“Behold, thy King” John 12.15 “We would see Jesus” John 12.21

by Alan Summers, Scotland

“On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet Him, and cried, ‘Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.’ And Jesus, when He had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, ‘Fear not, daughter of Zion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.’” Jn.12.12-15.

“And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: the same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, ‘Sir, we would see Jesus.’” Jn.12.20,21.

The idea of ‘beholding’ or ‘seeing’ Jesus, as this book shows, is a prominent feature of John’s Gospel. In John chapter 12 there are two references to seeing the Lord Jesus. In John’s account of the arrival of the Lord Jesus in Jerusalem he quotes Zechariah the prophet: “Behold, thy King cometh” v.15. Later, after the tumult surrounding Jesus’ entry has died down, certain Greeks approach Philip and say, “Sir, we would see Jesus” v.21.

Before looking at these verses in detail it is worth noticing that the ‘looks’ are by no means identical. The table below sets out the contrasts.

“Behold, thy King.”

The Lord’s arrival in Jerusalem is one of a handful of events that are mentioned in all four Gospels. While Matthew, Mark and Luke usually ‘shadow’ one another, John’s Gospel consists largely of material that is unique to him. Why John is so different from the ‘Synoptic’ writers is a large subject that we cannot enter upon here. Why all four writers cover the triumphal entry is, however, easier to determine:

Firstly, Jesus usually walked (although He occasionally sailed in a ship). This is the only recorded time he takes a ride on an animal. Secondly, His arrival in Jerusalem was greeted with wild enthusiasm. Jerusalem had hitherto given the Lord a cool reception, so the welcome He received was unusual. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly of all, the way in which He rode into Jerusalem was the fulfilment of a Messianic prophecy, written by Zechariah: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass” Zech.9.9.

John does not quote the full prophecy but instead supplies a summary of Zechariah’s words. “Fear not, daughter of Zion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt” Jn.12.15.

John’s rendering of the prophecy calls on the city to “fear not”. The Masoretic Text (on which the Authorised Version of the Old Testament is based) of Zech.9.9 says, “Rejoice”. Rejoicing and the absence of fear are connected states of mind. The crowd that day was certainly in an ecstatic mood and evidently had no reason to fear the Lord Jesus. Since an absence of fear is a concomitant of rejoicing, John may have wished to emphasise their lack of fear. Perhaps John felt Jerusalem should have feared the arrival of its Messiah given its treatment of Jesus and so he emphasises Jesus as arriving in a peaceful manner. The “daughter of Zion” is a figure of speech used in the Old Testament to represent Jerusalem. The third part of the prophecy that John retains is the key part: Jesus rode on a donkey. In Old Testament times, if a king came in peace, he would ride on a donkey instead of on a war stallion. Christ arrived on a young donkey. The ‘message’ could not have been clearer: He was Israel’s King and He had come in peace.

“No Roman soldier in the garrison of Jerusalem who (standing at his post or sitting in his barrack window) saw our Lord riding on an ass, could report to his centurion that He looked like one who came to wrest the kingdom of Judea out of the hand of the Romans, drive out Pontius Pilate and his legions from the tower of Antonia, and achieve independence for the Jews with the sword!”¹

¹ Ryle, J.C. “Expository Thoughts on the Gospels. John, Volume 2”. Banner of Truth, 2012.

Some suggest that this prophecy will also be fulfilled at His second coming in power and glory.² It is true that the subsequent verses in Zechariah’s prophecy relate to His coming in glory, but it seems clear that Zech.9.9 relates to the events of AD 33. When He comes in glory to rule He will ride on a white horse, Rev.19.11. Nothing in Zech.9.9 was unfulfilled, so there is no reason to posit a double fulfilment. I accept, however, that the verses that follow Zech.9.9 relate to the second coming in glory.

² Lindsey, F. Duane “Zechariah” in “The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Volume 1”. Victor Books, 1985.

“Behold”

The word “behold” is an instruction and invites Israel to look at its King. The indications are that Israel did look. On that day it drew the correct conclusion. The people of Jerusalem greeted Him with palm branches, the ancient symbol of victory. It seems Jerusalem recognised its Messiah. Although John does not explain why their enthusiasm fizzled out, it seems likely that after He entered Jerusalem nothing happened! No rebellion began. The Lord did not challenge Pilate or Herod. The Gospel writers do not explain why the crowds that greeted the Lord turned against Him five days later, but the likely explanation is that He had disappointed their expectations.

The command to “behold” emphasises the point that ‘looking’ at as well as listening to the Lord Jesus is important. What Jesus did was as important as what He said. Sadly, Israel ‘looked away’. We must not make the same mistake!

“Sir, we would see Jesus.”

This is one of the most famous requests in the Bible. It is used regularly to express the desire of the Christian to ‘see’ Jesus. In other words, it expresses a desire to learn more about the Lord and to experience His presence.

When these words were first uttered, however, they expressed a different desire. The Greeks who spoke these words wanted a face-to-face meeting with the Lord. After all, He was in Jerusalem and so were they. They tracked down Philip and asked him if he would put their request to Christ.

We can conjecture that they approached Philip because he had a Greek name. Perhaps they thought he was also Greek and would be sympathetic to their request? We can infer that they wanted to see Him for good reasons. John says that they had come to the Passover in Jerusalem to worship. This indicates that they were attracted by the religion of the Old Testament and Judaism. If so, they may have been interested in Jesus’ teaching. We can also conjecture that the events of recent days had stirred their interest. After all, Lazarus had recently been raised from the dead and a crowd had met to greet Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem. Whatever their position they took the initiative and sought Jesus.

John tells us that Philip sought advice from Andrew. He obviously was unsure whether he should grant their request. Perhaps he feared a trap. Although it is certain that Philip knew where the Lord Jesus could be found, he obviously did not think he should simply lead them to the Lord. Some think that Jesus was present when the request was made and the Greeks’ request was for a private audience, but it is simpler to take the words “we would see Jesus” at face value and accept that they wanted to see Him. Philip and Andrew then asked Jesus whether He wished to meet the Greeks.

There is no record of the Lord’s answer to the Greeks’ request. Nor do we know whether these Greeks ever saw Jesus. What their request provoked was a disclosure from the Lord Jesus that His “hour [had] come” v.23. I do not think it is a coincidence that this prophecy of His death occurred after the Jews had failed to enthrone Him, and Gentiles requested to see Him. These Greeks were a harbinger of a time when Israel would be set aside and the Gentiles would come into blessing.

“It seems as if Jesus ignores these Greek seekers entirely, but His response provides the core of the salvation for which they are searching. He is telling the world how to find God’s salvation, and the coming of these Greeks seems to stimulate this final response. Previously we have been told the authorities could not arrest Jesus because ‘his hour had not yet come’ (7.30; 8.20). Now His hour of destiny has arrived.’’³

³ Osborne, Grant R. “John: Verse by Verse” in “Osborne New Testament Commentaries”. Lexham Press, 2018.

When Jesus stood a few days later in the judgment hall and faced Calvary He knew that while His own nation had hidden its face from Him, Isa.53.3, many people from the Gentile world would ‘look and live’ Isa.45.22.

We are among the great throng of Gentiles who have been privileged to “see Jesus” because of His death on the cross.

CONCLUSION

This chapter contains two looks at Christ. One brought judgment to Israel and the other brought blessing to the nations. May we too look “unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” Heb.12.2.