Who is This King of Glory?

Erik Weihenmayer

Eric Weihenmayer was 30 years old when he scaled Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. The difference between him and other climbers is he suffers from a rare retina disease that completely blinded him by the time he was 13 years old. He is the first person, and one of two people, to ever climb Mount Everest blind. It is a rare feet and his courage is commendable.

When Eric Weihenmayer reached the summit of Mount Everest, he had only minutes to take in the experience because of an approaching storm. Though he enjoyed a great deal of sanctification in his accomplishment, there was still a piece of the experience missing. he could not behold the majesty of beholding the glory of God’s creation from the summit of the top of the world. He was in the presence of glory. He could recognize what he did was glorious and where he was standing was glorious, but he could truly see the gory for himself, or just how profound that experience truly was.

It appears the same thing is happening in John 12:12-20. Jesus is getting ready to enter Jerusalem. The crowd has gathered with palm branches. The are laying their cloaks on the road crying out,

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!”

They are ready to anoint Jesus king of Israel and follow him as he leads Israel to overcome her enemies. The religious leaders are beside themselves. They do not see what the crowd sees. They see an instigator revolutionary who is stirring up Israel to forsake her traditions. He’s pathetic. for crying out loud, he riding into Jerusalem on a donkey with 12 misfits at his side. Hardly an army or a king.

Even the disciples are confused about Jesus.

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 did not comprehend the significance of what was happening. They believed much like the crowd, that Jesus was a political Messiah king. They did not understand the nature of his true kingship. It was like the disciples, the crowd, and the religious leaders were standing on the summit of Mount Everest, blind.

John shows us that

Jesus is the Sovereign, Majestic, Meek King who will unite heaven and earth through His resurrection.

Entering Jerusalem

John 12:12 ESV

The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.

The feast refers to the Passover. This is the third time John refers to the Passover in His gospel. The passover points to the Lamb who would shed his blood for the sins of His people. John is cluing us into the reality that Jesus is entering Jerusalem to die.

You will notice they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives is the place Jesus did a great deal of ministry, and it is the place the Messiah will return.

Zechariah 14:4 ESV

On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward.

Zechariah is speaking about the Day of the Lord, when the Messiah returns to gather His people and restore the earth. At the cross Jesus is fulfilling part of that prophecy. He is going to the cross to first bring victory over death and be able to save a people for himself. One day he will come back and finish the work. We are living in an already not yet time.

Jerusalem is the city of God. It is the city where God had chosen to meet his people on earth in the temple.

The Temple

The temple is a sacred place where heaven and earth meet in sanctity and communion between God and man. The temple does not begin with Solomon or Israel in the wilderness. The story of the temple begins in the Garden of Eden.

When God created the heavens and the earth and made man in his image, he also made a special garden for man and God to dwell together. The garden was a sanctuary. There was no death, nor destruction, or disease, nor deformity or evil. Only perfection. A holy God dwelling in harmony with his holy creation and holy image bearers, Adam and Eve. The Garden was the fulfillment of God’s desire to dwell with man. Unfortunately, man broke communion with God through his disobedience.

Adam and Eve decided to deliberately transgress God’s command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In doing this, unity with God and the serenity they enjoyed was lost. God cursed creation and he kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden. Their sin forever separated them from a holy God. Their separation was so intact that God stationed cherubim, and a flaming whirling sword east of the garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life. The flaming sword is an instrument of death. No one was allowed back into the presence of God.

God was not done with humanity. God still desired to dwell with his people. In Genesis 12, God calls Abram and promises him land, seed, and blessing. God makes a covenant with him promising to build a great nation from Abram’s children, a people he will call his own. God promised him land where his people will dwell in the safety of his refuge and the holiness of his law. God also said that his people will be a blessing to all the nations and that the nations will come to a special place to worship and know God. This special place was Jerusalem, more specifically, the temple.

The temple was massive, and it had separations. It had an outer courtyard for the gentiles to gather. The inner courtyard was reserved for the priests and those making sacrifices. There was an inner room called the holy of hollies. The Holy of Holies was the most sacred room of any place on earth. The high priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies once a year only after completing a rigid purification process to be ceremonially clean. The sacrifice he made was for the atonement of the sins of all the people. The bible says that without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9) for life is in the blood. The priest never entered the Holy of Hollies without the blood of a perfect sacrifice.

