URC Daily Devotion Thursday 26th June 2025

St John 12: 12 – 19

The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting,

‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord —  the King of Israel!’

Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: ‘Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, 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 of him and had been done to him. So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him.  The Pharisees then said to one another, ‘You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!’

Reflection

Think about a time you have been part of a crowd.

I love going to festivals and have taken part in many a procession.  At Greenbelt, Sunday morning worship outdoors in a huge crowd of people is uplifting and meaningful, whatever the weather throws at us.  A packed church at any time of year with people singing joyful praise is a wonderful experience. Maybe you are more of a sports person, cheering on your team, sharing the emotions of winning or losing.  Or you like to attend big concerts, whatever your preferred music style – listening to classical or dancing in the aisle.

A crowd has a life of its own and individuals in it may lose inhibitions and act in a way that is different from their normal behaviour.  We see that at times if a demonstration or march becomes violent and disruptive.

The crowds around Jesus build up to a crescendo of praise in this reading, in a way we have not seen before in previous Gospel stories. But this is the same people who a few days later may be calling ‘Crucify!’.  Is there a difference between the crowd that had experienced Lazarus’ raising from the dead and the crowd that is in Jerusalem for the festival enjoying a procession with their palm branches?  It would be good to think that even people coming along for the ride experienced the Lord and were challenged to learn more about him.  For those who had followed him loyally for years, it was a memorable experience even if they did not understand it at the time, but it made sense later in the light of the resurrection.

With weekly worship, it’s all too easy to jump from Palm Sunday to Easter. Looking at the Passion Narrative in summer, perhaps we can identify with members of the crowd over the next series of readings.

Prayer

Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!
May the journey through the highs and lows
of the Jesus story touch us all
and lead us into the fullness of his love. 
Amen