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The Triumphal Entry
- John 12
A sermon preached by Jonathan Redfearn
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Introduction – John 11:38-12:11
Jesus’ mission is beginning to come to a head. The perfect Lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world is about to enter Jerusalem on his way
to die in our place at the time of the Passover Feast, when the Jews remember
the sparing of their households by the blood of a lamb.
You can sense the tension as you read chapters 11 & 12 of John’s
Gospel. Turn with me for a moment to chapter 11 and verses 38-54. Jesus raises
Lazarus from the dead. Many of the Jews who witnessed that put their faith
in Jesus, v45.
But some of them went to the Pharisees [reports John in v46] and told
them what Jesus had done. The chief priests and the Pharisees then called
a meeting
of the Sanhedrin. They are fearful. “What are we accomplishing?” they
asked. “Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let
him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will
come and take away both our place [ie the temple] and our nation.”
Then Caiaphas, the high priest, spoke up, v49:
“
You know nothing at all! You do not realise that it is better for you that
one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” He
did not say this on his own [ie God overruled in what Caiaphas said] … He
prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only
for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring
them together
and
make them one.’
Of course his words were true in a way he could not imagine. The truth
was that Jesus’ death would be for the nation by taking away the sins of
those who believed in him. Whereas he believed Jesus’ death would remove
political trouble and so be for the nation. ‘So’, v53, ‘from
that day on they plotted to take his life.’ The order, v57, went out
that if anyone found out where Jesus was, he should report it so that they
might arrest him. Yet still many Jews were going over to Jesus and putting
their faith in him as a result of his raising of Lazarus (12:11). Which brings
us to my first heading:
THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY
At Passover over 2 million gathered in Jerusalem. This great crowd, fuelled
by reports of the raising of Lazarus, heard Jesus was coming and so v13:
‘
They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the King
of Israel.”’
The crowd were full of nationalistic and messianic fervour. They welcomed
him with palms and shouts of 'Hosanna', both of which betrayed their
nationalistic understanding of Jesus' Kingship. Palms had been a symbol
of the Jewish
state
from the time of the Maccabees and appeared on Jewish coins during their
revolutionary struggle against the Romans. The cry 'Hosanna' literally
means 'Give salvation
now!' and comes from Psalm 118:25. They were looking to him to deliver
them from the Romans. If he could raise Lazarus from the dead then surely
he had
the power to do that.
Jesus, though, came not on a warhorse but on a donkey. To defeat not the Romans
but the power of sin and death. He says, “Do not be afraid, O daughter
of Zion; see, your king is coming seated on a donkey’s colt.” He
is the King of Israel who Zechariah had prophesied, who will proclaim peace
to the nations and whose rule will extend to the ends of the earth. His triumphal
entry shows that his Kingship is non-military. He will be crowned upon a cross
of sacrifice through which he will achieve freedom for his worldwide subjects
who put their faith in him. He is the King of peace through whom we can have
peace with God, but to achieve that he must ride on in lowly pomp to die. Also
the kingship Jesus declares on Palm Sunday is divisive. Some will greet him
with enthusiasm while others will plot his downfall. That is not surprising
in a world where a rival power holds sway. And therefore the coming of the
true King produces "the conflict of the kingdoms - light confronts darkness
and life encounters death…and means that we face death before we can
know life".
Many resist that giving up of their sinful independence – don’t
they - because it's too costly but each person must take sides. Doing nothing
is siding against Jesus. Each of us must respond to the King one way or the
other - to the King who is a universal King whom the whole world has gone after
and who will one day be acclaimed upon his throne as the one who with his blood "purchased
people for God from every tribe, language, people and nation". (Rev 5:9)
And that great multitude of believers will stand before the throne and in front
of the Lamb, holding palm branches, proclaiming not a political Messiah but
a Saviour from sin: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne
and to the Lamb.’ (Revelation 7:9,12)
How do we respond to him this morning? How do we greet him? As our Saviour?
Whose side are we on? The side of light or the side of darkness?