The problem is, there was never a perfect sacrifice. No animal’s blood could sufficiently deal with man’s sinful heart. Israel failed at keeping the law, so much so, God had to exile them from his presence twice. Solomon’s temple was razed to the ground by the Babylonians in 586 B.C, symbolizing God’s absence from the land and his people. A second temple was built 70 years later at the same site, as Ezra chronicles, but to a lesser glory than Solomon’s. At the completion of the second temple, there is a bi-polar response by God’s people. The younger generation rejoices while, the older generation lamented because God’s fullness was not entirely felt or seen. There was something missing. The new temple was not like the old temple. It was less glorious. Over time, the temple became even more less glorious because the presence of God was absent. But as Jesus made his was toward Jerusalem, God was about to enter the temple once again. This time it will not be in his Shekinah glory, but as a Sovereign, Majestic, Meek King who will unite heaven and earth.

What glory are the crowd, disciples, and religious leaders missing?

The glory of His sovereignty (John 12:12-13)

Mark tells us how the donkey enters the picture in

John 12:14 ESV

And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,

In Mark 11:2-7, Jesus tells his disciples where they can find a young donkey which no one has ever ridden. He explains that if someone asks you what you are doing, tell them that the Lord needs it and will send it back right away. Of course, the disciples go and find the colt just as Jesus said, and someone is standing there ready to ask them what they are doing with the young donkey.

Jesus is LORD

One of the keywords for us in seeing Jesus’ sovereignty is the word “Lord.” Lord can mean master in the human sense, but it is often used to describe Jesus’ divine authority. Jesus refers to himself this way when he says he is the “Lord of the Sabbath” in Mark 2:28. Further on, Jesus quotes Psalm 110:1, referring to David calling the Messiah “Lord” (Mark 12:36-37).

Jesus has shown his sovereignty elsewhere with his disciples. Jesus tells Peter to catch a fish with a coin in its mouth to pay the temple tax (Matthew 27:24-27). Jesus predicts his arrest, death, and resurrection three times (Mark 10). He stills the storms, feeds the hungry, and heals the sick. Jesus is the sovereign Lord.

This is beautiful in my eyes because Jesus knows exactly what he is getting into by entering Jerusalem and going into the temple. Jesus’ entrance to Jerusalem was no accident or an attempt of a revolutionary leader to spark a revolt. Entering Jerusalem was all part of God’s sovereign plan.

After the cross, Peter explains Jesus was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God

Acts 2:23 ESV

this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

Foreknowledge in this text is not a looking onto the future to see what is going to happen. It is a predetermined plan. Peter clarifies this when he says “according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.”

Jesus was aware of this plan entering Jerusalem. he told his disciples his hour was coming, and it now had arrived. He was not caught of guard by the crucifixion. He was sovereign over it.

This is an important truth for you this morning. The church is walking into a time of persecution, no different than what Jesus walked into when he entered Jerusalem.

This last week Oral Roberts University made the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA tournament. Hemel jhaveri, an editor and columnist for USA Today wrote a piece criticizing the NCAA for allowing Oral Roberts University to pay in the tournament. She lambasted the universities stance on marriage and its “anti-LGBTQ+” language. She goes so far as to say this:

“That Oral Roberts wants to keep its students tied to toxic notions of fundamentalism that fetishize chastity, abstinence and absurd hemlines is a larger cultural issue that can be debated. What is not up for debate however is their anti-LGBTQ+ stance, which is nothing short of discriminatory and should expressly be condemned by the NCAA.” Hemel Jhaveri USA Today

She goes on to say

“Often, athletic accomplishments and victories on the court make up for moral failings all the time. In this case though, whatever the Oral Roberts men’s basketball team manages to do on the court can’t obscure the dangerous and hateful ideology of its core institution.” Hemel Jhaveri USA Today

As the Family Research Council points out,

“she make the case that Christians like these kids shouldn't even be allowed to compete...If you follow her logic to its natural conclusion, this isn't just about sports. If orthodox Christians don't belong in basketball, why should they be allowed in business, entertainment, education, government, or medicine? If Christianity behind closed doors, on private property, in a private school, is now a target of outrage, where do you draw the line?” FRC

The culture is growing increasingly indignant toward Christians. Jhaveri turned the comment section off of her page for this piece. She canceled any push back from any other voice and was never reprimanded for her “opinion.” Oddly enough she was fired this week from USA Today. She was fired because she made a false statement about the mass shooter in Colorado, not because of her bigotry toward Christians.

Jesus does not enter Jerusalem as some unknowing victim. We do not serve a victim Messiah. We serve a sovereign Lord who voluntarily laid his life down at the Father’s sovereign will and arose by the same sovereign will.

