Is Jesus Your King?

Everybody has an opinion

People react to things differently all the time - many times those reactions are based on their opinions of circumstances and situations. As you consider the COVID-19 pandemic - there are some who are experiencing a great deal of fear and others who are rather obstinate regarding the guidelines and mandates that are coming out from the health officials and political leaders. Some people are pushing the boundaries as much as possible and trying to keep life as normal as possible, while others are extremely sequestered and even calling out people who are “breaking the rules.” There are those who feel the response is overblown and others who feel it’s not enough.

In this case, the adage is true “opinions are like noses - everybody has one.”

Varying reactions based on opinions have been happening since the beginning of time. In fact, Jesus experienced a variety of reactions to His life and ministry because of the opinions that people held about Him. There may be no clearer time than in the Passion week - the week leading up to Easter - as Jesus experienced both great popular acclaim and popular disdain all in a matter of a few days.

The variety of reactions to Jesus’ life and ministry is clearly seen as religious leaders, politicians, commoners, gentiles, and even his disciples respond differently to Jesus, just a few days before Passover.

If you have your Bibles, let me encourage you to open them to John 12. We’ll spend the majority of our time there. As we consider the events of Palm Sunday, we’re going to reflect on how various groups of people reacted to Jesus. Not surprisingly...

The religious leaders were threatened by a King Jesus (John 11:57)

In John’s gospel, the preceding chapter (11), contains Jesus’ encounter of raising Lazarus from the dead. This happened in the town of Bethany - just a few miles outside of Jerusalem. This caused such a stir, that some of the religious leaders sought to kill Jesus. You see Jesus’ ministry was creating such a mob that the religious leaders felt like their positions of power would be threatened by Jesus. In their opinion, the only way they could maintain their power was to get Jesus out of the way. In fact the high priest prophesied:

John 11:49–50 ESV

But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”

John then provides a bit of commentary on this, helping us understand some context.

John 11:51–53 ESV

He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.

In response to this, Jesus continued to do ministry, but he did not move about openly.

Now, the timeline at this point is a bit unclear. John connects Lazarus’ resurrection and the reaction of the religious leaders for us in chapter 11 because that event happens in the same town where we find Jesus in chapter 12 - though it appears that there was some time between the two events.

And yet, imagine if some big event happened here in Poolesville - some great act of courage or some amazingly generous gift. In fact, we had just such an event happen here in town in the last couple of weeks as some creative families initiated a birthday parade. The news from this event reached all the way to my dad in California (in fact he called me to tell me what he heard - he wanted to make sure I heard).

Now, in our day and age with so much news and media - the buzz can die down quickly, but imagine if you lived in Bethany in the first century. You heard that Lazarus was sick, you participated in his funeral and even mourned at his tomb. Then Jesus comes along and raises him. What an event!

This man Jesus goes away for a while and then returns. It’s a town that is likely a lot smaller than Poolesville. The buzz would whip back up in a hurry. On top of that, it’s the week of preparation for Passover. Some historians have noted the the whole region would swell in population during this time.

Jesus is back in town!

So as John 12 opens - we see Jesus having dinner with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. The disciples were there too and it seemed like there was a bit of a crowd just outside.

You see the people wanted to see Jesus AND Lazarus. The religious leaders not only are still angry because they haven’t been able to catch Jesus, but now they want to squelch the buzz by killing Lazarus. No one can claim a resurrection if the resurrected man was dead. So the religious leaders sought to arrest Jesus (and ultimately kill him) and put Lazarus to death.

John 12:10–11 ESV

So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

The religious leaders were threatened because they felt like the whole world was following Jesus (John 12:19).

John 12:19 ESV

So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

The religious leaders, who should have known that the Messiah would be coming around this time, who should have seen the signs and understood his teachings were more threatened by Jesus’ presence and his potential influence on their power. They wanted to keep the status quo because that’s where they had the good seats.

Before we move on to consider the next group, I think it’s worth asking...

The Religious Leader in Me

When have I responded to Jesus like the religious leaders?

When have I thought more about my position or power or prestige than His plan in my life?

When have I wished Him dead by ignoring the prompting of the Spirit or failing to yield my life to His?

In some ways, the religious leaders responded the way that they did because (secondly),...

The crowds celebrated Jesus as King (John 12:12-19)

They were excited about him - they had heard some of his teaching. They saw him raise Lazarus from the dead. They were in awe! He’s back in this small town.

So, sometime on Sunday, the buzz reaches a fevered pitch and the residents of Bethany and the pilgrims who had come to prepare themselves for the Passover feast began to assemble. They knew Jesus was special. They knew He could do amazing things. Some tried to crown him as King before (after he fed the five thousand) - maybe it would work this time.

The crowds then begin to take palms and wave them while gathering around Jesus. They had heard stories of the waving of palms in the time of the Macabbees. That was a time of political favor - maybe this would be too.

Don Carson commented that this waving of the palm branches “may well have signalled nationalist hope that a messianic liberator was arriving on the scene (cf. 6:14–15).”

Carson, D. A. The Gospel according to John. Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991. Print. The Pillar New Testament Commentary.

As if that wasn’t enough, the crowds begin shouting.

John 12:13 ESV

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!”

This cry of “hosanna” was “originally a transliteration of Hebrew hôšî‘â nā’ (lit. ‘give salvation now’), had come to be a term of acclamation or praise.”

Carson, D. A. The Gospel according to John. Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991. Print. The Pillar New Testament Commentary.

Whether it was a declaration of praise or a near demanding cry for salvation - the people were ecstatic as they crowded around Jesus and made a path for him to descend to Jerusalem.

For some reason, Jesus begins to go along and mounts a donkey. Most kings would have marched into town on a horse or in a chariot of some kind in order to show their political power or military prowess. Instead, Jesus demonstrates His humility - because he is a different kind of king. His image of being on the donkey must have caused people to recall the prophesy in Zechariah because John and some of the other gospel writers reference it in their account.

Zechariah 9:9 ESV

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

So the humble, different kind of king is riding a donkey. That’s different, but okay.

Not only was this great crowd of people compelled to follow Jesus, but there were even some important people secretly followed Jesus (John 12:42-43). They probably were not a part of this procession into town, but they had heard some of Jesus’ teaching and could see some of His works and began to secretly believe.

John 12:42–43 ESV

Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

One of the things that we have to be careful with regarding crowds is that popular opinion can be fickle and can change in a moment.

In John 12:27-36 - Jesus shares a bit of His heart and reveals the plan that he would be “lifted up.” It’s clear from the context that the crowd knew He meant that he would be crucified or killed in some way - contrary to their assumption that he would live forever. As a result, many in the crowd did not believe in him (vs. 37).

The momentum had begun to shift.

I wonder if there is a bit of a crowd follower in each of us?

The Crowd Follower in Me

When have I listened to popular opinion about Jesus or His Word and have allowed it to sway my faith?

When have I allowed cultural pressures to cause me to turn away from biblical values?

When have I made assumptions rather than searching the scriptures to understand?

So we’ve seen that the religious leaders were threatened by King Jesus and the crowds celebrated this King Jesus. One of the other things we learn is that...

The Greeks were curious about King Jesus (John 12:20-26)

The other people who were either for or against Jesus were likely Jewish. These people, whether the religious leaders, or the crowd - had spent their entire lives immersed in a Jewish culture, with Jewish times of worship and sacrifices, with Jewish festivals, and Jewish rituals.

But they were not the only ones around. Israel at that time was ruled by Rome. There were Roman rulers, Roman officials, Roman citizens intermingled with the Jewish people of that region. When Rome came into power several years earlier, they had defeated the ruling Greeks at the time, but they did not abolish the Greek culture - instead they adapted the culture and grafted it into their own.

As a result, there were many people in the region who were Roman by citizenship and Greek by culture. Many of these were pagans who worshiped a pantheon of Greek and Roman deities.

John states in verses 20-23:

John 12:20–23 ESV

Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

Not necessarily grecian people - i.e. people from Greece, but Gentiles who were God-fearing. They came to Jerusalem to worship at the feast. Rather than worshiping the pantheon of greco-roman gods, they believed in one true God. These would be people like the Roman Centurion Cornelius that we find in the book of Acts.

In John 12:19 - the religious leaders were threatened because it seemed like so many people were following Jesus that the whole world was following him. With the interest of these Gentiles who came from a Greek culture - we are beginning to see that the whole world also involved multiple races. Following Jesus was not for some ethnically monolithic group of people - Jesus’ message is available for all who would believe.

So there are some Jews who both hate and love Jesus, there are some Greek Gentiles who want to learn more, one of the other things we learn in this passage is that...

The Disciples were initially confused about King Jesus (John 12:16)

John 12:16 ESV

His 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.

The disciples were a group of men who followed Jesus for about 3 years or so of his ministry. These men sought to emulate Jesus’ way of life. They sought to live out his teaching. They got to be up close and personal as Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead, fed the hungry, confounded the religious leaders, welcomed children, and treated women with dignity.

And yet as Jesus is riding this donkey into town, being celebrated by a great throng of people - they didn’t understand - at least initially. There were times when the disciples thought Jesus would be a political leader. There were times when they thought he would be a King and would usher in a new earthly Kingdom - but they didn’t fully understand that Jesus was a different kind of King and that this celebration was a fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy. It wasn’t until after Jesus had died, rose from the grave, spent time with them, and then ascended into heaven that they understood that His Kingdom is truly not of this world.

His Kingdom transcends political systems and geographic borders. His Kingdom is here and now AND it is eternal. His Kingdom is not about elevating the strong or the proud, but honoring the poor and the meek.

They didn’t get it at first, but after Jesus ascended - they got it big time! The book of Acts beautifully chronicles some of their early movements as they launched Jesus church into action, as they testified about Jesus locally, regionally, and globally. We are a part of them “getting it.” While we are compelled by the Spirit of God and the Word of God, we are led by the people of God who have gone before, who have passed along what they have learned as they too have been disciples of Jesus Christ.

So with all of these groups, I guess I have one final, but important question for you to consider...

Have you trusted in King Jesus?

People have opinions and ideas about who Jesus is. Some see him as a nice teacher - a sort of self-improvement guru. Others want to respond to him like Ghandi or the Buddha - a wise religious guy. While He did teach a lot and our lives can be improved by obeying his teachings and he is full of wisdom - Jesus is more. Jesus is the Son of God - fully God and fully Man. He is an example for us, but he is also the only one who could fulfill God’s expectations perfectly and so he is our means of a relationship with God.

You see, God, in His holiness is Sovereign ruler over all things. He is perfect - without fault. He is the standard and created us to be in a perfect relationship with him.

As humans, we messed things up and needed a savior. This is not just an oops or a blunder, we have sinned greatly against God’s holiness. We have profaned his glory by our sin. It is so deeply in-grained in us that we are “by nature objects of His wrath.”

But God - because of his love for us - sent His son Jesus to live the perfect life that we could not live in order to pay the punishment for our sin on our behalf. You see the reward or the wage of our sin is death (Rom. 6:23). That death is either eternal separation from God if we pay for it, but if we trust in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection as the perfect payment for our sin - then his payment becomes our means of eternal life with God rather than eternal separation from God.

What’s left is for you to respond. John 12:32 says:

John 12:32 ESV

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

This Friday, we will commemorate the day that Jesus was lifted up on the cross - when he suffered the scorn and shame that we deserve. Next Sunday, we will celebrate the day that Jesus was lifted up from the grave - once fully dead, now fully alive. He is now lifted up and seated at the right hand of God having finished the work for our salvation. By his Holy Spirit, he is drawing all people to himself - convicting of sin, righteousness, and judgment and the coming judgment of God.

Consider the closing words of John 12...

John 12:44–50 ESV

And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 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. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

My question for you is will you respond? Will you trust in Jesus as your King? Will you receive Him as your savior, trusting in His finished work?

If some of the authorities in Jesus’ day believed, but were only willing to risk a secret faith, what are you willing to risk to trust in King Jesus? Will you publically trust in Jesus as your Savior? Will you willingly risk being ostracized by your family and marginalized by the culture on behalf of Jesus? That may or may not happen to you or me, but I believe it would be worth it.

If you’ve not yet trusted in Christ as your savior - will you today? Will you pray and ask him to eternally forgive you for your sins, believe that Jesus paid fully for your sins, and confess him as your Lord and King? There is no formulaic prayer or specific mantra. The Bible says -

Romans 10:9–10 ESV

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

If you would like to have a conversation about that sometime this week - send me an email at [e-mail] and I’ll be happy to open the word of God with you and help you understand more fully - who God is, who we are, what Christ did, and how we should respond.

Beloved, if you are already a follower of Christ, do people know? You see, we can get excited about a sports team - proudly wearing the burgundy and gold of the Redskins or Rockin’ the red of the Capitals or the curly W of the Nationals - but are we proudly proclaiming our allegiance to King Jesus? Some of the political authorities in Jesus day feared the religious leaders - they did not proudly follow Jesus as King. I believe that if we are followers of Christ - others should be able to see that - by how we speak, how we serve, how we love, how we submit our preferences to His. Our allegiance to Jesus should impact every aspect of our lives.

Let’s pray

Discussion Questions

Why do you think the crowd was initially so eager to follow Jesus? What were they hoping he would be? Look at John 12:36-40 - some people may have moved from belief to unbelief - why?

As you consider the groups that we looked at in this passage (religious leaders, crowd, disciples, Gentiles) - which do you most resonate with? Why?

How would you describe your allegiance to King Jesus? Would your neighbors know you follow him by how you live? What might you need to adjust in order to be more aligned with His Kingdom?