John 12:17

John 12:17, in plain English

The people who saw Lazarus raised from the dead just could not keep quiet about it. When you witness something that extraordinary, you have to tell someone.

Why it's here

This is the ripple effect of the Lazarus miracle, which happened just days earlier. The buzz around that event is a major reason the crowd turned out to welcome Jesus so enthusiastically.

Who's speaking

John describes the crowd of eyewitnesses who had been present when Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb.

Where it sits in the story

These were ordinary people who had seen the impossible: a man four days dead walking out of his grave. Their testimony was electric, and as Passover pilgrims flooded Jerusalem, the story spread to everyone willing to listen.

The scholarly reading

The crowd that witnessed the raising of Lazarus (John 11) continued bearing testimony (martyreō), spreading the report. This eyewitness testimony fueled public enthusiasm.

Language and setting

John links the triumphal entry directly to the Lazarus miracle, the seventh and climactic sign in John's Gospel. The ongoing testimony created a growing wave of public interest.

Voice

John narrates the actions of the crowd who had been present at Lazarus' tomb in Bethany.

Significance

Word of Lazarus being raised from the dead had spread like wildfire through Jerusalem as Passover pilgrims arrived. Those who had seen it firsthand could not stop talking about it, and their testimony drew even larger crowds to Jesus.

15“Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion. See, your King is coming, seated on the colt of a donkey.”

16At first His disciples did not understand these things, but after Jesus was glorified they remembered what had been done to Him, and they realized that these very things had also been written about Him.

17Meanwhile, many people who had been with Jesus when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify.

18That is also why the crowd went out to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign.

19Then the Pharisees said to one another, “You can see that this is doing you no good. Look how the whole world has gone after Him!”

Read all of John 12 — Mary anoints Jesus' feet with costly perfume, the crowds wave palm branches, and Jesus announces that his hour has finally arrived.