“Behold, Your King Is Coming”
By way of introduction, some months earlier, following Jesus transfiguration on the mount, Luke tells us that He “set His face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51).
Over that period of time He visited some 35 villages as He made His way toward the city where He knew He would die.
Most recently He had raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11) and healed blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10: 46-56)
Word had gotten out and the crowds were excited about this “prophet from Nazareth” — as they made their way to Jerusalem for the Passover, they were wondering if He would come to Jerusalem for the feast (John 11:56).
The chief priests and the Pharisees, however, were looking for Jesus for other reasons — they “had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it, so that they might seize Him”(John 11:57) — they wanted to kill Him.