John 12 Round Two: Jesus Knows How to Make an Entrance

A king on a donkey, a jar shattered at his feet, and a voice that sounds like thunder to some and clarity to others—John 12 is where momentum turns and meaning deepens. We trace the arc from a feast in Bethany to a crowded Jerusalem street and discover why glory in God’s kingdom often looks like humility, surrender, and a cross that draws the world. With Lazarus alive at the table and Mary pouring out a year’s wages, the contrast between fearful control and fearless devotion becomes impossible to ignore.

We unpack the Triumphal Entry as deliberate fulfillment of prophecy, not a spontaneous moment. The palm branches and Psalm 118 chant frame Jesus as the promised King, yet he chooses a donkey to signal peace over spectacle. When Greeks arrive asking to see him, the tone shifts: the hour has come. Jesus names the path ahead with a seed metaphor—life through death, fruit through surrender—and then the heavens answer. Some hear thunder. Others hear the Father. Either way, the message lands: the ruler of this world is judged, and the Son of Man will be lifted up to draw all people.

From there the challenge becomes personal. Will we walk in the light while we have it, or cling to praise from people and miss the praise of God? John notes leaders who believed yet stayed silent, a mirror for anyone tempted to keep faith private to avoid risk. We reflect on Jesus’ mission to save rather than condemn, his obedience to the Father’s words, and the hope that eternal life is found in trusting him. If you’re wrestling with what “costly” looks like today—time, attention, reputation—this conversation offers a way to measure value by the kingdom’s scale, where devotion is not waste but wisdom.

If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can discover the hope and challenge of John’s Gospel. What part of John 12 stirred you most—Mary’s gift, the donkey, or the voice from heaven?

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The More We Dig. The More We Find.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT).
Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Community Invitations
• 1:45 Setting The Stage For Passover
• 2:25 Mary’s Anointing And Judas’s Objection
• 4:40 Plot Against Lazarus
• 5:35 Triumphal Entry And Prophecy
• 8:05 Greeks Seek Jesus And His Hour
• 10:20 Voice From Heaven And The Cross
• 12:10 Walk In The Light While You Can

