John 12:19
The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.
Spoken among themselves during the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the Pharisees admitted their efforts had failed as a great crowd welcomed Jesus as King and Messiah. The immediate cause was the raising of Lazarus, a public proof of power over death and the grave that drew many to believe and brought multitudes from the surrounding regions hoping to see Him. Thousands from the city and from the Passover gathering went forth to meet Him with palm branches, hosannas, and shouts of triumph echoing from hills and valleys, while the temple service stood nearly empty. By the world going after Him they meant the vast multitude turning toward Him and the wide attention He had drawn, not that every person had given Him allegiance, and they felt their own influence failing. Instead of accepting the evidence, they answered in jealousy and hatred with greater determination to seize and kill Him, yet His death did not silence His influence, and after His ascension multitudes still believed through the apostles despite every effort to stop them.
Context and Meaning
The words belong to the days just before betrayal and death, spoken by the Pharisees among themselves during the triumphal entry into Jerusalem when a great crowd welcomed Jesus as King and Messiah. Their alarm that the world had gone after Him reflected the large multitude following Him into the city and the wide public attention He had drawn. The rulers were alarmed that their efforts against Him had achieved nothing, as crowds from Jerusalem and from the Passover gathering welcomed Him.
The immediate background was the raising of Lazarus, a public miracle giving decisive evidence that Jesus was the Son of God with power over death and the grave. It deeply affected the people, drew many to believe, and brought many from the surrounding regions hoping to see Him. The growing following was reported to the rulers by spies, who said the world was going after Him.
The entry procession was joined by crowds from Jerusalem, while thousands from the great Passover gathering went forth to meet Jesus and conduct Him to the city. They greeted Him with waving palm branches, hosannas, sacred song, and repeated shouts of triumph echoing from the surrounding hills and valleys. The priests at the temple sounded the trumpet for evening service but few responded because the people had left.
By saying the world had gone after Him, the rulers meant the vast multitude turning toward Him, not that every person had given Him allegiance. The acclaim of the crowds and the few answering the temple call made them feel their own influence was failing. In saying they prevailed nothing, they admitted their efforts to stop Jesus and divert His hearers were failing. Scribes and Pharisees frequently interrupted to divert and confuse the hearers, tried to entangle Him in speech, and kept annoying Him hoping to make Him say something to accuse Him before the Roman authorities.
The crowds continually pressing around Him to hear, be healed, and be taught drew Him into incessant labor teaching the people, healing the sick, rebuking satanic agencies, and ministering to both soul and body. His compassion for the sick and for the needs of those flocking to Him made it seem impossible to withhold help. The press left Him no respite and exhausted His physical powers until His face was pale and His countenance wearied. Friends and relations therefore begged Him to hide Himself for a time.
Rulers' Reaction and Aftermath
The rulers saw His growing influence and in jealousy and hatred admitted their efforts against Him were achieving nothing because the crowds were turning to Him on account of His works and teaching, and they responded with greater determination to destroy Him, to get rid of Him, to seize and kill Him, leading to His condemnation. They tried to intimidate the acclaiming crowd and to portray Him as a rebel claiming kingship when they saw His popular support as so widespread that they called it the world going after Him. They set spies to find grounds for accusing Him because He seemed to draw the world after Him and alarmed leaders who wanted to silence Him, but He knew their hearts and exposed the hypocrisy and wrongdoing of those in high positions through parables, expressing cutting truths by imagery rather than direct denunciation so the spies found no grounds for a case while honest listeners saw the truth clearly.
The report that the world was going after Him followed the raising of Lazarus, a public miracle that gave decisive evidence that He was the Son of God with power over death and the grave. Rather than accept this evidence, the Pharisees recognized He was gaining wide support and that their efforts to stop His influence had failed, yet grew more hostile and pursued their plan to kill Him. Rejecting that proof left hearts in darkness and under Satan's power, leading toward ruin.
His death did not silence His influence, for the Pharisees had recognized that their efforts against Him had failed and that people were turning to Him in great numbers, and news of His life and mission spread far and near and people came from far and near to hear about Him. His compassion for the sick stood in sharp contrast to the harshness of the priests and rulers, and the public response to His death made the injustice of their treatment of Him more widely known. The same fear of the priests and rulers that the whole world would believe on Him continued after His ascension, when multitudes came to hear the apostles and were healed through His name and heard Him exalted as the Prince of life. The leaders were frantic in opposition lest the whole world would soon believe on Him and accuse them of murdering the Mighty Healer, and the greater their efforts to stop the excitement the more people believed on Him and turned from the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees, until in indignation they laid hands on Peter and John.
It is truly said of a professing believer that the world has gone after Christ only when his life itself is a confession of Christ, since right profession alone is not enough. There must be humility and love, meekness and devotion, making daily life an expression of Christ abiding in the soul.