Why did the crowd meet Jesus in John 12:18? Text of John 12:18 “18 That is also why the crowd went out to meet Him—because they heard that He had performed this sign.” The Immediate Cause: News of Lazarus’ Resurrection Only days earlier, Jesus had stood outside the tomb at Bethany and cried, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43-44). Scores of eyewitnesses saw a man four days dead walk out alive; those witnesses “continued to testify” (John 12:17). Word reached Jerusalem quickly—less than two miles away—so the crowd poured out of the city to see the miracle-worker for themselves. The Greek perfect tense in “ἤκουσαν” (ēkousan, “they had heard”) indicates an ongoing buzz; the report had not died down. Festival Setting: Passover Pilgrims Swell Jerusalem Josephus records Passover crowds in the hundreds of thousands, even topping two million. Pilgrims camping on the Mount of Olives and surrounding villages already felt heightened messianic hope. When Jesus approached riding a colt, the population density, holiday fervor, and close proximity to Bethany combined to produce a massive, expectant multitude. Prophetic Expectation Triggered The sign of raising the dead matched messianic prophecies: • Isaiah 35:5-6 foresaw the opening of eyes and ears and the leaping of the lame. • Isaiah 26:19 promised that “your dead will live.” • Zechariah 9:9 anticipated the King arriving “lowly and riding on a donkey.” The crowd’s cry “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (John 12:13; cf. Psalm 118:25-26) shows conscious citation of Scripture. Second-Temple text 4Q521 from Qumran links the Messiah with “raising the dead,” a concept fresh in popular expectation. Sociopolitical Longings Under Roman occupation Jews yearned for deliverance. A miracle-working Son of David seemed the perfect liberator (cf. John 6:15). Thus, many came with political hopes mixed with genuine faith, curiosity, and a desire for national renewal. Literary and Theological Function in John’s Gospel John frames Lazarus’ resurrection as the climactic “semeion” (“sign”) that forces public decision. The crowd’s meeting Jesus fulfills his statement, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself” (John 12:32). This magnetism begins here; those who come must choose between belief and rejection (12:37-43). Practical and Devotional Application The crowd hurried out because they had heard of life restored. Today the greater sign—Christ’s own resurrection—summons every reader. “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies” (John 11:25). The only fitting response is to seek Him not merely for spectacle but for salvation and to join the eternal chorus that glorifies God. |
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