We study through books of the Bible here, but we’re taking a break today and next week as we take a look at Palm Sunday and at Easter or Resurrection Day, as I like to call it. Holy Week or Passion Week as it is variously called in different streams of the church, commemorates several events leading up to and including the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus. These include: His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, His cleansing of the temple, several days of teaching in the temple. Most people think that was Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. The Last Supper itself. His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, His betrayal and arrest, several trials before both religious and political leaders. His crucifixion on Friday, His burial in a borrowed grave, His bursting forth from the spiced tomb on Sunday. What a week, you know, I mean, that’s an amazing, packed week.
Biblical scholars disagree about some of these events as to what day they took place on. And it’s not my intention to enter that debate at all. What’s important to me is that these things are reported and have happened. I think there are some good explanations for the minor details that seem to not quite align in the way we read the four Gospel records, but as loving disciples and followers of Jesus, we seek to honor and remember these significant events in the life and ministry of our Lord, and to focus in on them as historic events that have global impact as well as personal impact for us.
So, Palm Sunday, as you know, is today and all four Gospels have some record, some account of Palm Sunday. I’m going to put the references up on the screen for you. If you care to read them later, you’re welcome to do that. Some 2,000 years later, we still commemorate what happened on that day, typically calling it Palm Sunday, sometimes it’s called Passion Sunday, as I said. It’s interesting though, John’s, Gospel is the only one that mentions the Psalms specifically. And the use of palm branches is clear. In Matthew’s Gospel, it mentions garments and tree branches, Mark’s Gospel mentions garments and leafy branches. Luke’s account mentions garments but says nothing about branches at all. So, John will be the one that will point back to and say, “Palm Sunday.” John’s the one that gave us that a bit of a tradition. The precise date of the practice of the church, celebrating Palm Sunday is not really clear. It seems that it goes back to as early as the fourth century in Jerusalem, perhaps in the Western church, much later eighth or ninth century. Now, before we read the text, which will be John chapter 12, and I’d love to have you turn there as you see it up on the screen, John 12 verses 12 through 21. If you turn there in your Bibles and or swipe there on your devices, you’ll be able to look at the text with me.
First, this prayer for illumination, if you would join me: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosana in the highest. Save us. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosana in the highest. Save us. Holy spirit, as we read today, illuminate for us, the ancient scriptures, reveal to us the wealth of glory that lies beneath the old familiar stories. Lead us to the depths of meaning hidden in the ancient songs of Zion. Open our eyes that we may behold with awe and wonder beautiful things from Your word. Amen and amen.
John chapter 12. And we’re going to focus on verse 12 down through 21, but let’s step back to verse nine, if you don’t mind, just to set the scene for what’s been going on right before the Palm Sunday entrance. The great multitude, therefore, the Jews learned that He, Jesus was there. He’s in Bethany, near the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. So, they came this multitude. They came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus whom He raised from the dead and nothing arouses curiosity like a good resurrection. I mean when you hear about that, you’re like, “I gotta get me there. I want to go find out. Did that really happen? ‘Cause I’m interested in that.”
The chief priest though, and now this verse 10 here is sort of the contrast, but the chief priest took council. In other words, they huddled up with themselves that they might put Lazarus to death also. I tell you, I’ve for years, never even noticed that. These guys have murder on their mind already about Jesus. The religious leaders of the day have murder on their mind. One of the Ten Commandments is, thou shall not murder, and yet they’ve got murder on their mind about Jesus. They also have murder on their mind about Lazarus. Why would that be the case? Because Lazarus was formally dead. And then when Jesus came upon the scene and wept outside the tomb there, Jesus wept the shortest verse in the Bible. He knew what He was going to do. And yet He wept because it’s not the way things are supposed to be. He called Lazarus forth from the grave. They rolled away the stone at Jesus’ bidding and Lazarus came out kind of mummified. So, he was dead. Then he was somewhat disabled, and Jesus said, “get the grave clothes off of him.” In parentheses I put, “because he might die again, if you don’t get those grave clothes off of him.” Must breathe. Living people must breathe. And so, they take the grave clothes off. Now he’s dangerous; dead, disabled, then dangerous. Why is he dangerous? Because he’s a living, walking, breathing, talking testimony to the power of Jesus.
