John 12:12-26
Notes
Transcript
vv 12-16) The triumphal entry
vv 12-16) The triumphal entry
[Daniels prophecy]
Jesus would be surrounded by sheep going to Jerusalem to be slaughtered.
Jesus being to most important Passover Lamb.
What sticks out here to you?
They are treating Jesus as a king. Palm branches were a symbol of Jewish nationalism since the time of the Maccabees.
Palm-branches figured in the procession which celebrated the rededication of the temple in 164 bc (2 Maccabees 10:7) and again when the winning of full political independence was celebrated under Simon in 141 bc (1 Maccabees 13:51).
Later, palms appeared as national symbols on the coins struck by the Judean insurgents during the first and second revolts against Rome (66-77 ad and 132-135 ad).
Palm branches are a token of rest and peace after sorrow.
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,
“Hosanna!” is a cry a plea that means “save now.”
This large, enthusiastic crowd greeted Jesus with words from the Messianic passage in Psalms.
Save us, we pray, O Lord!
O Lord, we pray, give us success!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
It seems that the crowd thought of Jesus as sent by God to save them from Roman cruelty and to give them rest and peace after the sorrow of their long years of Gentile oppression.
That is why they were calling him the King of Israel. Jesus posed no threat to the Romans after all he didn’t even have an army.
This crowd is looking to Jesus as a political and national savior, but not so much as a spiritual savior.
[14-15] Jesus rode into the city on a young donkey, a common mode of transportation. More than that, however, the Lord was fulfilling prophecy in riding ing this manner.
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.
Two things are clearly being taking place. One prophecy, the second being a demonstration of the character of His kingdom.
It was a spiritual kingdom, not a military kingdom. He came in peace, not war.
The donkey was not normally used by a warlike person. It was the animal of a man of peace, a priest, a merchant or the like.
It could also be used by a person of importance but in connection with peaceable purposes.
A conqueror would ride into the city on a war horse, or perhaps march in on foot at the head of his troops.
The daughter of Zion is a figurative expression referring to the Jewish people, Zion being a hill in the city of Jerusalem.
[16] The disciples didn’t see the correlation between what Jesus was doing and the prophecy spoken of in Zechariah.
But after Jesus ascended into heaven and was seated at the right hand of the Father, it dawned on the disciples that these events were fulfillment of the Scriptures.
vv 17-19) The dismay of the leaders
vv 17-19) The dismay of the leaders
[17-18] In the crowd were those that watched Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead. These told others around them that this One riding on the colt was the same One who had brought Lazarus back to life again.
As the report of this sign spread, a great many people came out to see Jesus. Unfortunately, their motive was curiosity rather than true faith.
After all One who could summon a dead man back to life would certainly be able to deliver the people from the yoke of Caesar.
[19] The Pharisees were beside themselves. Nothing they could say or do had the slightest effect. The popularity of Jesus was offensive to them.
I don’t know about you, but it makes me happy to see the enemies of Jesus frustrated.
The Pharisees were of course exaggerating, yet these words echo the prophetic word from Caiaphas earlier:
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.”
They did not realize that the interest of the crowd was but a passing thing, and that those who really were willing to worship Jesus as the Son of God were very few.
vv 20-23) The Greeks
vv 20-23) The Greeks
[20] Because we are not told the background of these Greeks we are not a 100% sure why they are in Jerusalem.
A strong possibility is that they are converts to Judaism.
They may have been Greek God-fearers, those who had great respect for Judaism but didn’t convert and become circumcised.
They could have simply been Greek travelers, known for their curiosity.
What is also incredible about these greeks is their curiosity. The final salvation of the soul often originates, under God, in a principle of simple curiosity.
There have been many who only wished to see or hear a man who speaks much of Jesus, His miracles, and His mercies; and in hearing have felt the powers of the world to come, and have become genuine converts to the truths of the Gospel.
On this occasion the Greek’s curiosity about Jesus may have stirred simply because everyone was talking about Him. There is a possibility that this could have bee na more special reason too.