Perhaps some of us here this morning are like the Greeks (v20) who want to
see Jesus. You're searching and seeking and want to find out more. Up to now,
like these Greeks, you've been a God fearer, attracted to Christianity by its
morals but you’re not yet sure about putting your trust in Christ and
going his way, the way of the cross. Or perhaps you are a believer but you're
struggling with the way of the cross, with the cost of discipleship. Well consider
Jesus and persevere. It is worth it. Or maybe at the moment you're like the
disciples (v16) who didn't understand Jesus' purpose. It was to take Jesus'
glorification through his death and resurrection (and the gift of the Spirit)
for them to see the light. A glorification that brings us to my next two headings,
which run together.
GLORY THROUGH THE CROSS
The approach of these Greek Gentiles, who embody the world that has gone after
Jesus (v19), brings it home to Jesus that he was now to die for the world.
Verse 23: "The hour has come". When President John F Kennedy made
a very different triumphal entry into Dallas Texas over 40 years ago riding
on a vehicle with massive horsepower, he did not know he was about to die.
The crowds were cheering and waving their stars and stripes. He was waving
back until the fatal gunshot. But Jesus knew he was about to die, in spite
of the acclamation he received. He knew that the crowd would soon be shouting ‘crucify
him’ and that he must die. Kennedy’s death was tragic. But Jesus’ death
was not to be a tragedy, rather a triumph. Verse 23 again:
"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified".
By going the way of the cross, by his supreme act of obedience unto death
Jesus brings final glory to the Father and as he does so the Father will
also crown
him with glory. So Jesus' glorification is through death. He is like a grain
of wheat (v24), which must fall into the earth and die there before he can
become fruitful in terms of revealing the glory of God and making the kingdom
of God available for the whole world. Jesus would have to endure the suffering
before the glory, the cross before the crown, the burden of bearing all our
sins, all our wrongdoing and rebellion in his body on the tree, the agony
of being separated from his Father, the cruel nails hammered through his
wrists
and ankles, crucifixion between two common criminals lifted high on a wooden
cross. In his death he must take our place. He must die our death in order
to free us from death forever. And all that after being betrayed, denied
and deserted by his own disciples; mocked and condemned by the religious
leaders
and the crowd who had only just hailed him with palms. Jesus was willing
because he wanted to obey and glorify his Father and achieve his Father's
purposes.
Even so no wonder his heart was troubled at the prospect of what he was about
to face (v27). He even considered asking his Father to save him from this
hour. But no. He knew that it was for this hour, for this death, for this
very reason
that he had come. "Father", Jesus prays, "Glorify your name!" Surely
for us too there can be no other prayer. The Christian Gospel may be simple
but it is not superficial. It may be free but it is not cheap. Jesus knew that
he couldn't bypass the cross. Can we pass it by?
So the essence of the glorifying of God and therefore of the glorification
of Jesus lies in the cross itself (Isaiah 52:13-14). Yes the glory of God is
also revealed in the resurrection but it is in both Jesus' death and resurrection
that he achieves the glory of God. And if this is the case then we as Christians
today must not focus almost exclusively on the risen and ascended Christ and
upon the Spirit in our worship, but also on the cross of Christ. A focus which
continues here in our next heading:
LIFE THROUGH DEATH
Look at v25-26. That the glory of God is attained through death is true not
only for the Saviour but also for his disciples. To receive eternal life, Jesus
says that we must hate life in this world (v25). That's not to say we should
go around hating ourselves or that we must never enjoy the goodness of God's
creation. No! But faith in Jesus does involve dying to all the attractions
of this passing world order. I.e. Jesus tells us here that without repentance
from sin and trust in him, there can be no salvation. Those who love or cling
to their lives in this world will lose them. But if we do repent, trust in
Jesus and are willing to lose our lives for the sake of Christ then we will
keep them for eternal life. And, v26, we will have the presence of Christ on
the way beside us as well as the promise of being honoured by the Father here
and hereafter. Are we clinging on to life in this world or are we willing to
lose our lives for Jesus, for the sake of the gospel and for the glory of God?
This life through death principle also applies to our Christian service. Fruitfulness
for God is costly. It cost Jesus his life on the cross. Likewise it is in dying
that we become life givers. Paul says so in 2 Corinthians 4:11-12. And like
the Apostle Paul we are to learn to die everyday. To die to self. To bury our
own selfish desires. The seed must perish for the harvest to be produced. The
seed must perish for the harvest of Tyneside to be produced. Church growth
and church planting are costly.
