Jesus The King

Have you ever expected something, didn’t get it and then got mad that your expectation wasn’t met?

Only to find out the thing you wanted was short sighted and what you actually got was even better.

Here’s an example from my own life.

In 2015, I graduated with my Bachelor’s in Biblical Studies from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Tx.

I knew that I needed further training.

I knew that I needed to continue school.

And so we had planned to move to NC to attend Seminary.

But as we were putting all our ducks in a row and getting ready to move by the end of that Summer, I was certain that there was a church that needed my help in NC.

I was absolutely certain that Jesus needed me so that his mission could be accomplished in NC.

So I had every expectation that with my Bachelor’s Degree in hand people would be knocking down my door to serve their church.

I would have no shortage of opportunities to be a pastor of some sort.

I had already got my degree and NC was calling.

Then we get out there and no one was interested in hiring me as a pastor.

Mind you I had a degree, but I had 0 experience as a pastor in any capacity.

So when we got to NC, after a few months of looking, I kinda gave up.

I started waiting tables again. Just so we could pay the bills.

But I was frustrated at God.

I was frustrated that I couldn’t use the gifts and education that God had called me to.

I was frustrated that we moved half way across the country and I was doing the same thing there that I was doing before we moved.

Waiting Tables and Going to school.

What I failed to see, before God opened my eyes to it, was that I needed some humbling.

I was too arrogant and entitled.

God had to humble me a bit.

And I didn’t like it.

God had a different plan.

He saw a different path.

And surprise, Surprise, his plan and path were better.

That’s what we are going to look at this morning.

The Jewish people had an Idea of what the coming Messiah would look like.

They believed he would be a powerful and kingly man that came to save Israel.

They were looking for a nationalistic Messiah.

And some of them believed Jesus was that Messiah.

That he was going to be that king to save and restore Israel.

To lead them to independence.

To free them from the Roman Empire.

And be sure, Jesus is a powerful and kingly man, but his mission is greater than to save and restore Israel.

His mission is greater than one nation.

He came to save the world.

He came to free all who would believe.

Jesus wasn’t the Messiah they wanted, but he was the King they needed.

So this morning we are going to look at different responses to King Jesus.

First up, the crowd.

John 12:12–15 CSB

12 The next day, when the large crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 they took palm branches and went out to meet him. They kept shouting: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord—the King of Israel!” 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written: 15 Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion. Look, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt.

Humble King

We looked at last week that there was a buzz in Jerusalem and the surrounding area when it came to Jesus.

People were coming to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and some were hoping to interact with Jesus as well.

And on Jesus’ way to Jerusalem, we read that they took out palm branches to meet him.

Have you ever stopped and wondered about the palm branches.

Why did they wave them?

We are accustom to this story now? The celebration of Palm Sunday is one that happens around the world the Sunday before Easter.

But why did they wave palm branches?

Did you know that Palm branches were an important part of the Feast of Tabernacles, but they were a relatively new addition to Passover.

It was added after the Maccabees cleansed the Temple and restore right worship in Israel.

The context can be lost on us and we can sit here and assume that we understand and know, but the reality is the palm branch was significant to the Israelite people.

The Palm Branch for them was a Nationalistic Symbol for the Jewish People.

Much like our American Flag is for us.

For the crowd, who had heard and some who had seen what Jesus could do they were revitalized with political enthusiasm.

They believed that if Jesus was the Messiah then they could fly their flags high, because the King had returned.

They were ready for political upheaval.

And this waving of Palm branches was one way they demonstrated it.

They were ready to install their own king and rule.

and that is demonstrated by the words they shout.

John 12:13 “They kept shouting: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord—the King of Israel!””

This is a quote from Ps 118, one of the Hallel Psalms and is associated with both the Feast of Tabernacles and Passover.

Hosanna simply means Salvation Now.

The crowd had hope that God had provided his salvation for them Now in the presence of Jesus.

But Jesus is going to shatter their expectations.

John tells us that he finds a young donkey and rides it into town.

A donkey?

When kings and princes would ride into town there would always be a big show.

A lot of pomp and circumstance.

The King wanted to display his wealth, abundance, and prosperity.

Golden Chariots, White Stallions, and abundance and exuberance.

I can help but think of the scene in Aladdin where Prince Ali is coming into town with his parade.

But Not Jesus.

He doesn’t ride in on a White Horse or Golden Chariot.

He comes in on the humblest of animals. A young donkey.

