Sunday 2nd April
Read John 12:17-19
“Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, ‘See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!’” (NIVUK)
Dismayed, disappointed or disgusted? It is not straightforward to work out exactly what the exasperated exclamation of the Pharisees means. For John though, it is clearly ironic. The Pharisees may indicate ‘everyone coming to Jerusalem’ by the world, but John hears the truth that ‘everyone in the world’ will go after Him. How can we know this? Because John later describes a scene where the whole world has done precisely that!
“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:
‘Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.’” (Revelation 7:9-10) (NIVUK)
The King in triumph, having won salvation, with the whole world cleansed and pure and waving palm branches in acknowledgement of the Lamb. It may not look like that in the days that follow Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem. The mood gets darker and darker and night closes in. But John hears in Pharisees words of dismay the truth that he will later see on Patmos. ‘The whole world has gone after him’ indeed…
