#DailyDevotion Which Crowd Are You In?

Joh 12:17-19  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.  (18)  The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.  (19)  So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

Now you see there were three crowds around Jesus when he went into Jerusalem that Palm Sunday. One crowd was with Jesus when he called Lazarus out of the tome and raised him from the dead. Now Jesus had raised and his disciples had raised people from the dead during his ministry. From the record we only hear of a couple that Jesus had raised from the dead. But Lazarus was a whole different ball game. The others were shortly after death. Their bodies had not started to decompose. Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days now. You might remember Mary and Martha, when Jesus had told them to open the tomb had stated Lazarus would have started to stink by that time. Jesus had raised Lazarus whole and complete. He reversed the decomposition. For Jesus is the resurrection and the life. If Jesus can raise a decomposing body from the dead whole, we can raise all the dead decomposed whole as well. Jesus is the Messiah. Now this crowd who had witnessed Jesus raising Lazarus, whole, from the dead were witnessing about this.

The second crowd were those who went out to see Jesus because they had heard he had done this sign. They may have heard about Jesus before. Jesus had done miracles in and around Jerusalem before. Some may have heard his teaching before. Some may have even seen and heard John the Baptist witness about Jesus. But raising a decomposing body from the dead, they had to see this Jesus. If it were true, certainly Jesus had to be the Messiah, the Holy One of God. Of course it was true. There were all these witnesses of Lazarus being dead and in the tomb for four days. They were all anticipating a Messiah and who else would be the Messiah than someone who raises the dead? It is not without cause they were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

Finally there was the crowd of the Pharisees. By this time their opposition to Jesus was full blown. They saw Jesus as a danger to the status quo. Not only that, but he were not the Messiah and he was claiming who he was but wasn’t he was committing the gravest blasphemy. He was claiming equality with God. Jesus was either the Messiah, or insane or possessed by the devil himself. Well they didn’t believe he was the Messiah. They had started to try to find ways to get an accusation against Jesus so they could hand him over to the governing authorities so they could get him crucified and out of the way. This entrance into Jerusalem really set them off as they said, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.” What they were doing was not working. They would have to bear false witness against him eventually to kill him.

Oh that the world had gone after Jesus! What about you? Do you believe the witness of the crowds that had seen Jesus risen from the dead? Jesus is most certainly risen from the dead and offers you the gift of eternal life. Call upon him and you will not be ashamed.

Gracious Father, you sent witnesses into the world proclaiming the resurrection to eternal life through Jesus. Grant us faith to trust in him, be witnesses of his life and be partakers of the resurrection of the righteous when he comes again in glory. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.