Quotes

Oscar Wilde (1891):
“Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.”

Richard Baxter (1673):
“He that is most in love with self is furthest from the love of God.”

Thomas à Kempis (1427):
“He who thinks only of himself and his own affairs is truly self-centered and does not stand in the grace of God.”

Gregory the Great (595):
“The more the proud man exalts himself above others, the more he is severed from Him who is above all.”

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Related Passages

John 11:21, 32
“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

John 11:37
“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

John 12:1
“It was six days before the Passover.”

John 12:9
“When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.”

John 12:12
“The next day, the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.”

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Historical Reference

Josephus – Passover (A.D. 67): 2.7 million people

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John 12:13
“So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out,
‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’”

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Scripture References

• Leviticus 23:40

• Nehemiah 8:15

• 2 Maccabees 10:7–9

“Therefore bearing ivy-wreathed wands and beautiful branches and also fronds of palm, they offered hymns of thanksgiving to him who had given success to the purifying of his own holy place.
8 They decreed by public ordinance and vote that the whole nation of the Jews should observe these days every year.
9 Such then was the end of Antiochus, who was called Epiphanes.”

• Luke 23:2

• Psalm 118:25–26

• Zechariah 9:9

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John 12:14–15
“And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
15 ‘Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!’”

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a. The Disciples

John 12:16
“His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.”

John 6:14–15

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b. The Crowds

John 12:17–18
“The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness.
18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was because they heard he had done this sign.”

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c. The Pharisees

John 12:19
“So the Pharisees said to one another, ‘You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.’”

“world,” Gk. κόσμος (kosmos): lit. “the world”

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TAKEAWAYS

1. Sometimes, I can’t make sense of what God is doing in my life.

2. Sometimes, I’m more interested in what God can do for my plans than I am pursuing His.

3. Jesus’ faithfulness is never contingent on my obedience.