Scripture to Read: John 12:17–19
The crowd that welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem knew how powerful He was. We read in John 12:17–19, So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. 18 For this reason also the people went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him.” These were the people who saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead. The problem was that they were all still clueless that He was God in the flesh. So, though the crowd praised Him, their hearts were totally focused on an earthly kingdom, not a heavenly one; for many people, that is still true today. People spend most of their time and energy seeking to build upon their earthly wealth and possessions while missing Christ and all He has to offer them. God even used Paul to write this prayer, not just for the believers in Ephesus but for all believers then, through the ages, and now. God had Paul record in Ephesians 1:18–19, I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. God does not want us to miss all we have in and through Him.
Challenge & Application
• What was the crowd seeking from Jesus, and what were they missing?
• What does God want us to see and focus on each day, and why?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!