In that day and that world, and none of this looks down our noses with our sophisticated education from the 21st century and from the West that, “oh, those quaint ancient Jews probably didn’t know what a real dead person.” No, they knew dead better than you do. They knew dead better than I do. They were in the presence of dead all the time. In ways that none of us, or most of us, won’t ever be. The chief priests took counsel that they might put Lazarus to death also because on account of him, many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus. Is that the threshold for you? What will it take for you to believe in Jesus, to trust in Him, to place your hope, your confidence in Him? Not just be curious about Him. There’s a lot of people that are curious about Him, but what gets you on the plane? What moves you from, you know, just sitting at the gate to on the plane with Jesus? These guys they are coming to Bethany. They want to see Lazarus. He’s like an animal in a zoo. They’re just looking at him, some of them. They are believing and that religious leaders are upset that people are believing in Jesus.
On the next day, the great multitude who had come to the feast ,and this is the feast of Passover, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem… by the way, first-century Jewish historian, Josephus estimated that there would be somewhere between two and 2.5 million people in Jerusalem at the feast time. So, this city Jerusalem, big important city, in Judaism of course at the time. But nonetheless is swelling to four and five times its normal size. It’s rush hour traffic on 10. It’s like trying to get to the Green Hills Mall at four o’clock. It’s just not going to happen. I mean, there are people everywhere on every hillside with their little tents and their little campfires, and they’re, you know, singing. Having a great time, right? And coming for the Feast of Passover. One of the three major feasts that all Jewish males were required to be at, if they’re within traveling distance at all.
The next day, the great multitude who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, and this is from just over the hill there, just over on the other side of the Mount of Olives. And if you’ve ever been there, you’d stand on the Mount of Olives, and you can actually see Jerusalem. It’s just an amazing sight. You could walk down the exact same roadway. Some of you have been there with us. I hope we get to go again sometime soon. But when they heard Jesus was coming over that hill, they took branches of palm trees. There it is. John tells us in verse 13, went out to meet Him and they began to cry out, “Hosana blessed it as He who comes in the name of the Lord.” You just read that from Psalm 1:18, the ancient song, it’s the end of a group of songs called the Hallel. It’s like in praise and Hosana, it means “save us” but it’s also it’s more complicated than that. And our English translation’s just “save us,” that doesn’t quite do it justice. It’s also “Save us, Almighty One, King.” And it’s a word of praise as well as crying out for salvation. It’s both. And so there they are on the road yelling, “Hosana blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” quoting from Psalm 1:18, and then even “the King of Israel.” Now the religious leaders are starting to say, “Oh, here’s how we can get Him. This is how we can accuse Him because they think He’s the King of Israel. We can accuse Him of political insurrection.”
And so, Jesus finding a young donkey sat on it, as it is written. And this is from Zechariah 9:9, “Fear, not daughter of Zion. Behold, your King comes sitting on a donkey’s colt.” Not quite Zorro, is He? Not quite the Lone Ranger. Anybody old enough to remember the Lone Ranger? Four of you, okay, good. Feel like I’m not alone. Maybe some of you folks online remember the Lone Ranger. “Fear not daughter of Zion, behold your King comes sitting on a donkey.” These things His disciples did not understand at first. So, they’re going, “What’s this all about? Okay. Look at that. What is this about Hosana? What is this about blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord?” And here’s Jesus riding on a young donkey, a little colt and they didn’t understand it, verse 16 tells us. Then they remembered that these things were written of Him. And this is after He was glorified, verse 16 tells us. So, after the resurrection, they remembered that these things were written of Him and that He had done these things.
