ALL HAIL THE PASSOVER KING:
Palm Sunday 2021
John 12:12-16
Introduction: A little boy was sick on
Palm Sunday and had to stay home from church with his mother. His father returned
from church holding a palm branch. The little boy was curious and asked, "Why
do you have that palm branch, dad?" He answered, "You see, when Jesus
came into town, everyone waved palm branches to honor him, so we all got palm branches
today." The little boy replied,
"Oh boy! The one time I miss church is the Sunday that Jesus shows
up!"
The Good News is that Jesus shows up
every week when we gather together in His name! People have a lot of different
ideas about who Jesus is, and why He came. We shouldn’t be surprised, it is
nothing new. The Jews in Jesus’ day also had a lot of different ideas about the
Messiah, about who he would be and what he would do. What is the truth about
Jesus? Where can we find truth? The God who is has spoken! We teach the
Bible in this church, because God’s Word is the source of God’s truth.
For today, our first Palm Sunday together, I decided to take a break from our
series in Galatians, and to look at John’s account of the Triumphal Entry. The
Gospel writers had different emphases, but they all want us to know Jesus. For
Palm Sunday and Easter we’ll take a break from our series in Galatians. Today
we’ll look at the story of the Triumphal Entry of Christ into Jerusalem in it’s
context in the Fourth Gospel, John 12:12-16. What does this event reveal about Jesus and
His work?
On the one hand, we want to join with
the revelers celebrating Jesus, the coming King. But we celebrate Jesus from a
different perspective than the Jerusalem crowd that day, almost 2000 years ago.
We have the whole story... we know what they did not yet understand: the
King was also the Lamb, He was both the Sovereign and the Sacrifice that would
open the way to enter the Kingdom as citizens and sons by giving himself
for us! He is Lord, He is in control, no one could take His life, rather it
was His plan to lay down His life for
His sheep.
John especially wants us to celebrate the
deity of Christ and to worship Him. He wants us to marvel at His love
demonstrated in the Cross and to love Him in return. He invites us to believe
in Him: to submit to His Lordship and obey Him. In the Bible we
see hundreds of prophecies that were made about the Messiah fulfilled
explicitly in the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus.
God had a plan, that plan was revealed, in part, in advance, in the Scriptures,
yet most people simply did not yet get it. Palm Sunday leads us into the last
week of Jesus’ life before the Cross and Resurrection. The story unfolds
exactly as God had planned it—confirming Jesus’ identity, and inviting us to
consider how we should respond to Him.
Context: Consider how
this passage fits into John’s Gospel. After the raising of Lazarus in John 11,
the Jewish leadership conspired to put Jesus to death. Unwittingly, the High
Priest even prophesied the substitutionary death of Christ (11:49-51). John
12 begins with a reminder that Passover was only days away. Since the
first chapter the reader of the Gospel has had to struggle with the idea that
Jesus is both Messiah (John 1:41) and “the Lamb of God” (1:29,36). How
could this be? What did the approach of Passover portend? Both the
anointing of Jesus “for his burial” (12:1-8) and the plot to also kill
Lazarus (12:9-11) sound an ominous note as the story unfolds. The
contrast between those scenes and what is about to unfold is ironic. The
crowds, even the disciples, did not understand the full meaning of what was
happening, what it really would involve for Jesus to fulfill His role as the
“King of the Jews” (see 12:16). As we consider this first Palm
Sunday, we’ll see He came as the Passover-King, both Sovereign and Sacrifice.
The BIG Idea: Palm Sunday invites
us to worship the Passover-King, Jesus, the Lamb upon the throne, and calls us
to love Him and obey Him.
I.
Jesus is the King, even if people don’t really understand! (12:12-13).
The next
day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to
Jerusalem. 13 So they took
branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, "Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!"
As John tells us the story of Jesus,
there is a lot of irony in how it unfolds. The Jews were expecting a Messiah, a
King, a greater Son of David who would restore the kingdom to Israel. Yet
they had somehow lost sight of the truth that the coming King was also to be
the Suffering Servant. The title “King” doesn’t show up a lot in John’s
Gospel, that is until chapters 18 and 19 when in Jesus’ trial and crucifixion
it is the charge for which He is executed. Earlier in the Gospel, the few times
the title “king” does appear, there are subtle clues that John gives his readers
about Jesus’ kingship…
The
first time Jesus is called “King” in this Gospel occurs in the first
Chapter, the confession of Nathaniel in John 1:49, “Nathanael
answered and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King
of Israel!’" Before this confession however, the reader has heard John
the Baptist, not once, but twice, calling Jesus God’s Lamb: 1) Jn
1:29 "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of
the world!; 2) Jn 1:36, “And looking at Jesus as He
walked, he said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God!’” We read that and take it
for granted, we’ve heard the phrases and this language applied to Jesus in
church. But imagine the disciples when they first heard
it, imagine John’s readers when they first read this Gospel: for a Jew in the
1st century, “Lamb” whatever else it might mean, implied sacrifice. Lamb and
King? Both Sovereign and Sacrifice? How could this be? The idea of a
King who would deliver His people through death was not part of their popular messianic hope!
