Sermon on John 12:15

CHRIST’S TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM.

John 12: 12 – 15

A Passion sermon by:

Rev. C. Pronk

PUBLISHED BY THE

PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE

OF THE 2 FREE REFORMED CHURCHES OF NORTH AMERICA. (February 2008)

LITURGY:

Psalter 164: 1, 2

Law of God

Psalter 1: 1, 2, 3

Scripture Reading: John 12: 12 - 19 Text: John 12: 12 – 15

Congregational Prayer

Offerings

Psalter 87

Sermon

Psalter 255: 1, 3

Thanksgiving Prayer

Psalter 318: 1, 5, 6, 7

Doxology: Psalter 315 3

Beloved Congregation,

Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem is an event of the greatest significance. It shows us that far from our Saviour's life coming to a tragic end as the victim of Jewish hatred and rejection, He laid down His life voluntarily and chose the time of His death carefully and deliberately, prodding the Sanhedrin into action and speeding up their time-table.

Jesus' conduct during this amazing episode is in sharp contrast to His usual behaviour until this time. You recall how often the Saviour would tell His disciples and other people to keep quiet about many of the things He did, so as not to draw undue attention to Himself. He was especially careful not to encourage those who dreamed of making Him a king. Whenever people made moves in that direction He withdrew Himself and went into the wilderness. Generally speaking, therefore, Jesus did not seek popular attention. As Matthew puts it: "He did not cry or strive, or cause His voice to be heard in the streets."

But in our text we see our Lord entering Israel's capital surrounded by huge crowds, seated on an animal, and receiving such a tumultuous welcome that the Pharisees exclaim in dismay and frustration, "Behold, the world is gone after Him."

Why this sudden change in method and approach? Well, the time had come at last for Christ to die for the sins of the world. Jesus, knowing that He was about to sacrifice Himself on the altar of God, knew that He had to set in motion the events and actions that would result in His death. That is why He now deliberately stirred up the people and forced the whole nation to pay attention to what was about to take place. This thing, namely His trial and execution, was not to be "done in a corner."

He chose the Passover week as the time and Jerusalem as the place where He would pay the awful price for man's sin. At no other time of year would there be more people within the holy city than now. Josephus estimates the number at more than 3 million. We can say then that the eyes of all 4 Israel were fixed on Jesus of Nazareth. Let us reflect on this very important episode in the closing days of Jesus’ ministry.

Our theme is:

Christ’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem 1. foretold by Zachariah; 2. misinterpreted by Israel; 3. understood by faith.

1. Foretold by Zachariah The triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem is one of the few events covered by all four Gospel writers. John's account is rather brief compared to the other evangelists; so to get the complete picture we should consult them as well. Piecing together these four accounts we get this sequence of events:

Jesus leaves Bethany where he has spent the Sabbath and where Mary has anointed her Saviour with a view to His burial. On Sunday, the first day of the week, He sets out for Jerusalem where He will die. Soon after starting out, Jesus sends two of His disciples into a small village, Bethphage, which was a suburb of Jerusalem, in order to fetch a donkey on which He plans to enter the City. Actually, there were two animals there--a colt and its dam--but as it turns out, Jesus makes use of the colt only; its mother probably trotting by its side.

The two disciples find everything exactly as their Master has said: the donkey and its colt are tied to a stake at the entrance of the village. When they untie both animals, the owners, who were probably also disciples of Jesus, ask them what they are doing. The Lord needs them, is the reply. Satisfied with this answer, the owners comply with the request and soon the animals are brought to Jesus.

The disciples throw their outer garments on both the colt and its mother, not knowing at first which one the Master will choose. When it is clear that He wishes to ride on the colt, they help Him get on the animal and then Jesus starts out toward Jerusalem. 5

The people who have come with Him from Bethany also take off their outer garments and spread them out on the road. Others cut branches from palm trees and with these they pave the way before Jesus.

Meanwhile. thousands of pilgrims who had arrived earlier in Jerusalem, which was buzzing with the news of Lazarus' resurrection, hearing that Jesus was on His way toward the city, come pouring out of the East gate, eager to meet the miracle Worker. They also cut down branches from the palm trees that line the road, and waving them excitedly above their heads, they proceed on their way to welcome the Messiah.

As the two crowds meet and merge, the enthusiasm mounts. When the huge multitude approaches the holy city, the exuberant people begin to shout. Again, we combine the accounts of all four Gospels as we read that they call out: “Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. Blessed be the kingdom of our father David that cometh in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.”

The excitement grew by the moment, also because those who had personally witnessed the raising of Lazarus, kept spreading the news to the rest who had only heard the rumour. So great was the enthusiasm of the people that the Pharisees, green with envy, appeal to Jesus to stop this adulation: Rabbi, they say, rebuke your disciples! But Jesus simply answers: I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.

