(REFLECTIONS ON John 12:1-19)

According to the Pharisees, “the world has gone after Him.” This was their concern, that they would lose grasp and hold of the Jewish religion. If the world has gone after Him, what would be left for them, what would be left of their political arrangements with the Romans? If the world has gone after Him, where would their power go?

In today’s Scripture, we also see Judas, the one that was intending to betray Jesus, and the thief that pilfered the money box. His betrayal of Jesus was premeditated, and it wasn’t just that one act that he was guilty for, but in him was greed, desire, and lust of the world.

The Pharisees and Judas were plotting against Jesus, yet because He raised Lazarus from the dead, the people continued to testify about Him. There is momentum building in both directions. Both those that were trying to kill Jesus and the one from His inner circle that would betray Him, and also those that were seeking Him out, coming to Him, and caused the Pharisees to fear that the world has gone after Him.

We also see in today’s Scripture, that it wasn’t just Jesus in danger, but the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death, “because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus.”

The world has gone after Him shows us a religious institution that is losing control. Because of this fear, they not only desired to get rid of Jesus, but also Lazarus, the living evidence of Jesus’ work. When fear, insecurity, and greed take hold of a hardened heart, they seek to destroy what God is doing rather than submit to it.

Yet we will soon see that many of those who had “gone after Him” were actually following their own expectations of the King of Israel rather than Jesus Himself. Their devotion lasted only as long as Jesus appeared to fit the king they wanted.

This reminds us that when we live out our faith in Christ, and not merely practice religion, opposition will come. This opposition will not only be against Christ, but also against those whose lives testify to His work.

Even today, there are those who, knowingly or unknowingly, betray Jesus. There are those who resist or undermine His work in order to protect religious structures and institutions. There are those who say they believe, but their belief lasts only as long as Jesus meets their expectations.

The world has gone after Him. The question for us is not simply whether we have “gone after Him,” but how we go after Him—whether as His enemies, through misplaced expectations, or as His disciples, in faith, submission, and humility.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: John 12