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Welcome to the Bible Breakdown Podcast. Every day, we take one chapter of the Bible, dig deeper, and discover that the more we dig, the more we find. You can find out more at the Biblebreakdown.com. Now let's grow in God's Word together. Well, hello, and welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, Pastor Brandon, and today's John chapter 12. Today is one of those days that Jesus does more than we realize in this moment. And if I were to give a title to today's chapter, it would be The End Begins. The End Begins. And I'm going to tell you something. It's going to be great. And before we get into that, make sure you're subscribing to this podcast. Make sure you're liking, sharing, and subscribing our YouTube channel. And make sure you are going to our discussion, Bible breakdown discussion on Facebook. And let us know what you are getting from this. Make sure you are soaping through this scripture, observation, application, and prayer as we grow and we create this community that we just surround ourselves with people who are reading God's Word every day. And I'm going to tell you something, the more we dig, the more we find. And I want you to do me a favor. I want you to go to my blog, brandoncannon.com. And right there on the front page, you can sign up for a weekly newsletter I'm doing. And I'm in the process of trying to resource you with things just to help you enrich your Bible reading and help you just navigate this world we're living in. And just what it is, is stuff I come across every week. I just send it out there to you and hope it adds value to your life. Now, we're going to jump into this today. And there's so many amazing things happening in this chapter. And so we're just going to walk through this together and just kind of just gush about the goodness of God. All right. If you have your Bibles with me, I'm going to open up to John chapter 12, your NLT Bibles. We're going to jump right into this and we'll stop along the way and just hopefully maybe add some insight to this. You ready? Here we go. John chapter 12, verse 1. Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany at the home of Lazarus, the man that had been raised from the dead. Now pause. It says, six days before the Passover, Jesus is going to be crucified just before the Passover. They're going to have the Last Supper is the Passover meal. And so right there during that time, you know, the next day, so during the Passover festival, should I say, is when Jesus is going to be crucified. So we're entering into, that's why we called it the end, the beginning of the end, or the end begins, is because this is where the final week of Jesus' earthly life begins. He's at the home of Lazarus, and they get ready to party. But here we go, verse 2. The dinner was prepared in Jesus' honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. Then Mary took a 12-ounce jar of expensive perfume made out of essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus' feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with fragrance. But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, That perfume was worth a year's wages. It should be sold and the money given to the poor. Not that he cared about the poor. He was a thief. And since he was in charge of disciples' money, he often stole some for himself. Can we just pause and just take that in? I want to try to find a way to give Judas the jerk just a little bit of room. But this idiot was stealing money from Jesus. But how about the same time? Jesus knew him and didn't throw him away. I mean, say law on all of that stuff. Okay, here we go. Jesus replied, verse 7, Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. You always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. When all the people heard of Jesus' arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man that Jesus had raised from the dead. Then the leading priest decided to kill Lazarus too, for it was because of him that many people had deserted them and believed in Jesus. So how by the way, we're going to kill the man that Jesus brought back to life. Think about that for a minute. But what just got through happening is Mary was so happy and she was so thankful for what Jesus had done, and she took something expensive and she worshipped Jesus by anointing his feet. Now, what's amazing about that is many times throughout many cultures, before a king was crowned, there would be a coronation process where there would be times when they would be given gifts and they would be honored as the king was getting ready to step into his throne. And that's what Jesus is saying is I, as the king, am getting ready to take my throne. And so she is just celebrating me in preparation for what I'm about to do. And then what he's about to do next is deceptively, to our Western eyes, phenomenal. So let's read this, verse 12. The next day the news that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem swept through the city, and a large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down to the road to meet him, and they shouted, Praise God, blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hail to the king of Israel. By the way, that is a psalm, Psalm 118. Jesus found a young donkey and wrote on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said, Don't be afraid, people of Jerusalem. Look, your king is coming, riding on a donkey's colt. His disciples didn't understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and they realized that these things had been written about him. Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, rising him from the dead, and they were filled, and they were telling others about it. That was the reason so many went out to meet him, because they had heard about his miraculous signs. Then the Pharisees said to each other, There is nothing we can do. Look, everyone has gone after him. Now, what was so significant about this moment? Well, first of all, this would have been just crazy crowd. Like Jerusalem during that time, let's say 50,000, 75,000 people, which is a big town at the time. During a fest a festival like Passover, which was a high holy day for the Jewish people, it would go from 50,000, 75,000 to swell to like 200,000. So it would be packed full of people. And then everybody comes in. And then here was the thing. Everybody knew one of the this widely used prophecies, that when the king comes, he will declare himself by showing his humility by riding through the gates of Jerusalem on a donkey. So when Jesus did this, he did this on purpose. Now the Bible says that the the disciples were so wrapped up in the moment that they forgot the prophecy. Here's the thing a lot of those people wouldn't have, because this was a prophecy that was to point to, you know, the dis the Messiah is come when he rides through town on a donkey. So Jesus was openly declaring himself at that moment to say, Yes, I am the one you've been waiting for. It's amazing. Verse 20. Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem in the Passover celebration said, uh paid a visit to Philip, who was from Besseda in Galilee, and they said, Sir, we want to meet Jesus. Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus. Jesus replied, Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels, a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, but my servants must be where I am. And the Father will I lost train of thought there, and the Father will honor anyone who serves me. Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray? Father, save me from this hour? But this is the reason I came. Father, bring glory to your name. Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again. When the crowd heard the voice, they thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him. But Jesus told them, The voice was for your benefit, not mine. The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out, and when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself. He said this to indicate how he was going to die. The crowds responded, We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the Son of Man will die? Who is this Son of Man anyway? Jesus replied, My light will shine for you just a little longer, and walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in darkness cannot see what they are doing. Put your trust in the light while there is still time. Then you will become children of the light. After saying these things, he went away and was hidden from them. So Jesus is telling them, I am the light, but my mission is so much bigger than yours. They were saying, I thought the Messiah would live forever. I wonder if Jesus is almost like, well, yeah, I mean, but I got something else I need to do first. So I'm gonna go do my thing, and then I'm gonna be back. And I love this about Jesus. Jesus knows. He keeps telling them, I'm about to die. I'm about to die. I'm a but here's the thing. So he knows he's gonna die. But listen to this, he doesn't stop moving forward. He has a date with death six days away, and he never stops moving forward. That's how much he loves you, that's how much he loves me. All right, let's finish this chapter, verse 37. But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe him. This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted. Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm? But the Lord, but the people couldn't believe, for Isaiah had also said, The Lord has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that their eyes cannot see, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and have me heal them. Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he said this because he saw the future and spoke of the Messiah's glory, and that many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders, but they wouldn't admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue, for they loved human praise more than the praise of God. Jesus shouted to the crowds, If you trust me, you are not trusting only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me, for I have come as a light to shine in the dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. I will not judge those who hear me but don't obey, for I have come to save the world, not to judge it. But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken. Don't I don't speak of my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. And I know his command leads to eternal life. So I say whatever the Father tells me to say. So I love this idea that Jesus is saying, I am coming with mercy. Receive what I am saying. He's not coming to judge the world at this point, he's coming to save the world. But it is our choice if we put our trust in him and obey him. So I would encourage you, let's choose him today, because the king is coming to his throne. Let's pray together and we'll be done for the day. Father, thank you so much for sending your son into this world. Jesus, thank you that from the foundation of the world you are God. And you came on a rescue mission. And God, what we are beginning to see is that the end is about to begin, but also we are just beginning. That God, you are doing amazing things. And as we're walking through this, I pray that we will experience the life that you want us to experience. And that by experiencing that life, Lord, we will have the power to walk after you every day of our lives. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Don't forget, John 20 says, These things are written that you may continue to believe that Jesus is Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him, you will have life by the power of his name. I hope you experience that life today. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for John chapter 13. It's gonna get crazy.