Palm Sunday

Intro:

We are familiar enough with the events of Holy Week. It begins with what we are reflecting upon today: Palm Sunday. Many of us know that it is called Palm Sunday because people waved palm branches as Jesus rode on a donkey into Jerusalem. We may not be completely clear on the significance of the palm branches, or the donkey or the nature of the people’s rejoicing, but we at least know that the Easter holiday in the local church begins with Palm Sunday.

Today, we will consider John’s account of the events of Palm Sunday, but we will also consider the reaction of not just the Jewish people who were in Jerusalem that day, but also others who were there. And, what is particularly important for us to see today is what Jesus declares about Himself and anyone who claims to be a follower of Him in the wake of the events of Palm Sunday.

But before we go there, I want us to know something. The crowd that was in Jerusalem this particular day was massive. Millions. The Feast of the Passover was being celebrated. A big day to be sure. And when Jesus came into Jerusalem, to say the people were excited would have been an understatement. The crowd went into a frenzy. They had certain expectations of Jesus’ arrival that day, and the thought of those expectations coming into fruition made them hysterical.

But in a short period of time, the excitement faded. The enthusiasm diminished. And the same people who were waving their palm branches and crying out Hosanna, became disappointed. They, in fact rejected Jesus. What happened?

We are going to think through the events of Palm Sunday, but here’s what happened after Jesus arrived in the city. Knowing what was going to happen very soon, Jesus said this:

John 12:27–29 ESV

“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”

Jesus was troubled because He knew the time of His torture and execution was soon approaching, and He even prays to the Father that He be spared from what was approaching, but Jesus was resolute in His priority that God would be glorified. And the father makes clear that He has been and is being and will be glorified. The people around Jesus, when the Father responded to Him, were frightened but didn’t understand what was going on.

Then Jesus makes this clear:

John 12:30–32 ESV

Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

What’s Jesus talking about here? What the father just said was not said for the benefit of Jesus. Jesus knew all of that. he understood. But the people were ignorant of the truth. Satan will be defeated and Jesus will be successful. He will bring His people to Himself through what is about to unfold. And what is that?

John 12:33–34 ESV

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?”

The idea that the Messiah, the Christ, would experience death was not one the crowd was willing to believe. They wanted the Messiah to be a warrior who would rescue them from their oppression. They wanted Him too solve their problems and give them a life of peace and prosperity. Perhaps this was a desire for what is often called the prosperity gospel today. And now that Jesus has said what He said to this once excited, celebratory crowd, they were asking, who is this Son of Man. Who is the Messiah.

They had the wrong expectations, and when their expectations of Jesus were not fulfilled:

John 12:37 ESV

Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him,

John goes on to quote Isaiah’s prophecy which makes clear that the people’s unbelief was not unexpected. It wasn’t a surprise. It was according to God’s design.

Church, you and I were not there on that first Palm Sunday. We are not under the kind of oppression that the Romans perpetrated against Israel. We’re not waving palm branches today. But I wonder if the expectations we have of God, that is, the expectations we have of Jesus the Messiah are biblical expectations.

FCF: We can have expectations of Jesus that are not informed by Jesus.

Much of our disappointments in life exist because of misinformed expectations. Now, to be sure, it is right to express our struggles to God. Our disappointments to God. We see this in the Psalms. For example:

Psalm 42:9 ESV

I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

David felt like God forgot about Him because of the intense oppression of his enemy, but he did not loose sight of the truth. His oppression was not evidence of God’s absence. God was still His rock. But the misinformed expectation here could have been that God does not allow His people to be oppressed. That expectation is not biblically justified.

God does not allow for serious illness

mistreatment from others

difficulty in marriage

struggle with temptation

It is wrong to expect that God will provide exactly what we want, when we want it and how we want it.

And what can lead to misinformed expectations is unbelief. At the very least wrong priorities.

By the way, speaking of wrong priorities among those who believe, Christians, look what John says:

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.

They believed in Jesus, believed He was Messiah, but because they could possibly be excluded from the synagogue, they did not make their belief known. This was ultimately so, John explains, because they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

Big Idea

Our expectations of Jesus must be informed by Jesus

Another way to put this is that our expectations of Jesus must be biblically justified.

This is critically important. If we have expectations of the Savior that are not biblically justified, we will live under the burden of confusion and disappointment and error.

AQ: What are the right expectations of Jesus?

That He reigns (14-15)

What is the nature of His reign?

Sovereign (14)

He was fulfilling prophecy here: Zech. 9:9-11. We’ll look at this soon.

