Reading

• John 12:12-13
• Matt. 21:1-7; Mark 11:1-7; Luke 19:29-35; John 12:14-16
• Mark 11:8-10; Luke 19:36-44
• Matt. 21:10-11; John 12:17-19
• Mark 11:11-18; Luke 19:47-48
• Matt. 21:14-16
• John 12:20-36
• Mark 11:19

Devotional

As the Passover Feast of 30 A.D. approaches, Jesus finishes His journey to Jerusalem, knowing that He is marching towards His death. When the crowd who had gathered for the feast heard Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, they took palm branches and spread them on the road along with their cloaks. As Jesus approached Bethany at the hill of the Mount of Olives, He sent two disciples to go and get a donkey colt, untie it and bring it to Him. Jesus did so to fulfill the prophecy that the King of the Jews would come riding on a donkey colt. The disciples didn’t understand this until after Jesus had been glorified.

As Jesus approached, the whole crowd of disciples praised GOD joyfully in loud voices because of all the miracles they had seen. The Pharisees in the crowd called to Jesus to rebuke His disciples but Jesus said if they kept quiet the stones would cry out. Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem and prophesied how the city would be destroyed in the not-too-distant future as a result of the people’s failure to recognize the time of GOD’s coming upon them.

The crowd was amazed and stirred because of Jesus, and those who witnessed Lazarus’ resurrection also continued to spread the word. The Pharisees were disgusted and frustrated because of Jesus’ popularity. After going to the temple and looking around, Jesus returned to Bethany where He apparently stayed, likely with Mary and Martha along with His disciples. These events occurred on Sunday before the Passover.

The next day, as Jesus was leaving Bethany, He was hungry and went looking for figs on a nearby fig tree. However, the tree was barren, so Jesus cursed the tree so that it would never bear fruit again. As He made it to Jerusalem, Jesus once again cleansed the temple of the moneychangers and merchants who had apparently refused to change their ways the last time Jesus purged the temple towards the beginning of His ministry. The chief priests and teachers of the Law heard this and continued conspiring to kill Jesus, but they didn’t act right away because they feared Jesus’ popularity.

The blind and lame approached Jesus at the temple and He healed them. The children shouted and sang songs of, “Hosanna” (which means, “Please save“). The chief priests and teachers of the Law were indignant when they hear this.

Jesus shared His anxiety over the upcoming suffering He would endure:

²³ Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ²⁵ Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

²⁷ “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” ²⁹ The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

³⁰ Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. ³¹ Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. ³² And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” ³³ He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
(John 12:23-33 NIV)

This was the third and final recorded time that GOD spoke to Jesus from heaven in an audible voice that other people heard. After these things, when evening came, Jesus and His disciples returned to Bethany.