July 29, 2023
Genuine and False Messiahs
“On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast...’” John 12:12a (NASB)
False messiahs are a part of history. MacArthur shares a few: “About AD 44 Theudas (not the same mentioned in Act 5:36) promised his followers that he would part the Jordan River. But before he was able to do so, Roman troops attacked and massacred many of his followers. The Egyptian for whom Paul was mistaken (Acts 21:38) had boasted that he would command the walls of Jerusalem to fall down. But like Theudas, his plans were also foiled by Romans soldiers. Although the Egyptian managed to escape his attackers, several hundred of his followers were killed or captured (Josephus, Antiquities 20.8.6; Wars of the Jews). In the second century, Simon Bar Cochba (“son of a star”; cf. Num. 24:17), who was identified as the messiah by the leading rabbi of the time, led a major Jewish uprising against Rome, conquering Jerusalem for three years, where he was called king and messiah. The Romans crushed the rebellion, retook Jerusalem, and massacred Bar Cochba and five to six hundred thousand of his followers...”[1] During this part of scripture, we see the event commonly known as the triumphal entry of Jesus, as the Messiah. By arriving in Jerusalem, the chain of events sped the timetable up, leading to Jesus’ death. Jesus timetable was perfect in His Father’s will.
“On the next day...” Scholars are in much debate about the day of the week here. “It is extremely difficult to determine which precise day of the week is meant by On the next day, and scholars make a variety of suggestions. The previous temporal reference has been to the day of the anointing, and this is said to have been six days before the Passover (cf. 12:1). The Fourth Gospel appears to hold that the Passover (15 Nisan) started on a Friday evening, but is the reckoning in 12:1 inclusive of the Passover or not? It the Passover was from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, then, reckoned non-inclusively, six days before would be from Saturday to Sunday, but if the meal was in the evening, as seems likely, that would involve Jesus travelling to Bethany during the daytime, which would still have been part of the sabbath, and that is unlikely. The Jewish reckoning of days was probably inclusive, and both this and the previous consideration would suggest that the meal was on the Sunday evening that began the Monday. If ‘the next day’ is taken in its strict meaning, that would make it a reference to the daytime of the Tuesday. If, as seems less likely, the phrase is taken far more loosely, it might then refer to the daylight hours of the Monday. But on none of these reckonings does the Fourth Gospel have the entry into Jerusalem on a Sunday, the day the event is remembered in the Christian calendar.”[2] “... The large crowd...” heard Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. As a result the numbers began to swell in the city to see the Messiah. Each man, woman, or child was sensing something new and exciting. It was the Spirit of God drawing mankind to God Incarnate’s arrival.
Many in history have claimed to be the true Messiah. All of their lives ended in tragedy though. They didn’t deliver what they promised. They all died, never to be raised again until the last day. Lazarus had a second chance at a life. They didn’t. And he gave praise to Jesus for raising him from the dead. Today, don’t be fooled by the counterfeits. They are very much still active. There is only one true Messiah. His name is Jesus Christ. He has the power to save!
[1] (John MacArthur, 2006), 12.
[2] Lincoln, A. T. (2005). The Gospel according to Saint John (pp. 342–343). Continuum.