So, the multitude who were with Him, when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised Him from the dead were bearing Him witness, that’s verse 17. I love verse 17 because I love the images it conjures up for me as I’ve read through all four of these Gospels and talked through them multiple times. In that troupe, that entourage, that posse, walking along with Jesus that day into Jerusalem, you have probably got formerly blind Bartimaeus. You have probably got formally demon possessed a bunch of people, you know, Mary Magdalene, certainly one of them, possessed with seven demons. You have got formally lame people that couldn’t even walk. You have got formally dead guy, Lazarus. All along down the Mount of Olives, Blind Bartimaeus, who can now see. And that just happened recently. And he keeps yelling, “What’s that? What’s that? What’s that? What’s that? What’s this?” You know, annoyingly probably, but that’s the band of people following Jesus, the multitude for this cause, verse 18, went and met Him because they heard that He had performed this miracle.
The Pharisees therefore said to one another, okay, they’re huddling up, the religious leaders. “You see,” they’re pointing their fingers at each other. You can see this huddle, right? It’s a huddle of accusation. “It’s your fault.” “No, it’s your fault.” “No, you did, you, you.” Anybody ever have that in your family? No, nobody does, I’m sure. But this is what it is. We’re down 153 to nothing here in this game and it’s your fault, is kind of what they’re doing, right? “You see that you are not doing any good, look, the world is gone after Him.” They’re frustrated. They’re grumbling. They’re blaming each other. Their house divided against itself is literally falling apart and they’re desperate.
Two more verses. There were certain Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast, okay. So now these are going to be Gentiles. Remember your new Testament has three sort of contexts. The religious context is Jewish to the new Testament. The cultural context is Greek. So, it’s Greek speaking throughout the Roman empire, even though the political context is Roman. You have these three different contexts all happening at the same time, but here comes some of the folks that are Greeks, Gentiles, and they’re going up to worship at the feast. They might have been what the New Testament often refers to as “God fearers.” That is people who formerly believed in the Greek Pantheon, of many gods or the Roman Pantheon, one of the two. Of many gods. Now they see it doesn’t make sense. If the title God means supernatural being, higher and sovereign over everything. The highest of high theirs is none other like, if that title means that there can really only be one. And so now they’re God fears. They’ve started to understand as they hear the Hebrews even, just talking about there being just one God. And certainly, as they hear the Christians talking about one God. Even though three in personality. And these Greeks come to the feast, they’re going up to worship and they therefore came to Philip. I love that Philip is the one people come to all the time, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee. And they began to ask him saying, and this is my favorite phrase in this passage, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Aw, we could camp out there for a week, couldn’t we? What a great passage that is.
What do we learn here? Each of these verses are power packed. Really awesome. We’ll just kind of cruise back through from verse 12 to 13. First, we see the festal enthusiasm of a great multitude. And thank you so much for allowing me to use the word festal. I’ve been hoping to use that word somewhere and we don’t have many festal opportunities, but I love the idea of this celebration and there’s this feast that they’re coming to. When we first started Village Chapel, I remember we had these evening potlucks. We had just had a few people here. Matter of fact, when we first moved in here, we only had 50 people. So, we sat in this corner right here, and we had an overhead projector with a little roll up screen like this. We faced the corner because we knew how empty the room was if we faced forward. But we had potluck dinners in the back because we could set up tables back there, and it was so great; everybody bringing something, everybody sharing something, everybody receiving something. The body of Christ was beginning to become a community like it was designed to.
Notice the festal enthusiasm of the great multitude in verse 12 and 13. The preacher/healer, Jesus of Nazareth was coming to Jerusalem. The crowds were gathering, dancing, shouting singing the ancient song, Psalm 1:18, hosana’s ringing out. The Lord had finally heard their prayers, and they see Him, and they know He can raise the dead and He’s coming downtown. Maybe He’s coming to set us free; to overthrow the Roman government and its oppressive taxation, and the way it has been so evil and unjust in our lives. Finally, deliverance is at hand. Notice also the humble fulfillment of the great prophecy. This is really ironic to me, because Zechariah goes back to the sixth century BC. His name means the Lord remembers. Zechariah. So, what happened that day for some of these folks, as they start shouting out, “Blessed is He comes in name the Lord” they’re thinking to themselves, “This is the moment the Lord has not forgotten us.” And that is very true. Even today. The Lord has not forgotten you. His promise is to never leave you nor forsake you. That rolls right out of the mouth of Jesus. And so that aspect of it is quite true.