The
second time in John’s Gospel that the word “King” appears, is in Chapter 6,
and comes in response to Jesus miraculously feeding the 5,000 with 5 small
loaves of bread and a couple of fish. John 6:14-15 says,
Then those men, when they
had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is
to come into the world." 15 Therefore when
Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king,
He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.
In
response to this miraculous provision, they wanted to make him king by force.
Jesus knew their thoughts, what they intended to do, and went away. It wasn’t
time for the king to be revealed. John has reminded the reader of the
Gospel, just a few verses earlier in John 6:4, “Now the
Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.” After hearing John the Baptist
call Jesus the Lamb, the reader of the Gospel has a clue as to what is coming,
though the disciples still don’t understand. He is the King – but also the Lamb.
The third use of “king” in John’s Gospel comes
that first Palm Sunday, at the triumphal entry. The crowd quotes from Ps
118:25-26 which says,
“Save now
(hosanna), I pray, O LORD; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity. 26 Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of
the LORD.”
Notice
that they add something to the text in John 12:13, they “…took
branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna!
'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' The King of Israel!"
What they said was correct, but they said more than they understood. This time
Jesus allows it, even though there is little doubt the crowd was still clueless
as to what was about to happen, what had to happen. John is
preparing the reader of his gospel. We’ve just been reminded:
1. Passover was coming in just a few days; the Lamb would soon be sacrificed
(12:1).
2. Mary had just anointed Jesus, and Jesus explained it was “for his burial” (12:2-8).
3. The chief priests were plotting to kill Lazarus, because his being raised
from the dead was irrefutable proof that Jesus was from God, and they wouldn’t
hear it (12:9-11). Even raising a man from the dead could not convince them,
their minds were made up, they would not consider the evidence that Jesus was
the messiah (cf. Peter’s word in Acts 2:22-23; He was “…attested to you
by God, with miracles wonders, and signs…”).
Part of the irony here is that the crowd, in quoting from Psalm 118 had
forgotten part of the context: Ps 118:22 says, “The
stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.” That
rejection would reach its climax in just a few days when the leaders insist: “We’ll
not have this man to be our king! We have no king but Caesar!”
They were looking for a king like the nations around them. Jesus
is King, much more so than any merely human king. He is the Lord of
all creation, our creator and redeemer. A merely human king can demand
our obedience, but not our heart. Jesus is the Servant King, the Shepherd
King who would lay down His life for his sheep. God showed us his love,
in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Palm
Sunday invites us to worship Jesus, the Passover King, the Lamb upon the
throne, and calls us to love and obey Him.
II.
He is the King, and He came in fulfillment of the Scriptures (12:14-15). John takes us from the
shouts of the crowd (which were ironically true, even though they didn’t
understand correctly what they themselves were saying) to the actions of Jesus
taken in deliberate fulfillment of Scripture:
Then Jesus, when He had
found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 15 "Fear
not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey's
colt."
The main point is that God had a
plan, and every action of Jesus was taken in submission to and in fulfillment
of the Father’s will. This week would lead to Calvary. The cross was not a
failure, it was not an accident, it wasn’t plan “B.” Peter said on
Pentecost that Jesus was delivered up by the “predetermined purpose and
foreknowledge of God.” That speaks to God’s love for us. Jesus “showed
up” for us!
It
also speaks to the reliability of His Word. The Scripture, made centuries
before was fulfilled precisely: He is the King. All four of the Gospel writers point out the
fulfillment of prophecy, Scriptures written centuries before Jesus’ birth, is
one more testimony, another witness to the messianic identity of Jesus.
Ironically, even as He was rejected by the leaders of the Jews, their very
rejection fulfilled the Scriptures. Remember, after the resurrection, when
Jesus appeared to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. And as they recounted to
this “stranger” what had happened in Jerusalem, and revealed their confusion
and shattered hopes, Jesus said,
"O
foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have
spoken! 26 Was it not
necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" 27 And beginning with Moses and
all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things
concerning himself… (Luke 24:25-27).