Between verses 19 and 20 a day or two had elapsed: Jesus was no longer on the road to Jerusalem, but teaching daily in the temple. and according to Mark:
And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”
Jesus had expelled the traders and moneychangers from the outer court- in order that the place might fulfill its divinely ordained purpose of being “a house of prayer for all the nations’
these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.”
Did these Greeks recognize this action as having been undertaken in the interests of Gentiles like themselves who, when they came up to worship the true God, had to confine themselves to the outer court?
[21] I find it interesting that they would go to Philip to ask for an audience with Jesus. The one disciple with a Greek name.
“Sire, we wish to see Jesus” No one who has this sincere desire in his heart is ever turned away unrewarded!
[22] It seems strange, but perhaps Philip was not too sure as to whether the Lord would see these men. Christ had perviously told the disciples not to go to the Gentiles with the gospel.
[23] At least twice before Jesus said that the time was not ready:
And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.
HE took this seeking interest of Gentiles as the signal that now the hour has finally come that the Son of Man should be glorified.
It seems like in this Gospel John means for us to understand that this contact with the Greeks unshed in the climax… Jesus sees it as evidence that His mission has reached its height and that he is now to die for the world, Greeks included.
We do not see Jesus respond to these seekers, but He would on the other side of the cross. If humanity was to receive new life in God the Son, then Jesus must die first.
vv 24-26) Why Jesus is willing to face death
vv 24-26) Why Jesus is willing to face death
“Truly truly” the equivalent to, “pay close attention to what i’m about to say.”
Seed never produces grain until first it falls onto the ground and dies. The Lord Jesus here referred to Himself asa grain of wheat.
If He did not die, He would abide alone. He would enjoy the glories of heaven by Himself; there would be no saved sinners there to share His glory. But if He died, He would provide a way of salvation by which many might be saved.
This same principle applies to us as well, as T.G. Ragland says:
“If we refuse to be wheat- falling onto the ground, and dying; if we will neither sacrifice prospects, nor risk character, and property, and health; nor when we are called, relinquish home, and break family ties, for Christ’s sake; them we shall abide alone. but if we wish to be fruitful, we must follow our Blessed Lord Himself, by becoming wheat, and dying, then we shall bring forth much fruit.”
Before there can be resurrection power and fruitfulness, there must be death.
[25] What do you think verse 25 is telling us?
We are called to hate our lives not in the sense that we disregard it, but in the sense that we freely give it up for God.
Our life is precious to us, especially because it is something we can give to Jesus.
Many people think that the important things in life are food, clothing, and pleasure. They live for those things. But in thus loving their lives, they fail to realize that the soul is more important than the body.
By neglecting what the soul needs they lose their lives. On the other hand, there are those who count all thing loss for Christ.
To serve Him, they forego things highly prized among men. These are the people who will keep their lives for eternal life.
We are to disregard our life in this world. seeing instead that we are mere pilgrims and sojourners, with home in heaven instead of earth.
These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
To hate one’s life means to love Christ more than one loves his own interests.
[26] What does it mean to follow Jesus?
To be a Christian is to serve Jesus, to follow Him. It doesn’t mean that you stop working your job or caring for your family or studying at school. It means that you do all that as a servant of Jesus, a disciple of Christ.
“All of you who would have Christ as your Savior, that you must be willing to serve him. We are not saved by service, but we are saved to service.” -Spurgeon
Jesus described the servant as one who wanted to be where Jesus is. This isn’t forced slavery where the servant wants to be free from the master. This is a chosen, willing serving that simply wants to be close to the Master.
The word “where I am” refers, not to the place of our Lord at that moment, but to His essential, true place:
Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
In the glory of the Father.
“If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him” This is one of the most remarkable promises in scripture. It is remarkable promise. The reward for serving Jesus is to receive honor from God the Father.
The honor is both reward and recognition. Whatever one suffers of shame or reproach here will be small indeed compared to the glory of being publicly commended by God the Father in heaven!