Active fulfillment of prophecy: he arranged for His transportation

Another example of active fulfillment of prophecy:

Luke 4:18–21 ESV

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Peaceful (14)

a donkey not a horse

they wanted Jesus to lead an insurrection

Jesus came as a King of peace

The people thought their greatest need was delivery from oppression.

That Jesus’ reign is peaceful does not suggest tat we will not experience hardship. But in the midst of hardship, those who follow Jesus will have peace. A peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7)

What do you and I require for peace? In what do we trust for peace. Is the fact that Jesus reigns and that his reign is a peaceful reign enough?

Isaiah 31:1–3 ESV

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord! And yet he is wise and brings disaster; he does not call back his words, but will arise against the house of the evildoers and against the helpers of those who work iniquity. The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall, and they will all perish together.

Our peace is not obtained through human efforts. We have peace, even in the midst of the darkest, most oppressive times as a result of the peace granted to us by our King of peace.

What’s the nature of Christ’s reign?

Redemptive (15)

Let’s look at the broader context Zechariah’s prophecy that Jesus is fulfilling here.

Zechariah 9:9–11 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. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

war will cease (9-10a)

the nations will enjoy this peace as well (10b)

liberty will be granted through His blood

the celebration was Passover

Jesus is on His way to the cross

Our expectations of Jesus must be informed by Jesus

What are the right expectations of Jesus?

That He is worthy of our celebration (12-13; 16-19)

Why do we celebrate Jesus?

Because He is benevolent (13)

Palm branches associated with the feast of tabernacles which celebrated the fact that God had provided shelter for Israel in the wilderness.

Here, during Passover, people are celebrating the provision of the Messiah, and are waving Palm branches to celebrate this provision. It was right to celebrate the Messiah, but again, their expectation was wrong.

They thought Jesus came as a liberator not a Savior

The feasts that the Jewish people celebrated, celebrate the provisions of God. The fact that God is benevolent.

Passover: providing for a way to avoid the judgement of God by the blood of the sacrifice

First Fruits: providing fertility to the ground so it would provide the crops needed

But for us, that is, the church today. God provided a Savior who made it possible to be forgiven of our sins. A Savior who died in our place, taking on our penalty for our sin and rose from the dead. We now have His victory. God is benevolent.

Why celebrate Jesus

Because He saved his people from their sins (13)

Hosanna = give salvation now. Jesus did this, but not in the way they were asking. he did so much more.

O.T. Roots

Psalm 118:25 ESV

Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success!

This was part of the Hallel (Psalm 113-118) and was sung each morning during the feast of Tabernacles (7 days long). Each morning the men and boys would wave lulabes (shoots of willow and myrtle tied together with palm, and when the choir reached the Hosanna (save us) in Psalm 118:25, they would wave their lulabes, which were often referred to as hosannas.

Church, we have been given salvation. For those of us who have embraced Jesus by faith we have salvation because Jesus gave it to us through His redemptive work on the cross and through His resurrection.

The crowds in Jerusalem on this first Palm Sunday may not have been crying out for salvation from their sins, but this is what is needed. If you have not recognized Jesus as the one true living Savior, the only One who can forgive your sins, this is your greatest need. Cry out to Him. Hosanna! Give salvation now! And Christian, you and I have been saved from our sins. Praise God.

Why celebrate Jesus?

Because He came and is coming again(13)

Notice the end of v. 13: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.

This quotes

Psalm 118:26 ESV

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.

Difference here is Psalm 118 does not even the King of Israel

Originally a blessing pronounced on pilgrims who were heading up to Jerusalem.

But here is John 12, the people are connecting this word of Blessing to the King of Israel. This is a messianic declaration. They are recognizing Jesus to the the Messiah. He’s the One they’ve been waiting for. He came, but they failed to understand why he came. The Messiah did not come to lead an insurrection against Rome. He came for the purpose declared in the announcement of birth: He will save His people from their sins. This is what makes the first coming of Jesus the most wonderful event in the history of the world. He came, as the Messiah, and Messiah’s mission was always to save sinners.

But church, Jesus is coming again. And do you know that in connection with His 2nd return, we’ll see, in fact, those of us who are in Christ now, we ourselves will be doing something what this crowd was doing in Jerusalem?

If you have one of those palm crosses that we handed out today, take a look at it as I read the following verses:

Revelation 7:9–10 ESV

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

white robes: unstained from sin

palm branches: celebrating God’s provision of our Messiah

Worshiping our King and our Savior

All because Jesus died in our place on the cross and rose from the dead

Why celebrate Jesus?