Rather
than causing one to doubt Jesus’ identity, the Passion vindicated His messianic
claim! They needed to understand God’s
plan revealed in the Scriptures: The Messiah is King, He is also our Passover
who was sacrificed for us. By the way, notice that John leaves out a word from
Zechariah’s prophecy: “Lowly” or “humble”. John was emphasizing Jesus’
power, control, sovereignty, and glory. He is the King of Kings! He is in control. Later, when they come to
arrest Him in the Garden, we’ll see that they couldn’t even touch Him unless He
allowed it. He was no victim. This King, the Sovereign who created and rules
the universe, had chosen to give himself as the Lamb, the Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world. Palm
Sunday invites us to worship Jesus, the Passover King, the Lamb upon the
throne, and calls us to love Him and obey Him.
III.
He is the King, the Passover King, both Sovereign and Sacrifice (12:16).
16 His disciples did not
understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then
they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done
to him.
John steps back for a moment and
explains from his position years later what he and the other disciples were
thinking at this point in the story, it
was only when “...Jesus was glorified, then they remembered
that these things...” Only after the cross and resurrection could they
see! The disciples didn’t understand at first what all of this
meant. Even though he had repeatedly, explicitly told them about the
necessity of his death and resurrection, they couldn’t grasp it. It was only “…when Jesus was glorified then they
remembered…” In John, its especially on the cross that Jesus is
glorified (cf. John 3:14,15). The cross was his lifting up, his
exaltation, his glorification, because it proved who he was, fulfilling the
Scriptures, and it accomplished what he came to do, giving his life for our
sins. The fulfillment of prophecy was a vindication of His identity, proving,
from the Law, that is was necessary for the messiah to suffer (Lk 24:44).
Notice a little further down in the near context, John 12:25-28,
"He who loves his
life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life
eternal. 26 "If anyone serves Me, he must
follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me,
the Father will honor him. 27 "Now My soul has
become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour?’ But
for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name…"
In John 18:36-37 Jesus answered Pilate,
"My kingdom is not of
this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be
fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My
kingdom is not of this realm." 37 Therefore
Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You
say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I
have come into the world, to testify to the truth.”
You
see, He is the King, the Passover King. And he “showed up” for us, to do
for us what we could not do for ourselves. That is truth. That is sound
theology, and it demands a response from us.
What
is God saying to me in this passage? Palm Sunday invites us to worship
the Passover King, the Lamb upon the throne, and calls us to love and obey
Him. What the crowds said on Palm Sunday was true, but they
didn’t grasp the full implications of their own words. Jesus was not a victim. He
was in control. And as Sovereign, as the Passover King, He fulfilled the
Scriptures, and came to give his life as a ransom for many.
In Revelation 1:5 He is “…the
ruler over the kings of the earth… [He] who loved us and washed us from our
sins in His own blood…” In Revelation
chapter five John sees in his vision He appears “…in the middle of the
throne as a lamb that had been slain…” (Rev 5:6; cf. Rev 5-7, 22:1-3).
The Passover King, exalted, on the throne of heaven, worthy to open the
scroll and loosen its seals. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain! The
One who was, who is, and who is to come.
What
would he have me to do in response to these truths? What difference
does this truth make in my life? Our response can only be to stand in awe
of the matchless grace of God, to love the One who so loved us. Have you come
here this morning to worship King Jesus?
Maybe you are reading this “by chance,” or perhaps you just came to
church today simply because it is Palm Sunday. Maybe you were invited today, or
perhaps you are listening online, and this is all new. Does it ring true to
you? Do you feel hope welling up in your heart? It may be that God, who so
loved you that He gave His only begotten Son, is, by His kindness, drawing you
to repentance and faith. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know
them, and they follow me. I give to them eternal life and they shall never
perish.” Worthy is the Lamb who was slain! The Passover King, who gave His
life, so that we could have life. Praise him for his indescribable gift. Trust Him, receive
Him. Worship Him! All hail King Jesus! All hail Emmanuel!
If we believe who He is, we must also
recognize His authority over us, Jesus IS Lord! Later in this Gospel He will
tell his disciples: “As the Father sent me, so send I you…” At the
outset of His ministry He warned them, “If anyone would be my disciple, he
must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me…” Do we belong to
God? He saved you on purpose, for a purpose. To be His witnesses. To love
our neighbors so much, that it becomes our life mission to show them Jesus, to
point them to the truth. Remember, “This is love, not that we loved
God, but that He first loved us, and gave His Son to be the propitiation for
our sins.” Will you so love King Jesus? Will you obey
Him? Remember the healed Gadarene, freed from demonic bondage,
wanted to go with Jesus and the disciples on the boat… Jesus said “No, go to
your own people and tell them what God has done for you.” Is there someone
in your sphere of influence that you can invite next week, if not to
attend, perhaps to join us online? Jesus will show up. The
King is coming! And we need to occupy until He does, we have a mission to carry
out! AMEN.
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