THE MEANING OF THE CROSS v30-32
Jesus himself tells us that his death on the cross will achieve four things:
First (v31) Jesus' death on the cross will pass judgement on the world in
two ways. First it will expose our sin - the sin of the human race -the rejection
of God - most dreadfully shown in the rejection and murder of God's only Son.
So the cross judges the world and every one of us comes under that judgement.
But second, Jesus bears the judgement for us on the cross. He took our place.
He took our punishment. The wages of sin is death says Romans 6:23, but through
his death and resurrection Christ takes the sting of death away for us if we
put our faith in him. What a victorious and glorious death and resurrection!
Secondly (v31) Jesus' death on the cross will drive out Satan, the prince
of this world. Although the cross looks like defeat for Jesus and triumph for
the devil, it was in fact Satan's defeat. The devil has been defeated. Yes
he is still active but the cross has broken the evil one and as Luther put
it, "his doom is writ". When Jesus returns Satan will be "hurled
down, overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony".
(Rev 12:10) And as Revelation 11:15 states: "The kingdoms of this world
will become the kingdoms of our God and of his Christ". The victory has
been won. Jesus is King.
Thirdly (v32) Jesus' death will exalt him. He is lifted up in crucifixion,
as v33 makes clear. But on the cross he is also lifted up in exaltation. "The
cross is a throne, his crucifixion is his coronation; he reigns from the
tree." As FF Bruce puts it: "His being glorified is not a reward
or recompense for his crucifixion; it inheres in or is an inseparable part
of his crucifixion"
Fourthly (v32) The death of Christ will draw all peoples to himself, regardless
of nationality, ethnic background or status. And it is significant that Greek
Gentiles were present here. He is the Saviour of the world. The harvest will
be great. But first the grain of wheat must fall into the ground and perish.
But in perishing he will bring "forth much fruit". So…
Finally, PUT YOUR TRUST IN THE LIGHT
The response of the crowd in v34 was typical of some Jews and Gentiles then
and today. They ask - how can Jesus be the Messiah if he's to be lifted up?
Would he not have lost? Who is such a Son of Man? Doesn't the Old Testament
teach that the true Christ will remain forever? Won't he establish an unending
kingdom? Ie. how can we believe in a crucified Messiah?
They were struggling to reconcile what Jesus has already said: that the kingdom
he brings is eternal and that the life he offers is eternal, with his talk
of death. But for these to be made available "the prince of this world
(Satan) must be confronted and his enslaving hold upon the human heart broken
through the final and perfect obedience of the Son of Man. The guilt of the
ages cannot be swept under the carpet but must be drawn out into the light
and judged. The Son of Man must die in order to reign forever". 1 Corinthians
1:18-25 makes it clear that the message of the cross is a stumbling block
and foolishness to those who are perishing but to those who are being saved
it is the power of God. Christ crucified was and is a stumbling block to
Jews and foolishness to Greeks and other Gentiles. Many still find it difficult
to believe that "only through a blood stained cross can the meaning
of existence be discovered and the life for which we were made experienced
in its fullness". This is true of The Independent newspaper’s
film critic who wrote this about The Passion of the Christ film: “You
have to see it, poor you. But despair not: help is on its way in the form
of the just announced re-release of Monty Python’s Life of Brian. He’s
not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy. Aaaah, that’s better.”
But what is our response? Are we ready to put our trust in Jesus Christ as
our Saviour and King, willing to follow him whatever the cost? Jesus says put
your trust in him before it's too late. He says (v35) that he is the light
who has come into the world. He is still with them. If (v36) they will put
their trust in him they will become sons of light. But the time of opportunity
to do so is just a little while longer. The same is true for us today. Put
your trust in the light, in me, says Jesus before I return as Judge. The alternative
is solemn warns Jesus. If we will not come to the light, darkness will overtake
us and we will not know where we are going. I.e. to refuse to put our trust
in him means to be shut out from the light forever, which is terrible. The
time of salvation is now, wrote the Apostle Paul. So if we have already put
our trust in the light then we too are to speak and plead with those who haven't,
while there is still time, saying: "You are going to have the light just
a little while longer…before darkness overtakes you…Put your trust
in the light while you have it".
Who are you going to invite along on Easter Sunday morning and to the next
Christianity Explored course?
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