John 10:17–18 ESV

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

You need to know that Jesus is gloriously sovereign because when persecution hits the church, it will look like He is small, insignificant, vulnerable, just like he looked riding a donkey into Jerusalem. Nothing was further from the truth.

The glory of His humble majesty (John 12:13-16)

Jesus riding on a donkey does not appear king like in our eyes, but it is actually a subtle clue of His kingliness. The humble donkey is a clue to the kind of glory missed by the everyone involved.Theologian James Edwards explains,

“The commandeering of a beast of burden was the prerogative of a king in ancient times, and this, too, suggests Jesus’ kingly role. An unbroken beast of burden was regarded as sacred (so Num 19:2; Deut 21:3), which made it appropriate for a king, since according to the Mishnah (m. Sanh. 2:5) no one else may ride a king’s horse.” Furthermore, riding a donkey (contrary to what we think today) was a kingly act which identified him with the royal line of David. (The donkey was a royal animal during King David’s reign. After him, the Hebrew kings switched to horses, and the donkey was considered unsuited to the dignity of kings.) Jesus being the Son of David rode a donkey just as David did.

Jesus is fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy

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.

It was also common practice in this culture to lay palm branches and cloaks as a king was entering into a city. To add to the display of royalty, the people cried out “Hosanna” which is transliterated Hebrew word that literally means, “Save, I pray” as they would a King, and they are chanting “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” which is a reference to Psalm 118:24-25, which is a Messianic Psalm. Luke replaces the pronoun “he” with the word “king,” “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord (Luke 19:38). Who is this king?

Mark 11:10 ESV

Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

The King who is coming to Jerusalem on a donkey is the King promised from our Father David!

The people were literally saying, “Save us, Jesus! Save us!” which is precisely what Jesus came to do, however, not the way the people anticipated. They were blind to the glory His true majesty!

They were looking for a king who would lead a revolt over the Romans. They laid palm branches down thinking he as their nationalistic warrior king who would deliver them from Rome. They were confused about Jesus’ true kingship. They too were standing at the summit of his glory, blind.

Yes Jesus is a King, a beautiful sovereign King. However, his is also the Suffering Servant who must lay his life down for his people in order to bring peace and his reign forever. The cross is the greatest display of his humble majesty. Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of man. He is both Sovereign King and Humble Servant.

He is going into battle for the salvation of His people, for all people. Notice in verse 20, the Greeks show up. John is showing us the nations are present at the crucifixion. Jesus would deliver both Jew and gentile, both Israel and Rome on the cross.

The glory of His victory (John 12:17-19)

When kings would ride into town after a victory, it would be filled with a lot of pomp and glamour. The king would be lifted up on a horse or moving throne. His enemies would be paraded before the city and his army would follow taking in the cheers to the kings subjects.

Jesus riding into town with 12 disciples and no enemies defeated does not play the part of a victorious king. As a matter of fact, after the crowd fizzles Jesus is captured a few days later and is crucified on a cross next to two criminals. There is nothing about him that looks victorious. But John gives us a couple of clues that Jesus is a victorious resurrected King.

We are clued into Jesus’ resurrection at two points in John’s text. The first is subtle

John 12:17 ESV

The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness.

John mentions the group who saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead. This was a profound miracle. Verse 18 seems to indicate they were almost expecting some thing similar to happen.

The second clue is

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 remember the significance of the triumphal entry only after Jesus is glorified. Glorified is a reference to Jesus’s state after he was raised from the dead. John is cluing us in that Jesus is going to die on the cross and be raised from the dead!

When Jesus enters Jerusalem a second time, he comes in a new glorified body that that will never die again. He comes with those who have been resurrected from the dead and given new resurrected bodies. He comes victorious over death and Satan able to give eternal life to all who will believe in him. he comes into Jerusalem ready to ascend into heaven and pour out his Spirit on all who believe, sealing their salvation forever. But we know that battle is not over yet. Jesus is coming back once again.

Jesus will return as a Conqueror King (Revelation 19:11-16)

Revelation 19:11–16 ESV

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

When he comes back the second time, he will not be on a donkey, but on a horse. He will come with his army and will defeat every foe. He will march his enemies through the streets showing his sovereign rule over death and Satan and all who rejected Him. He will cast them into the lake of fire for all eternity. Then he will sit down with his saints and have a celebration meal as we ready to live forever in His new resurrected and glorified kingdom.

Christian, on this side of the cross, we stand at the summit of Christ’s glory with our eyes wide open! We behold the sovereign, majestic,resurrected King of Glory! Furthermore, we are anticipating him to come back, not on a donkey, but on a white horse wearing a robe bearing his name: The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!