John 12:12-16 On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,… I. THE KING'S PERSON. Jesus — 1. Recently condemned by the Sanhedrim. 2. Who had tacitly claimed to be Zion's King. 3. Who had repeatedly proved His right to this dignity, and lately established it by the miracle at Bethany. 4. Who now asserted it in the most open and unambiguous manner by riding in royal state into His capital. II. THE KING'S CREDENTIALS — 1. Consisted in the fact that He was coming to His metropolis in the name of the Lord. He was no usurper, but One to whom the throne belonged by Divine appointment. The crown pertained to Him in a more real sense than to any of Israel's kings. 2. Were displayed in the manner of His coming. He came exactly as predicted. Had He come as kings of the earth are wont to approach their capitals — as Solomon and His successors — on fiery chargers, there would have been required no further demonstration that He was not God's Messiah. He came in humility and righteousness — indisputable tokens of His claim. III. THE KING'S WELCOME. 1. The multitudes — accompanying, meeting. 2. Their homage — waving palms and strewing garments in the way. 3. Their acclaim — Hosannah. IV. THE KING'S ATTENDANTS. The disciples. 1. Ignorant at the time of its significance; perhaps imagining the present realization of their earthly hopes. 2. Afterwards alive to its spiritual and eternal meaning. IV. THE KING'S ENEMIES. The Pharisees. The spectacle seemed for a moment to confound their plots. It filled them with indignation, urged them to recrimination, made them more determined. Caiaphas' prophecy appeared on the eve of coming true. The nation was slipping from their hands. Lessons: 1. The religious instincts of the multitudes. 2. The credibility of ancient Scripture; 3. The illumination Christ's glorification has cast on history. 4. The certainty that the world will ultimately be won by Christ. (T. Whitelaw, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, |
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