But I think, in their own minds, they thought He was coming as a political hero, a political somebody to overthrow the Roman empire. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we now live in a day and age when making an entrance is critically important. Have you noticed it at weddings? The bride and groom dance down, they’re bringing it forward. And if they don’t do it at the wedding, they do it at the reception. And It’s just like, “Let’s be creative. Come on, we’ll ride in on a horse or whatever.” They do all kinds of crazy things, make it very special. And I love all that. Another form of that in our day and time is completely different from weddings is WrestleMania. Are you ready to rumble? And then the lights and the smoke and the boom! Some light pierces the smoke, like one of those light sabers and it beams a light on that one wrestler who’s coming in to make his entrance or her entrance. So, it’s with carefully selected walk on music and the whole thing.
When we first looked at this building we thought, “Yeah, I could make an entrance as a preacher, that’d be kind of a fun thing to do once.” You get like a zip line from the back, the balcony down to here shouting, “Hey, we study through the books of the Bible here at the Village Chapel.” And that’d be kind of fun. One of the entrances that I experienced personally and some of you may have as well, that I thought was awesome was the really amazing, the ultimate rock star entrance to me, was July the second, 2011. Anybody there Vanderbilt Stadium? U2. Oh, we were sitting in nosebleed, double nosebleed section. Sitting up there, you could kind of tell things were starting to get ready to happen on giant screens and all that sort of thing. And finally, up on the giant screen comes the film, a film of the guys in the band pulling up outside the stadium and the four of them. Three of them were dressed all in white and Bono, of course, was in black with his shades on. And they just did the cool rock band walk, looking like they really aren’t thinking about what’s happening right at the moment, although there are four or five cameras around them because we’re getting all kinds of angles. I mean this thing’s a big shoot and you’re up in the crowd going, “Oh, awesome, cool.” They define cool, and their entrance was really powerful when they came in. And then I think of smaller versions of all that too, when you, you know, think of the explosive entrances of the unannounced suddenly bursting through the door, Cosmo Kramer. It’s like he makes an entrance every time. People started applauding that in that show, it was just amazing.
Now the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem that day is so different. And yet we’re still talking about it because He enters humbly. He didn’t come in on a war horse. He didn’t come looking like a guy that was literally going to turn over the government in Rome because He had a political agenda. Jesus said precious little about politics. I know there’s a lot of people that want to try and co-opt Jesus for their political cause, but He will have none of that. He basically says, “Render under Caesar, the things that are Caesars. And render unto God the things that belong to God.” And that’s such great wisdom for us to always remember, especially in this day and age where we’re so divided and in so many ways. Outrage is the mode of our culture. It will burn you and your soul out. Outrage is the kudzu of our culture. It will cover us up and choke us out. So, let’s don’t be a part of it. Step out of the River of Rancor and look here to your King. Here He comes humbly, and at the same time fulfilling a great prophecy, so that’s really amazing.
I like donkeys. I really do like them. This is an interesting animal. I know pastor Matt, you guys actually have two? Two of those. And I’ve heard pastor Matt tell some of the stories of his donkeys and they’re awesome. They’re they really seem to me to be quite amazing as animals in a lot of ways. GK Chesterton wrote a very short poem I want to read for you. It’s called, The Donkey. This goes back to 1927, but it sort of references, at the very end, this donkey of Palm Sunday: “When fishes flew in forest walk and figs grew upon thorn. Some moment when the moon was blood, then surely, I was born. With monstrous head and sickening cry and ears like errant wings. The devil’s walking parody of all four-footed things. The tattered outlaw of the earth of ancient crooked will. Starve, scourge to ride me. I am dumb. I keep my secret still. Fools, for I also had my hour. One far fierce hour and sweet. There was a shout about my ears and palms beneath my feet.”
