29/03/2026 - Matthew Destry

Big idea: Jesus is Lord, but not the kind of Lord the crowd wants. Following Him means moving from crowd enthusiasm to costly allegiance.

John 12:12–19 (ESV)

The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just 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 had been written about him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.

So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

Exegesis: the hinge of John 12

This moment does three things at once:

1. it reveals Jesus as King
2. it exposes the misunderstanding of the crowd
3. it sets in motion the events of the cross

1: the kind of king they wanted

• What kind of Jesus have I constructed in my imagination?
• Where have I subtly asked Jesus to serve my agenda rather than submit to His?

2: the instability of the crowd

For new believers:

• It’s normal to feel the excitement. But don’t build your faith on feelings alone.

For mature saints:

• Where have I allowed disappointment to quietly distance me from Jesus?
• Have I drifted into a faith that is present… but no longer surrendered?

3: discipleship beyond the crowd

• Am I following Jesus… or using Him?
• Am I loyal to Christ… or to what I hoped He would do for me?
• If He doesn’t meet my expectations… will I still follow?

Admiration is easy. Obedience is costly.

“Look, the world has gone after him.”

They say it in frustration… but it becomes the mission of the Church.