Church Fathers Commentary John 12:12-19

"On the morrow a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried out, Hosanna: Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel. And Jesus, having 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. These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him. The multitude therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb, and raised him from the dead, bare witness. For this cause also the multitude went and met him, for that they heard that he had done this sign. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Behold how ye prevail nothing: lo, the world is gone after him." — John 12:12-19 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: The Law commanded that on the tenth day of the first month a lamb or a young goat should be kept in the house until the fourteenth day of the same month, on which evening it was sacrificed. In accordance with this law, the Chosen Lamb, the Lamb without blemish, went up to Jerusalem five days beforehand—that is, on the tenth day—to be sacrificed for the sanctification of the people.

St. Augustine of Hippo: See how great was the fruit of His preaching and how large a flock of the lost sheep of the house of Israel heard the voice of their Shepherd. On the next day, a large crowd that had come to the feast, hearing that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees. The palm branches are songs of praise, signifying the victory our Lord was about to win over death by His own death, and His triumph over the devil, the prince of death, by the trophy of the cross.

St. John Chrysostom: They showed at last that they considered Him greater than a prophet. They went out to meet Him and cried, “Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel, who comes in the name of the Lord.”

St. Augustine of Hippo: Hosanna is a simple exclamation, indicating an emotional state rather than having any specific meaning, much like many interjections we have in Latin.

The Venerable Bede: It is a compound of two Hebrew words: “Hosi,” which is a shortened form of “save,” and “Anna,” which is a simple, complete exclamation. “Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord.” The name of the Lord here is the name of God the Father, though we could also understand it as Christ’s own name, since He too is the Lord. But the first meaning aligns better with the text, “I have come in My Father’s name.” He does not lose His divinity when He teaches us humility.

St. John Chrysostom: More than anything, this is what made people believe in Christ: the assurance that He was not opposed to God, that He came from the Father. The words show us the divinity of Christ. “Hosanna” means “Save us,” and salvation in Scripture is attributed to God alone. It says He “comes,” not that He “is brought”; the former is fitting for a lord, the latter for a servant. The phrase “in the name of the Lord” proves the same point. He does not come in the name of a servant, but in the name of the Lord.

St. Augustine of Hippo: It would be a small thing for the eternal King to be made a human king. Christ was not the King of Israel in order to demand tribute and command armies, but to direct souls and bring them to the kingdom of heaven. For Christ to be King of Israel, then, was a condescension, not an elevation; a sign of His pity, not an increase of His power. For He who was called the King of the Jews on earth is the King of Angels in heaven.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The Jews, when they called Him King of Israel, were dreaming of an earthly king. They expected a king of more than human greatness to arise, one who would deliver them from the rule of the Romans. But how did our Lord come? The next words tell us: “And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon.”

St. Augustine of Hippo: John relates the matter briefly; the other Evangelists are more detailed. The donkey, we read in their accounts, was the foal of a donkey on which no one had ever sat; this represents the Gentile world, which had not received our Lord. The other donkey that was brought (not the foal, for there were two) represents the believing Jew.

St. John Chrysostom: He did this prophetically, to represent the unclean Gentiles being brought into subjection to the Gospel, and also as a fulfillment of prophecy.

St. Augustine of Hippo: This act of our Lord is pointed to in the Prophets, though the malicious rulers of the Jews did not see in it any fulfillment of prophecy: As it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

Yes, in that nation, though rejected and blind, there still remained the daughter of Zion—that is, Jerusalem. To her it is said, “Fear not; acknowledge Him whom you praise, and do not tremble when He suffers. It is that blood which will wipe away your sins and redeem your life.”

St. John Chrysostom: Or, to put it another way: whereas they had wicked kings who subjected them to wars, He said to them, “Trust Me, I am not like them, but gentle and mild.” He showed this by the manner of His entrance, for He did not enter at the head of an army, but simply riding on a donkey.

And observe the wisdom of the Evangelist, who is not ashamed to confess his ignorance at the time of what these things meant: “These things his disciples did not understand at first, but when Jesus was glorified…”

St. Augustine of Hippo: That is, when He showed the power of His resurrection, they remembered that these things were written about Him, and that they had done to Him the very things that were written about Him.

St. John Chrysostom: Our Lord had not yet revealed these things to them. Indeed, it would have been a scandal to them if they had known He was the King at the time of His suffering. Nor would they have understood the nature of His kingdom, but would have mistaken it for a temporal one.

Theophylact of Ohrid: See, then, the consequences of our Lord’s passion. It was not without purpose that He had reserved His greatest miracle for last, for it was the resurrection of Lazarus that made the crowd believe in Him. The people therefore who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his grave and raised him from the dead, bore witness. For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this miracle.

This explains the spite and plotting of the Pharisees, who therefore said among themselves, “Do you see how you are accomplishing nothing? Look, the world has gone after Him!”

St. Augustine of Hippo: The crowd was stirred up by the crowd. But why begrudge that blind crowd, that the world should go after Him, by whom the world was made?

St. John Chrysostom: Here, “the world” means the crowd. This seems to be the speech of that group who were sound in their faith but did not dare to profess it. They try to deter the others by exposing the insurmountable difficulties they would have to face.

Theophylact of Ohrid: It is as if they said, “The more you attack Him, the more His power and reputation will increase. What use, then, are these attempts?”