Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of 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!"

Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:

"Fear not, daughter of Zion;

Behold, your King is coming,

Sitting on a donkey's colt!"

His disciples did not 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. Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!"

- John 12:9-19

In the previous reading, we read of Lazarus' resurrection. We know there were many witnesses from Jerusalem, who had come mourning Lazarus together with his sisters Martha and Mary. Jesus was moved by the sadness of Mary and the mourners, and we are told that "Jesus wept" also. But the miracle, the seventh and last sign of John's Gospel, is made all the more clear by His delay in coming to Martha and Mary after receiving word of Lazarus' illness. It is for the glory of God, that those who see might believe. In this powerful reading, we are given the Jesus who is both fully God - and the Presence of the Father with Him, and a very human Jesus who weeps with His friends. See Jesus Wept.

For today's reading, the lectionary skips a little bit and leads us into chapter 12. We miss the plotting of the chief priests and Pharisees at a meeting resulting from the resurrection of Lazarus -- such a powerful sign cannot be ignored. Caiaphas, acting as high priest, said to them all, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish." From that day on, the Gospel tells us, they plotted to put Jesus to death. So, Jesus would no longer walk openly among them but remained near the wilderness with His disciples. But it is now Passover -- and they await at the temple to see if He will come to the feast. A call is given out to report any sighting of Him to seize Him. Jesus returns to Bethany, to the home of His friends Lazarus, Martha and Mary, six days before Passover. There, Mary anoints Jesus' feet with costly fragrant oil, to the consternation of the disciples -- especially Judas, because it was so expensive and it could have been sold and the money distributed to the poor. But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."

Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus. We remember that many came from the temple in Jerusalem to mourn with Mary and Martha at Lazarus' death, and so were witnesses to his resurrection by Jesus. Clearly Lazarus had become an object of fascination for all -- but he is also a living symbol of Jesus' holy power, so he also must be done away with. Tradition holds that Lazarus later went with his sisters to Cyprus, where they founded a community of believers and he died a natural death.

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of 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!" Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey's colt!" Jesus' open procession into Jerusalem signals the end that will be coming. He knows the leadership plot to kill Him, especially after the resurrection of Lazarus which has created so many believers and was witnessed by so many from the temple. "Hosanna" means "save now" - my study bible says it is a liturgical shout. It is from Psalm 118:25. A note also reads: "Jesus' deliberate action of riding in on a donkey signifies He is the prophesied Messiah of peace (Zech. 9:9), for kings and military leaders rode on horses or in chariots. The Triumphal Entry marks a high point in Jesus' ministry as He brings His message to the Holy City and encounters the central authorities. This event is celebrated on Palm Sunday, an acclamation of the lordship of Christ as King of kings."

His disciples did not 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. Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!" So, after Lazarus' resurrection, the stage is set. So many witnesses had come from Jerusalem to mourn with the sisters of Lazarus that they have by now created a great following. Nothing can stop this momentum, and the leadership know it. They see themselves by now as firmly opposed to Jesus, even though we know there are and will be believers among the Pharisees and other classes of the leadership. (St. Paul, for example, declares himself to have been a Pharisee in another section of today's lectionary reading; see Phil. 3:5.) So the great conflict is set -- as Jesus comes openly to the Passover festival in the Triumphal Entry, which we celebrated yesterday as Palm Sunday.

Sometimes, we must ask ourselves why the intervention of great holiness into our world must be the occasion of tremendous conflict. I believe it teaches us something about ourselves and the condition of our world. Do we hold onto things we need not hold onto? Do we fail to prioritize even according to our own professed beliefs? Is not the holy, the great signs that Jesus has done, more important to the temple leadership than their positions or any political consideration of power? This is something we must ask ourselves in the context of our own lives and circumstances, so that we understand the pitfalls that await us in our own fears and personal deceptions. I cannot speak for anyone else, of course, but myself and my own nature in this regard. How often have I had to go down a road that made me afraid of loss, in the fear of what others think (or "the opinions of men") rather than what I felt God wanted me to do? The list is endless! As we read about the Triumphal Entry, let us remember our Lord and His courage. He feels with us, He understands our losses and pain, and yet He went boldly before us, to teach us and help us to get there, too. Shall we look to His example -- and that of so many others in these Gospels and beyond, and do the same?