures said about it, and how the crowds and the Pharisees reacted. All four Gospels tell of this entry into Jerusalem (Mark 11:7; Matthew 21:4-5; Luke 19:35-38).
- “Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it”
John tells the story briefly. Mark explains that Jesus sent two disciples to bring a colt that had never been ridden (Mark 11:2). Jesus chose deliberately how he would enter the city. He did not come on a war horse, as a conquering general might, but on a young donkey, the animal of peaceful, ordinary life.
- “Don’t be afraid, daughter of Zion. Behold, your King comes”
John quotes the prophecy of Zechariah in a shortened form: “Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). The words “Don’t be afraid” recall other prophetic promises to Zion, such as Isaiah’s call to the one who brings good news to Jerusalem: “Lift it up. Don’t be afraid” (Isaiah 40:9).
The crowd waved palms as if welcoming a national liberator, but Jesus’ choice of a donkey pointed to a different kind of king. Zechariah goes on to say that this king will take away the chariot and the war horse, “and he will speak peace to the nations”. Jesus came to bring peace with God, not to lead a rebellion against Rome.
- “His disciples didn’t understand these things at first”
John honestly admits that the disciples missed the meaning at the time. Only after Jesus was glorified, through his death, resurrection and return to the Father, did they remember and understand. The same happened with his saying about the temple: “When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this” (John 2:22). Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit “will remind you of all that I said to you” (John 14:26).
- “The multitude... was testifying about it”
Two crowds met at the entry: the people who had seen Lazarus raised and were telling everyone about it, and the pilgrims who came out because they had heard of the sign. The raising of Lazarus was the reason for much of the excitement.
- “Behold, the world has gone after him”
The Pharisees were frustrated. Their threats and plots seemed to achieve nothing. Luke records that some of them told Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” (Luke 19:39). Their exaggerated complaint, “the world has gone after him”, was truer than they knew. In the very next verses, Greeks come asking to see Jesus (John 12:20-21).
The Significance of John 12:14-19
- A humble King
Jesus is truly King, but he came in humility and peace. He calls his followers to the same humility, and he rules hearts not by force but by love.
- Understanding grows with time
The disciples understood only later what they had witnessed. Believers often grasp God’s work in their lives only in hindsight. The Holy Spirit helps us to remember and understand the words of Jesus.
- The gospel for the whole world
The Pharisees’ complaint became a prophecy. Jesus is the Saviour not of one nation only but of the world, and people from every nation are still drawn to him.
Cross-References:
Zechariah 9:9: "Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey," The prophecy fulfilled by Jesus.
Mark 11:7: "They brought the young donkey to Jesus, and threw their garments on it, and Jesus sat on it." Mark’s account of the entry.
John 14:26: "he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you." How the disciples came to understand.
Luke 19:39: "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" The Pharisees’ objection.
Conclusion: Jesus entered Jerusalem on a young donkey, fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy of a humble King who brings salvation and peace. His disciples understood this only after he was glorified, while the crowds who had heard of Lazarus came out to meet him. The frustrated Pharisees complained that the world had gone after him, words that pointed to his saving reach to all nations.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible