Your King is Coming

Introduction- Expectations:

Have you ever found yourself in a situation with precise expectations, only to find that the situation was completely different from what you thought it was supposed to be? Of course you have, we all have many stories from our lives, where we embarked on a journey with the clear and solid expectations in mind of what was going to happen and how it was going to happen.

Instead, often what happens is that our expectations get served a hearty dose of reality. And then we are forced to reevaluate them. This happens in our jobs, marriages, raising children, church, with our in-laws, etc. The adjustment that is often required to reorient our thinking, can be difficult and painful or joyful and a source of growth, depending on how firmly we hold on to those expectations. I have found that over time the expectations that are hardest to change are those created out of my selfishness and pride.

I am usually a guy who is able to take things in stride, I am easy going, usually not to high stressed. And that attitude has sometimes served me well, but in other times is has gotten me in a world of hurt. Shortly after Molly and I married, I got in my head that we need to move so that I could continue theological education.

So we had moved from Minneapolis to Louisville Kentucky. I had the glorious vision that my days would be spent chatting with professors about theology, reading books, writing papers and learning. But I forgot one vitally important reality, a stable job to provided income we could live on.

Had it not been for that one thing, my expectations would have been met and exceeded. But you see what I had done was allow my expectations to distort what was really necessary and what was really going to happen. I still wonder occasionally how our life would have been different had I managed my expectations based on truth, rather than what I wanted to be true.

Three Expectations:

This morning we are exploring a passage that is filled with expectations. In our passage we witness the expectations of three groups of people. We have the crowds, which start out as two different groups. The first crowd is in Jerusalem getting ready for the Passover, and the second crowd has been following Jesus since he raised Lazarus from the dead.

The second group are the Pharisees and they are the antagonist of the story. By this point in Jesus’s life and ministry the Pharisees have decided that it is better for Jesus to die than to allow his ministry to continue. John 11:53 “So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.”

The last group consists of the disciples. Each group has their own expectations of who Jesus is, what he is doing and why he is doing it. Based on their expectations flow their actions. The same is true for us, based on our expectations, follow our actions.

The Crowds:

In John 12:12–13, we witness a large crowd in Jerusalem welcoming Jesus with palm branches, shouting, John 12:13 “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" This event, known as the triumphal entry, reflects the crowd's extraordinary response to Jesus, whom they've heard is coming to Jerusalem. So they have never met him, only heard things about him.

Their reaction stems from hearing about Jesus' miraculous raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 12:17–18). Their expectation is to witness someone extraordinary, perhaps even the long-awaited Messiah. They hope Jesus will save them, as indicated by their cry of "hosanna," meaning "save us."

The crowd's expectations of the Messiah involve deliverance from physical oppression, particularly from Roman rule, seen as a sign of God's judgment. This belief is evident in Acts 1:6 “So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

The crowd's anticipation of Jesus as the Messiah, coupled with reports of his miracles, fuels their hope for liberation from foreign oppression. But they did not recognize their need for a savior to fix the problem of sin and it separating them from God. Their expectation was focused on what they thought they needed or wanted, rather than on what God desired to.

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

The Pharisees:

In John 12:12-19, we encounter the Pharisees, a group with high expectations regarding the Christ. Initially, they sought to understand His identity, but when Jesus didn't fit their preconceived notions, they turned against Him.

The Pharisees believed the Christ would mirror their values, thoughts, and actions, and even applauding their religious observances. They held a works-based notion of salvation, believing their righteousness, prayers, and knowledge of the Torah could earn them favor with God.

John 5:39 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,”

However, Jesus challenged their expectations, revealing salvation through faith rather than works. This clash led the Pharisees to become adversaries, which highlight a major danger of holding rigid expectations. When held to tightly our expectation obscure the truth, preventing us from seeing clearly.

Therefore, when Jesus comes on the scene the Pharisees ask him all sorts of questions regarding fulfilling or living by the law. Let me give 3 questions that the Pharisees asked Jesus.

Matthew 22:17 “Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

Matthew 15:2 ““Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.”

Luke 5:30 “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

The Pharisees give the impression that they expect the Christ to be like them, and since he wasn’t they couldn’t accept Him.

The Disciples:

In John 12:12-19, we see the disciples wrestling with their understanding of Jesus' identity. While initially confused, they remained committed to Him, despite their shifting expectations. In Acts 1:6, they inquire about the timing of the kingdom's restoration, showing their evolving understanding. Yet, their loyalty to Jesus endures.

Matthew 16:13–16 “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Though their comprehension is incomplete, Peter's confession reveals a growing realization: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Despite their uncertainties, their time with Jesus fostered trust and allegiance, opening up their eyes as to who He is.

Expectations versus Reality - A Humble King:

When we allow our expectations to dictate what we believe and dictate our actions, we often miss the truth. And that is what happened to the crowd and the pharisees, they allowed they expectations of who they believed the Christ should be, to dictate their response to the Jesus. Listen to this exchange between Jesus the and crowd.

John 12:32–34 “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”

Jesus speaking to the people as the Christ, explains to them that he is going to die, so that he can draw all people to himself. The response of the crowd is to fall back on what the religious leaders have told them about what the Law says. The crowd then is unable to move past their own expectations so that they can embrace the truth of Jesus Christ, as the humble King who takes away the sins of the world.

The people did not want a humble King, because that did not fit with their preconceived ideas, rather they wanted a conquering king who would give them back the land and then rule on the throne of David forever, ushering in a new golden age of prosperity.

This is what people do on a regular basis, we create an idea of what we think life should be like, or who God should be, or how God should treat us, and then from that idea we create a world-view that drives everything we do. For the Pharisees and the crowd all they could do is look at the outward appearance of Jesus and say no you are not what we are looking for. But we must understand that God does not look at the outward appearance, rather he sees the heart.

In a short time after these events, a young man name Stephen is point out the problem of the Pharisees and the crowd, and many of you. Listen to, Acts 7:51–53 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”

The reality of what is happening when people reject the message of a humble King who has come to give Himself up for the sins of many, is that we because of our expectations resist the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And instead of taking responsibility for that rejection, we blame God for not showing up when we demand. Or we blame our unbelief on actions of other people who fail, and we say see that Christian over there see how they fail, thats why I am not a Christian. But the truth is we reject the humble King, because he is not what we want.

And this is where things get sticky for us, because as we are confronted with Jesus, we are forced to recognize that we are powerless to determine who he is. We do not get to define who Jesus is, rather our place is to accept the reality that God is the only being whose expectations become reality. And the God we worship today, the God we speak about here, is the only Sovereign, King of kings and Lord of lords, who sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take on flesh, live a life pleasing to God the Father, and die at the hands of sinful men, so that he could take our place under the wrath of God the Father, thus bringing about a glorious redemption and new life for all who trust in Jesus.

Jesus says in John 12:24–26 about true purpose, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”

And John 12:46–48 “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.”

You see crowd in the end rejects Jesus, although they came rushing together and cried out for him to save them, and laid palm branches down in the street. In the end they turned away from the humble King, because Jesus did not fit their expectations and they could not, even for life, change their mind on who He is. The result is terrifying.

John 12:36–37 When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him,”

Conclusion:

You are faced with a choice today, will you conform your expectations to His truth. Or will you reject him because you believe your expectations are a true representation of reality?

Which group will you find yourself in? Are you part of the crowd who is driven here and there by ever word of something new and exciting, we call that shiny object syndrome. Or maybe you are part of the Pharisees and because Jesus doesn’t fit with what you think the Savior of world should be, you have made yourself his enemy these are the modern day atheist and agnostics. Seeking at every turn to disparage His name and pursued others not to believe in him? Or are you going to walk as a disciple, not fully understanding it all, but willing following Christ because you have come to know Him and trust Him?

You must chose, not because I say so, but because the humble King says so. For he has come once already and he will be returning, to bring all things to an end. Therefore, where do you stand with Him today?

Prayer:

Song:

Benediction: