Rethinking the Triumphal Entry

The Victorious King

John 12:1-13

1. In the last 200 years, democratic governments have become more common. This is a relatively recent phenomenon. For most of history, power has been consolidated into the hands of a few leaders.

2. Even today, there are countries where the people have limited or no freedom. People suffer under the oppressive hand of corruption or under the hand of a foreign power.

3. Compared to most people throughout history, we in America enjoy a great deal of freedom.

4. Are things perfect here? No. Could we do better? Yes.

5. Generally, we aren’t looking for someone to overthrow the government and replace it with a better system.

6. Let’s go back to the first century, when Jerusalem was under Roman rule. The Jews of that day were looking for their Messiah to save them from Rome.**

7. Like righteous old Simeon and Anna in the second chapter of Luke, such people looked for their Messiah with keen anticipation. That term means “God’s Anointed One”. Since Jewish kings were anointed with oil, the phrase “the anointed of the Lord” was synonymous with the idea of kingship. And the Jews understood that the great anointed one – their Messiah – would be a special king, anointed and approved by God himself.

8. This was a huge leap from other religions, where the people worshipped the ruler as a god.** For example, Roman emperors demanded worship from their subjects. Egyptian pharaohs were regarded as divine incarnations. Babylonian monarchs were seen as links between the deities and ordinary mortals.

9. Look at the screen as we read in John 1.

10. Get the point of Philip’s confession. He’s saying that Jesus was the anointed one that they were searching for. He was to be God’s perfect king for Israel.

11. The Hebrew word for the anointed one was Messiah.** In Greek, it was Christos. The idea of Jesus being the anointed one was so important that we see Him referred to in the Bible as Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus. It’s almost become a part of His name.

12. New Testament writers went to great length to lay the foundation that Jesus was the king. Matthew begins his gospel by carefully tracing the ancestry of Jesus through the kings of Judah.

13. Matthew goes so far as to quote Micah.**

14. This emphasis on the kingship of Jesus doesn’t stop there. As Paul enters Thessalonica, he creates a fuss by teaching about Jesus.**

15. By the time we reach Revelation, the king theme intensifies as we look to the end of this age.**

16. Let’s look at our passage.

17. In this passage, we’ll see three very different views of Jesus as King. To appreciate Him truly, we have to find the correct view of this King.

18. Once we have the correct view of King Jesus, we can express love like Mary did.

19. Everyone Must Express Love for the King.

I. Some See Him as a Political King.

1. Look back at verses 4-6.

2. Here is Judas. Unfortunately, the Bible doesn’t speak much of him until these last few days in Jesus’ life.

3. Here’s a good place for a side note about Judas. The second name that the Bible uses for him, Iscariot, contains a double meaning. It can refer to a person from the city of Kerioth and it can refer to a group called the assassins.

4. This man did not lay a hand on our Lord, but he brought the assassin’s hand to Christ just the same.

5. Notice what the Bible says here. He mentions giving the money to the poor and John follows it up by mentioning that he held the moneybag and that he was a thief.

6. What does this have to do with making Jesus a political king?

7. What does a political king focus on? The Jews were looking for someone who would unite their nation and overthrow the bondage of Rome.

8. As Judas complains about this money, he wasn’t thinking about the poor. He was thinking about buying their support and thrusting Jesus into politics.

9. Think about some verses that speak to their desire to change the government.

10. Matthew 20:21 (KJV) 21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.

11. This mother was trying to secure a place for her sons in the kingdom.

12. Even in our chapter today, the people laid out palm branches and praised the name of the Lord, not as God, but as a king, taking his throne in Jerusalem.

13. John 12:13 (KJV) 13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.

14. All of this underscores the idea that many people in Jesus’ time saw Him as the savior of Israel as a nation rather than the savior of their souls.

15. The point of Christianity is not to take over the government. We are not called to get believers into political office. While it would be nice to have believers in government, it is not the primary goal of Christianity.

16. The first inaccurate view of Jesus was as a political king.

II. Some See Him as a Social King.

1. Notice verse 9. This verse gives us a hint at one reason that people were coming to Jesus.

2. They wanted to see Lazarus. They were hoping that Jesus would create a change in the order of the world. They wanted Him to make a change in the society.

3. A social king is involved in making societal changes.

4. The biggest part of Jesus’ popularity came through the miracles that He did. By the time we get to one week from crucifixion, Jesus had fed thousands, healed many of varied physical issues, and raised several from the dead.

5. These people focused on social issues forget that the biggest issue is the salvation of the souls of man. They say that if we can attack hunger, people will come closer to God. If we can fight injustice, people will see God.

6. This social gospel started several different church groups and is making quite resurgence today. There are several churches that have decided that reforming society is the most important part of Christianity.

7. This is not an accurate view of Christ. His kingship may reflect social change. Social change should come about by people coming to Christ, but that is not the thrust of our work.

8. Another false view of Jesus is as a social king.

9. These false views put us into a position where we cannot truly express love or adoration to Jesus because we aren’t sure who He is.

10. Can you love someone you don’t know? Certainly not. There must be some level of mutual knowledge to create a love relationship.

11. Why can we say that God loved us first? He knew us first. As we begin to know Him better, we start to love Him truly.

12. This last view will give us the chance to start to get to know Jesus on the level that He wants us to know Him.

III. Some See Him as a Saving King.

1. The truth of the whole matter is that Jesus is the King that will save the souls of men.

2. Verse 13 tells us that the people shouted blessings of the one who comes in the name of the Lord.

3. The foremost object of Christ’s coming is the salvation of the souls of men.

4. Romans 5:8 (KJV) 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

5. Luke 19:9-10 (KJV) 9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

6. This trip to Jerusalem was designed to bring the life of Christ to this final crisis point. He had to celebrate this final Passover meal with His twelve. He had to be close to the city to be arrested and taken to the high priest.

7. This event had to happen so that He could go to Calvary.

8. Jesus came because the government can’t save us. Every time government gets involved beyond its intended business, it messes it up.

9. Jesus came because society cannot reform itself and society cannot provide salvation.

10. When we finally see Jesus as a saving King, we see Him as He is.

11. We put our faith in Him.

12. Ephesians 2:8 (KJV) 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

13. Acts 16:31 (KJV) 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

14. This matter of salvation is something that each of us must seek from Him. It cannot be inherited or given over.

Consider the saving king.
Our goal is to express our love for Him, but before I can love the King, I have to have received His love gift in salvation.
Back in verse 3, Mary expressed her love for Jesus by pouring out the ointment and wiping His feet with her hair.
We don’t have that option. I’m not even sure that it’d do any good for me to try to wipe anyone’s feet with my hair.
How can I express that love for Him?
The first and biggest way that we can express our love is by accepting His gift of salvation.
Another way to express our love for Christ is in giving our lives over to Him.
Put yourselves in the same position as the people in Jerusalem.
On a personal basis, would Jesus Christ, Jesus your Messiah, Jesus the God-anointed King and ruling Monarch of the Universe, say that you are obedient? Do you live out his two primary commands of loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and of loving your neighbor as yourself? Is Christ-like love modeled between you and the various members of your household? Would Jesus say, “Yes, the advancement of my kingship is your top priority, that’s obvious to me!” Or is it priority number two? Three maybe? Lower? And just where do his desires for the world fit into what drives you?
Have you taken time recently to sit at Jesus’ feet like Mary did, and have him sort things out for you? Maybe all the activities and responsibilities of life have been coming at you so fast you haven’t had a chance to think much about important spiritual matters like your King and his kingship. Well, one of the roles of the church is to help you do that.
I would like to give you a gift of quiet. Several hours would be best, but that’s something you will need to schedule for yourself. This week, in anticipation of Easter, is certainly an appropriate time to do that, if you can arrange your days accordingly. If you need a place of quiet, you can always come back here to the sanctuary. This service will just get your thinking started.