This is part of a year-long series. Learn more about this series here.

Jesus’ Triumphal Entry Into Jerusalem (John 12:12-19)

“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.””

Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem is recorded in all four Gospels, but John’s account of this event is unique because his build up to it is unique. The Triumphal Entry in John’s Gospel is closely tied to the resurrection of Lazarus (ch.11), a story that only John records. Let’s follow this thread.

Jesus resurrects His friend Lazarus after he had been dead four days (John 11:1-44). Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, were from the town of Bethany, which was close to Jerusalem. Many Jews, therefore, went to Bethany in order to grieve with Mary and Martha (John 11:18-19). After witnessing the resurrection of Lazarus, many of these Jews believed in Jesus (John 11:45).

Jump down to ch. 12. Jesus and His disciples are making their way to Jerusalem for the Passover festival, and they stop in Bethany to visit Mary, Martha, and Lazarus (John 12:1). Upon hearing that Jesus was in Bethany, many Jews traveled the short distance from Jerusalem to Bethany in order to see Him and Lazarus (John 12:9).

The Triumphal Entry happened the following day. We are told “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!”” (John 12:12-13, italics added).

We are also told that the crowd who witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus was testifying about Him, and many people came to see Him because hey heard of this miracle (John 12:17-18).

So, Lazarus’ resurrection and Jesus’ Triumphal Entry are so closely linked in the Gospel of John that the former, in part, gives rise to the latter. John wants his readers to understand that Jesus’ resurrection of Lazarus caused people to think of Him as “he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the king of Israel” (John 12:13).