I love that because the humble animal, this beast of burden that people would be riding, that people thought of as dumb. Here is what God chooses to enter Jerusalem. He rode in on that humble donkey representing humility, representing peace. Peace, He came to offer, peace of God, the peace with God and peace and reconciliation for the people of God to share with one another. This is all part of God’s amazing Grace. Also notice if you will, the wondering puzzlement of the disciples in verse 16, just like them, we do well to understand that following Jesus will inevitably lead us to periodic puzzlement. Look again at that verse 16. “These things the disciples did not understand at the first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him and that they had done these things to Him.” So, everything we looked back to when it come to the life of Jesus on earth, goes through the lens of what? The resurrection. See, now it makes sense that He could actually ride in, in humility, that He could actually ride in representing peace. Why? Because He actually was victorious. He defeated death, itself. And right before that on the cross, He paid the price for your sin and for mine. Once and for all. That’s amazing. And so, puzzlement is something we ought to expect when it comes to our attempt to follow Jesus every now and then. He’s going to turn left or right or go faster or slower than you want Him to, but don’t stop following. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. He’s the author and perfector, or the one that matures your faith.
The indisputable testimony of the eyewitnesses verse 17: “The multitude who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb bearing witness of Him,” that’s testifying of Him. “This is Jesus. He’s the guy that raised that guy from dead.” And they point right at Lazarus. “This is Jesus. He’s the one that opened my eyes.” Bearing testimony. Why are we so silent in our own day and time? I love the indisputable testimony of these eyewitnesses and it reminds me that our faith, the Christian faith, the gospel message is actually based on stuff that really happened, that people actually saw happen and experienced themselves. So, people like Luke when he researches everything, careful that we might know the exact truth about what happened. We’re talking about history here. This is not just myth, legend and some kind of fairy tale.
I enjoy myth. I enjoy those kinds of literature, but that’s not what this is. Let this be what it claims to be and presents itself as, history, it really happened. Because if it didn’t really happen, guess what? When I stand beside a grave, I got no hope whatsoever, but if it really happened, it changes everything. Doesn’t mean I don’t weep, doesn’t mean I don’t mourn, but I grieve with hope. I’m not just a hopeless mourner. Five, “the irresistible power of Christ,” in verse 18, there. “For this cause the multitudes went and met Him because they heard that He had performed this.” And of course, miracles display His power. They affirm His identity, and they reveal His compassion. He actually has the power to do these things. Well, if He’s the Son of God, one would think He could do those things. If He is who He claimed to be, you would think He could do some things like that. They affirm His identity, Son of God revealed.
He actually loved the people that He healed. He actually was moved one time when the widow of Nain was bringing her dead son out. And the funeral procession was coming out of the village. She didn’t ask for anything. The crowd didn’t ask for anything, but Jesus saw it happening. And Jesus walked over and raised that boy or that young man from the dead and gave Him back to his mother. This is the compassion of Jesus. On that first Palm Sunday, riding on a donkey, weeping as He went. And it says in Luke’s gospel, if you read that there He literally convulsed in His weeping over Jerusalem. Not convulsing out of, in some way, looking at Jerusalem as some kind of repugnant city, not revolted at what He sees there, but broken-hearted at the way they would reject Him. He knew this was going to happen. And so, He weeps over you. He weeps over me when we edge Him out in some way, or block Him out or don’t trust Him, or don’t believe Him.
Sixth, notice the chronic frustration of a religious legalism. Verse 19, Pharisees said, “Oh, no. You stop doing it.” Can you imagine. “Look what you’re doing? The world is gone after Him.” And man, religious legalism is always just going to end in frustration, chronic frustration, trying to do it on your own, trying to follow the rules, trying to be the one to be self-righteous, trying to save yourself. And I don’t know how many people I’ve talked to in this world that think like that, that they think it’s really up to them to balance out the moral scales before they’ll go to church or before they’ll believe in Jesus or trust the Gospel. They think, “I gotta get my act together before I…” No, please, if you think you’ve got to get your act together, you’re just going to be like these religious leaders. You’re going to be in chronic frustration.
