John Chapter 12 - Commentary

1-11 Jesus Dines with Mary, Martha and Lazarus

[1] Six days before the Passover

The 9^th of Nisan and a Sabbath day, Saturday afternoon on our calendar. It was permissible to travel up to two miles on a Sabbath. He was apparently coming from Ephraim about 12 miles north of Jerusalem, and may have traveled Friday until sundown when Sabbath begins.

[2] Supper – in the evening

ipe'-non the chief meal (usually in the evening): - feast, supper

This likely would be Sunday on the Jewish calendar, 10 Nisan, which is Saturday night, now the 5^th day before the Passover inclusive.

12-16 Jesus is Presented as the King of the Jews

[12] Palm Sunday

This was the 10^th of Nisan, Sunday morning, when the Priests go out the north gate in a grand procession, with priests waving palm and date fronds in front of the High Priest. They are going to Bethlehem to select the perfect lamb from the sheep folds for the sacrifice on Passover for the nation. Each household was to present to the Priests their Lamb, then take them home and keep them until after sundown on 14 Nisan, at which time they would kill the lamb and roast it all night – this commemorated the “passing over” of the Angel of Death in Egypt. They would then consuming it “between the sundowns” – meaning before sundown the following day, which would then mark the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a high sabbath on the 15^th of Nisan.

[13] The Royal Procession

This is Psalm 118 being quoted – notice the Messianic message, as Jesus rides through the East gate as a king. Hosanna can be rendered ”save us now!”.

²⁰This is the gate of the LORD, Through which the righteous shall enter. ²¹I will praise You, For You have answered me, And have become my salvation. ²²The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. ²³This was the LORD’S doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. ²⁴This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. ²⁵Save now, I pray, O LORD; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity. ²⁶Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD. ²⁷God is the LORD, And He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.

The reference to LORD is YHWH or “Yaweh”. This “disrupts” the procession of the High Priest, returning from Bethlehem to the temple.

[15] The King is Presented and Prophecy Fulfilled!

The Pharisee’s fumed that the procession through the gate had been ‘disrupted’ by the entrance of Jesus, and His presentation to the chief priests as the perfect lamb was totally overlooked by them, but perfectly fulfilled the prophecy to the hour.

Matthew’s account in chapter 21:1-4 and Zechariah’s prophecy fulfilled….

⁴All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, [Zechariah 9] saying: ⁵ “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

Luke 3:1 indicates Jesus started His ministry the 15^th year of Tiberius’ reign which was 29 AD. Passover three years later – the 14^th of Nisan -- was April 10^th 32 AD. That places the Triumphant Entry of Jesus, presented a the King of the Jews on April 6, 32 AD.

What is the significance of this date? It is the ONLY possible date Jesus could have fulfilled the both the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 and the prophecy of Daniel 9:

²⁴“Seventy weeks [of years] are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. ²⁵“Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. ²⁶“And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.

First, the Messiah is presented at the appointed time, to the exact day, and then judgment is pronounced on Jerusalem for the Jewish leadership’s rejection of His sovereignty.

Artaxerxes Longimanus decreed on 14 March, 445 BC (Nehemiah 2:5-8) that the walls of Jerusalem would be rebuilt. Prophecy always follows a 360 day year. So the math:

69 weeks of years = 69 x 7 = 483 years.

These years are 360 days, so 483 x 360 = 173,880 days

(This is about 476 years 4 months in “normal” 365 day years).

Taking the 173,880 days...

From March 14, 445 B.C. to March 13th, 32 A.D. is 173,740 days.

Account for 116 leap years, and no “year zero”, and you are left with 24 days.

Add 24 days to March 13 = April 6, 32 A.D.

This is Sunday, the 10th of Nisan! The Hour of Your Visitation!

Luke’s account in Chapter 19:

⁴¹Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, ⁴²saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. ⁴³For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, ⁴⁴and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation

17-19 Jesus Argues with the Pharisees

[19] The Priest’s ceremony is “disrupted”…

They try to stop Him, but “the stones would cry out”.

Luke’s account in Chapter 19:29-38

³⁹And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” ⁴⁰But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

Then Jesus reveals their hypocrisy, and cleanses the temple again.

Matthew’s account in chapter 21:10-12

¹²Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. ¹³And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”

Luke’s account in Chapter 19:45-46

.” ⁴⁵Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, ⁴⁶saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”

The Pharisee’s fumed that the procession through the gate had been ‘disrupted’ by the entrance of Jesus, and His presentation to the chief priests as the perfect lamb presented to them for inspection was totally overlooked by them, but fulfilled the prophecy to the day.

20-50 Jesus Reveals His Purpose

[20] Even the Gentile world acknowledges Jesus the King

Interesting point is that Gentiles recognized the Messiah at His birth (the Magi) and His death (the Roman guards).

[24] Jesus foretells His sacrifice

[31] The ruler of this world is judged

[36] The End of Jesus’ Public Ministry

This marks the end of Jesus’ public appeals, and He goes into seclusion. From this point forward, Jesus is seen privately with His believers and His scoffers. A decision has been made by those around Him – smoldering anger has erupted into murderous rage, timid faith is tested and the truth of the prophecies of Messiah are revealed.

[38] Jesus crucifixion foretold in Isaiah 53

[40] Israel is formally ‘blinded’ for their rejection as foretold in Isaiah 6.

This destroys the “Deutero-Isaiah” hypothesis of some liberal theologians.

[48] Those who reject Christ (the Light of the World) have judged themselves.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.