ALL HAIL THE PASSOVER KING:
Palm Sunday 2023
John 12:12-16
Introduction: This
past week we were shaken by the news of yet another mass shooting, this one in
a school, Covenant [Christian] School in Nashville, TN. Six dead, three nine-year-old children, three adults. Families forever shattered by the senseless
violence. We share in their grief, it is heartbreaking. We grieve, but not as
those who have no hope. We know that our Redeemer lives. Even this tragedy is yet
another reminder that this is why Jesus came – He came into this fallen, broken world, to suffer violence at
the hand of sinners so we could be reconciled to God. As Peter said in his
first letter, “…after you have suffered a little while, the God of all
grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore,
confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To Him be the dominion forever and ever.
Amen” (I Pet 5:10-11). And so, in the midst of the brokenness of this
world, we come together this Palm Sunday to celebrate Jesus!
The Good News is that Jesus knows our
need, He tabernacled for a while among us in this fallen world (Jn 1:14), and
ultimately, He bore our sorrows and carried our grief (Isa 53:3,4). We’ve
been looking at Mark’s Gospel and considering who Jesus is, and what He came to
do. We started our Mark series a year ago, jumping ahead to Mark’s account of the triumphal
entry last Palm Sunday. We’ll get back to Mark’s account of the Triumphal entry
in August, so for today I decided to turn to another witness, the Gospel of
John. Like today, in Jesus’ day there were a lot of different ideas about the
Messiah. The four Gospels tell us the truth about Jesus. The God who is has
spoken! 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 for us 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. Today we’ll consider the witness of John.
John especially wants us to understand 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 these Old
Testament texts, yet most people simply did not yet get it. Palm Sunday leads
us into the last week of Jesus’ life before the Cross. The story unfolds
exactly as God had planned it—confirming Jesus’ identity, 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 conspires to put Jesus to death. Unwittingly, the
High Priest even prophecies the substitutionary death of Jesus
(11:49-51). John 12 begins with a reminder that Passover was only six days
away. Since the first chapter the reader of the Gospel has had to
struggle with the idea that Jesus is both Messiah (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 happen 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 the King who is both
Sovereign and Sacrifice…
The BIG Idea:
Let us worship the Passover-King, Jesus. He is our hope!
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.
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, 19 when in Jesus’ trial and
crucifixion it is the charge for which He is executed. Earlier in the Gospel, the
few times it does appear, at key moments in the story, there are clues that
John gives us early on about the kingship of Jesus…
The
first time Jesus is called “King” in this Gospel occurs in the very first chapter,
in the confession of Nathaniel in John 1:49, 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 already
heard John the Baptist, not once, but twice, calling Jesus God’s Lamb.
In John 1:29 we read, "Behold! The Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world! Then again, in John 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. We sing songs about it. 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
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 five 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 had reminded the reader of
the Gospel, just a few verses earlier: 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 –
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, 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 quoting from that passage 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,
and 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 in the
near context:
1. Passover was coming in just a few days; the Lamb would soon be sacrificed
(12:1).
2. Mary had just anointed Jesus, and he said it was “for his burial”
(12:2-8).
3. The chief priests were plotting also 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 (see Peter’s word in Acts 2:22).
Part of the irony here is that the
crowd, in quoting from Psalm 118 had forgotten part of the context: Ps
118:22, “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 King of kings, the Lord of all
creation, our creator and redeemer. A merely human king can demand our
obedience, but not our heart. Jesus is 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. That is the Big Idea: We are
invited to worship Jesus, the Passover-King, the Lamb upon the throne, He is
our hope!
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 who Jesus was, 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. That is reason to celebrate!
It also speaks to the reliability of His Word. The Scripture written 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, as 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 of Him 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” who walked with them what had happened in
Jerusalem, revealing 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: 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. When He said, “I am He” [ego eimi] they all fell backward!
But 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. *We are invited to worship Jesus, the Passover King, the Lamb upon the
throne, in Him we have hope!
III.
He is the King, the Passover King, both Sovereign and Sacrifice (12:16).
16His 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, at first they did not under-stand. It
was only when “...Jesus was glorified, then they remembered
that these things.”
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 (see 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 as Pilate questioned Him about His
kingship, Jesus answered,
"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. That is truth. That demands a response
from us, it is reason to celebrate!
What
is God saying to me in this passage? May
we worship the Passover King, in Him we have hope! What the crowds said on Palm
Sunday was true, but they didn’t grasp the full implications. Jesus was not a
victim. He was in control. And as Sovereign, he fulfilled the Scriptures, and
came to give his life as a ransom for many.
In Revelation 1:5 we read that 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 5, John sees in his vision sees Him as 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). A Lamb on a throne, 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? The
news can be disheartening, even heartbreaking. But after we have suffered a
little while, the God of all grace, who has called us to his eternal glory in
Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us… in King
Jesus, we have hope!
1) Our response can only be to stand in
awe of the matchless grace of God, and to love the One who so loved us. How is it that you are reading this today? Are you seeking to learn who Jesus is? Maybe you were given this link, or found it by chance, 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. The Bible says whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved! 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 willingly gave His
life, so that we could have life. Praise him for his indescribable gift.
Trust Him, receive Him. All hail King Jesus! All hail Emmanuel!
2) And if we believe in who He is, we
must also recognize His authority. Later in this Gospel He will tell his disciples:
“As the Father sent me, so send I you…” In the Gospel of Mark, we will
see before this final trip to Jerusalem He warned them, “If anyone would be
my disciple, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me…” (Mk
8:34). We are not our own, we were bought with a price. We belong to God. He chose you on purpose
for a purpose. We are His witnesses. Part of our calling is to love our relatives,
neighbors, and friends so much that it becomes our life mission to show them
Jesus, to point them to Him. 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 the King? Will you obey Him? Remember
when 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? The King is Coming! And until He
does, we are His ambassadors, we have a part in His mission! AMEN.
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