The good news about the Gospel of Jesus is that He came for sinners like me, sinners like you, before we get it together. We need to come to that. And I know that’s humbling, but that’s also compelling. The compelling grace of Jesus. The Gospel of Jesus is surprising. It’s mysterious, it’s compelling and it’s also transforming. Go ahead, I dare you. Believe Him. Watch Him begin to transform and change your life. The Greeks said it very simply. They responded, “We would see Jesus. We want to. Can we see Jesus?” And I wonder if that bit of curiosity is in you or in me, each and every day. It needs to be. Jesus came for those who have been sorely disappointed because they thought politics would be the answer that would save them. Jesus came for those who think economics are somehow or another going to be the way to be saved. Jesus came for those who are afraid and cowering right now because they think the world is literally falling apart. Jesus came for those who are struggling with some kind of physical report or some chronic physical condition. Jesus came for all of us. He’s come for you as well as for me.
Those who sought Jesus on that day exhibited, I would say, a variety of different motivations. There were people that were curious, there were people that were desperate for deliverance, there were people that had false expectations of Him, and there were people that expressed faithful allegiance to Him as well. And He came for all of us and that’s the great news. He came in humility and knew our weakness. Yet the sacrifice of Christ on the cross would turn out to be the very instrument of saving power from God that would ultimately destroy all powers of evil and violence, and it would lead to His glorious resurrection.
“Do you see what God is revealing about Himself, what He’s insisting on? His affections for His own are not threatened by their fickleness, because pouring out of His heart is the turbulence of divine longing. And what God wants, God gets.”
– Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly
May the Hound of Heaven, if He’s chasing you, may He continue to pursue you relentlessly until you turn around and surrender. He came for you, He came for me, because as the Bible teaches us, God wants His family back. And we see the lengths to which this God of the Bible will go to redeem and restore us. Jesus came to seize us with His great affection, His furious and passionate love that led Him to tears. That led Him to the cross. That also led to the glorious resurrection are for the weak the vulnerable, the lost, the broken-hearted, every sinner who has been distracted away from God. Here comes Jesus to lay His life down for you and for me.
Our friend, Sam Allberry says,
“Jesus, didn’t come to scold us. He didn’t come to excuse us. He came to forgive and redeem us. He’s not wagging a finger, or shrugging shoulders, He’s got outstretched arms.”
–Sam Allberry
So, on the cross, this is Him saying, “Come to me, come to me.” And don’t just come to get saved, come to get loved by Him as well. Jesus comes and it’s not merely as we wish Him to be, but Jesus comes as He is in reality. What’s so great about that is that the burden isn’t on you to figure it out. The question I just asked for you is, will you receive what He has on offer? It is leading to a wonderful and a beautiful culmination in Revelation 7:9. After these things, the apostle John says, “I looked and behold a great multitude, which no one could count, every nation of all tribes, peoples and tongues standing before the throne and before the lamb clothed in white robes and palm branches in their hands,” see that’s where this is all leading. And I think it’s a beautiful thing.
We’ll close with this Piper quote here:
“Jesus came the first time, He is coming again, as King over all kings. King of Israel, King of the nations, King of the nature itself and the universe. Until He comes again, there’s a day of amnesty and forgiveness and patience. He still rides a donkey and not yet a white war horse with a rod of iron. He is ready to save all who receive Him as Savior and treasure Him as King. Come to Him. Know Him. Receive Him. Live your life in allegiance to Him.”
–John Piper
How will you respond?
Let’s pray: Lord, thank You for this passage. Thank You for Palm Sunday and all that it symbolizes. We are humbled that You would come to serve, to lay down Your life, to love us the way You have. This is one of those things that just drives us to our knees. Lord, I pray that each and every one of us would receive from You what we cannot achieve ourselves. This gift of grace and mercy through Jesus Christ; the humble King, the King that we’ve always needed, whether we knew it or not, the King that we’ve always really wanted. Jesus, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. Hallelujah, our Savior. Amen.
(Edited for reading)