Because He is risen (16-19)

2 crowds here

Crowd #1: those who were with Jesus when He called Lazarus out of the tomb

They continued to bear witness. in other words, they kept talking about the fact that Jesus brought Lazarus out of the tomb.

The resurrection of Lazarus is not the only connection to the resurrection of Jesus here. To the fact that He is risen.

Notice v. 16: when Jesus was glorified. when was this? The crucifixion and resurrection

John 2:22 ESV

When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Similar to what is said here in v. 16

Crowd #2: the Pharisees

you see that you are gaining nothing = this is getting us nowhere

the world has gone after Him

World in John is often used to refer to unbelieving people

Ironically, the Pharisees’ recognition that people are going after Jesus is further substantiated by the fact that some Greeks desire to meet Him (v. 20).

Even more ironically, the Pharisees’ concern that the world was going after Jesus, was not as an immediate concern as they thought because john makes clear later that the overwhelming response to Jesus was unbelief (see Jn 12:37)

Jews and gentiles were going after Jesus. But as Jesus declares that He will suffer die and rise again, these same people will reject Him.

This is when Jesus was to be glorified, and this is when it would click for His disciples. The resurrection made all the difference. And this is true today. Jesus is alive, and while some reject Him, it is because He is risen, that we should celebrate Him.

Our expectations of Jesus must be informed by Jesus

What should we expect of Jesus?

That He overcomes the barriers between Himself and His people (20-22)

Not clear who the Greeks were. Not necessarily Greece.

Gentiles from the Greek-speaking world

Could have been converts to Judaism and were there in Jerusalem to worship with the Jews

Or could have participated in worshipping in the Jewish festivals without converting to Judaism

When it came to Gentiles worshipping in Jewish festivals, their were limits during Jesus’ day.

Warning signs were posted on the walls that separated the inner courts and outer courts of the Temple. The outer courts of the Gentiles.

Paul referred to this dividing wall as the wall of hostility in Eph. 2:14.

Ephesians 2:14 ESV

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility

It has always been that both Jew and Gentile would become God’s people, and Jesus, through His redemptive work, broke down the dividing wall of hostility. Anyone who went beyond the wall that shouldn’t have was killed. But Jesus, though His death, broke that wall down.

What the Pharisees said in v. 19, despite the fact that they did not know it, was very profound. They essentially said they were not getting anywhere in discouraging people from interacting with Jesus. And notice what they said at the end of v. 19: the world has gone after Him

By the world, the Pharisees mean everyone.... everyone in Jerusalem, including the Gentiles .

World, in John, usually refers to everyone who is lost and in rebellion against God. For example John 3:16, 17.

The mission of Jesus was to save the world, and what demonstrates the intent of His mission is the fact that some Greeks wanted to see Jesus.

Who were, in Jesus’ day, considered unlikely followers of the Messiah, but in fact became followers of Jesus. This offers hope for those people for whom we have been praying for years to trust Christ as Savior. Jesus overcame the walls between Himself and His people.

Our expectations of Jesus must be informed by Jesus

What should we expect of Jesus?

For Him to transform His people (23-26)

It’s not clear if Jesus ended up meeting with the Greeks who inquired about seeing Him.

His response to their request (coming to Him through Philip and Andrew)

Up to this point the hour that is the appointed time of His death has been future

John 7:30 ESV

So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.

Now, Jesus says, the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. In other words, the appointed time has arrived of His death has arrived.

Then in v. 24, He illustrates what His death will do. Just like a kernel of wheat must die in order to produce a harvest, Jesus must die to bring forth the harvest of His people.

Yes, the wall of hostility was demolished through the death of Jesus. No person is excluded from the kingdom of God because of anything about a person. Who is part of the Kingdom is determined by the sovereignty of God alone.

The veil that separated people and God in the temple will be torn in 2 upon the death of Jesus.

This is what Christ accomplished. And notice the result in vss 25-26.

To love our lives, here, is to prioritize our own ambition, priorities, affections and reject God’s sovereignty and the reality that we all need a Savior and that we are lost when we do not submit to our Savior.

The bottom line is in v. 26. Serving Jesus means we will follow Jesus. Serving Jesus means obeying Jesus. Replacing self with Jesus.

Just like Jesus’ crucifixion was the path to His glorification, so the believer’s dying to self is the path to vindication. That’s why Jesus says at the end of v. 26, if anyone serves me, the Father will honor Him.

Our expectations of Jesus must be informed by Jesus

What should we expect of Jesus?

That He reigns

That He is worthy of our celebration

That He breaks down the barriers between Himself and His followers

That He transforms His people