13. They took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Jesus. They shouted, “‘Praise Him!’ ‘Welcome! God bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Psalm 118:25-26 God bless the King of Israel!”
14. Jesus found a donkey and rode on it, as the Scriptures say,
15. “Do not be afraid, people of Zion! Look! Your king is coming. He is riding on a young donkey.” Zechariah 9:9
16. The followers of Jesus did not understand at that time what was happening. But after he was raised to glory, they understood that this was written about him. Then they remembered that they had done these things for him.
17. There were many people with Jesus when he raised Lazarus from death and told him to come out of the tomb. Now they were telling others about what Jesus did.
18. That’s why so many people went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign he did.
19. So the Pharisees said to each other, “Look! Our plan is not working. The people are all following him!”
20. There were some Greeks there too. These were some of the people who went to Jerusalem to worship at the Passover festival.
21. They went to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.”
22. Philip went and told Andrew. Then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
23. Jesus said to them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to receive his glory.
24. It is a fact that a grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die before it can grow and produce much more wheat. If it never dies, it will never be more than a single seed.
25. Whoever loves the life they have now will lose it. But whoever is willing to give up their life in this world will keep it. They will have eternal life.