What are we to make of this sudden outburst of enthusiasm and adulation of Jesus? Let us ask, first of all, whether this show of support pleased our Saviour. It certainly seemed that way. Also, as I said already, He had orchestrated this demonstration because He wanted all Israel to focus attention on Himself. 6 We would make a serious mistake, however, if we thought that Christ was genuinely pleased and honoured with the crowd's jubilation. As strange as it may sound, Christ, far from enjoying this homage, felt intense pain while the crowd was singing and cheering. Actually, His seemingly triumphal entry into Jerusalem was also part of His suffering.

That this is so becomes clear from Luke's account. We read in chapter 19:41-44 that when Jesus looked upon Jerusalem, He began to weep. Keenly aware that much of the praise He was receiving was shallow and based on a totally wrong view of Himself, He broke out in a lament:

If thou hadst known, even thou, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes, For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench abut thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side. And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

Why did Jesus say this? What was happening here? Well, this triumphal entry of our Saviour took place in fulfilment of a 500-year old prophecy by Zechariah, one of the post-exilic prophets. In Zechariah 9:9, this prophet comforts Zion, the church of the Old Testament, that some day they would see their Messiah. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy king cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”

When the crowd saw Jesus coming toward the city riding on a donkey, they realized something very special was happening. Not that they were thinking of Zechariah's prophecy persé--not even the twelve disciples did, according to John (12:16). They understood it only later, after Christ's resurrection and ascension.

But Jesus' dramatic appearance reminded the people of what was written in the prophets about the coming Messiah. So they concluded that He was the Messiah. They show this in the way they greet Him. Their greeting is made up of fragments of Psalm 118, which speaks of One who will come to save Israel and whom the people will welcome by saying, “Blessed be he that cometh in the name 7 of the Lord! Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord, I beseech Thee, send now prosperity.”

Although Psalm 118 does not say that this blessed coming One is a king, there are, of course, other scriptures that do speak of the Messiah as a king--Zachariah does for one. So the people quite correctly combine these two elements from prophecy and welcome Jesus as the King who comes to them in the Name of the Lord.

2. Misinterpreted By Israel Yet the sad thing is that what they apparently have in mind is an earthly king. Impressed by Jesus' mighty words and especially by His deeds, they believe that He must be the Messiah who will help Israel fight against her enemies.

No doubt they interpret the words "save now" and "send now prosperity" in purely political and material terms. They may well have had in mind a deliverance like that of Israel from Egypt. Like another Moses, Jesus would now defy Rome's emperor and set God's chosen people free once again. That the salvation and the prosperity spoken of in this psalm were first of all spiritual blessings they did not see and refused to see.

Jesus came as a king, certainly, but not like an earthly monarch. Zechariah's prophecy made that abundantly clear: “Thy king cometh unto thee: he is just and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.”

Some commentators think that the mere fact that Jesus rode a donkey rather than a horse should already have convinced the Jews that He was no earthly king. I doubt if that is so. True, kings from other nations always rode horses, but the Jews knew that the Lord had forbidden Israel the use of horses because these animals symbolized human power and might and God's people must put their trust in the Lord rather than in horses and chariots. That is why the kings of Israel did not employ horses, except for Solomon who imported horses from Egypt, which was viewed by God as a sign of his backsliding. 8 To ride upon a donkey as such was not considered a sign of humiliation or poverty in the East. The eastern donkey is quite a different animal from those we are familiar with in the West. It is much larger and stronger and far more valuable--think of the donkeys Saul's father had lost and for which he went to such trouble to retrieve.

The Jews would not see anything degrading in Jesus' riding on a donkey. At the same time, it is true that when kings or generals went to war or led a procession at public occasions, they would not choose a donkey but rather a horse.

So there was a special significance in the fact that Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey. He obviously wanted to demonstrate that His kingdom was different from the kingdoms of this world. I'm sure that when the Roman soldiers on duty that day saw Jesus riding into the city on the back of a donkey, they were not unduly alarmed at the sight. They saw no immediate threat to the empire!

Also, what should have struck the Jews, was the demeanour and attitude of our Saviour. We may be sure that He appeared exactly as Zechariah had foretold: lowly and gentle. There was no proud look on His face, seeking to impress and intimidate or induce fear. That was exactly the point. Zechariah's purpose was to assure Zion that their king would come in peace. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!” It is interesting that when John quotes from Zechariah, he says, “Fear not.” That is how the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament renders it. Of course, rejoicing and not fearing go together.

Zechariah's objective was to comfort the Jews who had just returned from exile. They were a poor and weak people without a king. But Zechariah may tell them in the name of the Lord, that this situation will change. A day is coming when they will have a king again. He will enter the gates of their city, the rebuilt Jerusalem, riding on a donkey’s colt. He will not be riding as warrior on a fierce war-horse and with a sword in his hand, but as a Prince of Peace, a just and holy Ruler, bringing salvation with Him--that is how Jesus appears here.

Here is majesty and at the same time humility. Of course, this is characteristic of Jesus' entire life on 9 earth. At His birth we see Him lying in a simple animal trough, yet in the fields of Bethlehem shepherds are told of His arrival by shining angels from heaven.

And here at the end of His life, He is given a royal welcome, but the people do not realize this King is on His way to a cross rather than a crown.

This is what makes Jesus so sad--these people mistake Him for an earthly king. That is why their hosannas will soon be changed into another song: Crucify Him, crucify Him!

Some people are amazed at this contrast. How can they change so soon from welcoming Christ to rejecting Him and calling for His death? But there is noting inconsistent here. It is but the logical outcome of their completely wrong understanding of His mission. When they realize He is not going to be the King they want, their love and adoration of Him quickly makes way for hatred and scorn.

They want a king who will deliver them from temporal problems, but not their spiritual burdens, such as sin and guilt. They do not see that this King can base His right to rule only on a sacrifice. His throne must be founded on an altar. He can be king only by being priest. And yes, by being prophet also. Jesus is their chief prophet and teacher sent by God to reveal to them the secret counsel and will of God concerning their redemption.

These Jews who are shouting hosannas know the Scriptures. They are familiar with the prophecies concerning the Messiah. But they prefer their own exegesis of passages such as Psalm 118 and Zechariah 9 to this Rabbi's explanation of what was written concerning Him. It wasn’t that He had not tried to teach them these things. Time and again He had spoken of His approaching death in Jerusalem. But they had not understood. The idea of a dying King was unthinkable to them. Even Jesus’ closest associates, the twelve disciples, had no taste for such negative talk.

3. Understood By Faith And so it is with all of us, by nature. We are all like M'Cheyne, who speaking of his condition prior to his conversion, penned: 10

I once was a stranger to grace and to God. I knew not my danger and felt not my load. When friends spoke in rapture of Christ on the tree, Jehovah Tsidkenu meant nothing to me.

Until free grace awoke him “by light from on high. Then legal fears shook me,” he says, and “I trembled to die. No refuge, no safety in self could I see - Jehovah Tsidkenu my Saviour must be.”

Congregation, that is necessary for us too. We must realize that apart from Christ and His atoning death, we can have neither safety nor peace. What Jesus said with tears concerning those hallelujah- shouting Jews, He says to all whose religion is only skin-deep and who are ignorant of their real need as sinners: If you had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes!

Blessed are you, therefore, if you have been awakened by the Holy Spirit to see your need of Jesus. He alone can bring you peace. Yes, He is the sinner's Peace.

Do your sins bother you? Is your guilt pressing on you like a heavy burden? Are you afraid to die because you cannot meet God? Listen to the Gospel of our text. Jesus enters Jerusalem as a king ready to do battle, not against the Roman oppressors, but against far worse tyrants: Satan, sin and death. In the process, He will lay down His life on the cross to pay for your sins and to reconcile you to God.

Now as the King who has conquered these enemies, He wants to ride into your “city” too, the “city of Man-Soul,” as Bunyan called it, to make you partaker of all His benefits. He wants to come into your heart to bring you His peace and salvation.

“Fear not, daughter of Zion, behold your King cometh,” sitting on a donkey’ colt. Do not be afraid of Him as if He were an enemy. He comes as a Friend and He is anxious to save you.

I said that Jesus deliberately entered Jerusalem in this visible and attention grabbing way because 11 He wanted to force Israel's leaders to act. He wanted to die. He could easily have avoided it, but He so loved us that He was willing to sacrifice Himself, because this was the only way we could be saved.

Let us never have any doubts, then, as to His willingness to save. Let us put far from us any suggestion that Jesus would turn anyone away. He loves to see sinners coming to Him and He will gladly save even the worst of them.

He who was a most willing Sacrifice on the cross, is also a most willing Saviour at the right hand of God. He is just as ready now to receive sinners who come to Him peace, as He was then to die for sinners, when He held back His power and surrendered to His tormentors.

People of God, we have seen our King coming to us bringing salvation. Let us therefore raise our hosannas. Just because many in that crowd did not realize what they were doing, is no reason for you to remain silent. There may well have been some in that crowd whose praises sprung from a better source than that of the majority. Even the outward and superficial adoration given to our Lord on that first Palm Sunday was better than the coldness and indifference with which many in our time view Christ.

I'm afraid that also among us the hosannas are few and far between. Our singing is often so flat and so lukewarm. Shame on us! Let it not be so today. If you love the Lord and trust Him as your Saviour, He wants to hear from you.

Let us sing: Now with joyful exultation Let us sing Jehovah's praise To the Rock of our salvation Loud hosannas let us raise.