Almost as to paint a picture to the crowd that He’s not going to be what you expect.

John then quotes from Zec 9:9 which prophesies about the savior riding on a donkey.

This riding in on a donkey fully demonstrates the Person and work of Jesus.

The humility he demonstrated was great.

He ruled the universes and but came to earth and rode a donkey.

One of the things we can see from the crowds reaction is that it’s easy to get Jesus’ mission and motives wrong.

They wanted a king to restore Israel.

He came to break the curse of sin and death.

He came to establish his kingdom.

And let’s not get to arrogant and think that we don’t do the same thing.

The reality is the kingdom he will establish may be different from the kingdom many believers want him to establish.

Here’s what we need to realize Jesus’ scope and mission is greater than any single nation.

In fact, Jesus’ kingdom is going to outlast every other kingdom that ever existed.

Since Jesus came, died, and rose again 2000 years nations have crumbled.

But the church, God’s Kingdom, has survived.

The Roman Empire, responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus, lay in ruins.

God doesn’t need earthly kingdoms to accomplish his mission.

He may use them, but he doesn’t need them.

He didn’t need Rome, but he used them.

He doesn’t need America, but he is using them.

He doesn’t need China, but he’s using them.

He doesn’t need _____, but he can use them.

You see God doesn’t bow the knee to kings and countries, nations or empires, but they will all bow the knee to him.

Long After Rome’s Empire fell, God’s Kingdom pushes forward.

Long after Russia and china fall, God’s Kingdom will remain.

Long after America is gone, God’s Kingdom will endure.

Our hope is not on an Earthly Kingdom with an Earthly King.

Our hope is in an Eternal Kingdom with an Eternal King.

That eternal king came and lived a humble life to bring many sons and daughters to glory.

The Eternal Kingdom of God has been and will always be more important than any earthly kingdom.

Our focus should always be more on the kingdom of God than on the things of this world.

We don’t want to make the same expectation error that the crowd did.

Jesus is concerned with his kingdom, his glory, and his people.

He isn’t concerned with saving America, Africa, China, Europe, Russia or Australia.

He is concerned with saving people from the grip of sin and death.

He is concerned with hearts being transformed from stone to flesh.

He is concerned with making for himself a new people born again of the Spirit.

Listen, It’s okay if you don’t get it at first, neither did the disciples.

John 12:16 CSB

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first. However, when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

Delayed Understanding

The disciples had a similar reaction at the time to the crowd.

The disciples who had spent 3 years up to this point with Jesus still didn’t fully see his mission.

There were still hopes that he was going to save Israel.

That he was going to be the Messiah king that would restore their nation.

But after they witnessed the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, things changed for them.

When they finally grasped the scope and scale of Jesus’ mission they finally got it.

They finally saw the beauty of Salvation for all who would believe, not just one nation.

That was God’s plan all along.

To make a new people for himself.

Those focused on and devoted to his kingdom.

When Jesus taught these things the disciples had yet to see him as he was.

We have an advantage. We know the end of the story.

We know what Jesus did.

But for the disciples they were still fleshing it out.

We’ve had 2000 years to figure this Jesus stuff out and we still miss the mark.

Just know that even if you don’t see it now.

It’s there.

Be patient with yourself.

Jesus is bigger and greater than we can even imagine.

Like the disciples, continue to grow, continue to learn, continue to remember.

Next, let’s look at how the religious leaders see what Jesus is doing.

John 12:17–19 CSB

17 Meanwhile, the crowd, which had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify. 18 This is also why the crowd met him, because they heard he had done this sign. 19 Then the Pharisees said to one another, “You see? You’ve accomplished nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!”

Despair at Jesus’ Influence

The Lazarus sign is still going strong in Jerusalem.

Those who were there are still telling people about the impossible sight they witnessed.

And people are believing that Jesus is the Messiah.

That he is the king.

B/c he had done this sign.

They wanted to meet him.

The Religious leaders biggest fear was now happening.

Jesus’ name.

His renown.

His message and signs were spreading further and wider.

No matter how they tried to squash and mitigate Jesus’ influence they couldn’t do it.

They had accomplished nothing that they set out to do.

People were still interested and seeking Jesus.

Here’s the thing no matter how much people try to quiet and squash the truth about Jesus it will never be overpowered.

Just think about it.

The places where there are the most restrictions and consequences for following Jesus are the places where the gospel is spreading like wildfire.

We can’t quiet or overpower God and his kingdom.

No matter how much we try, God’s kingdom is going to move forward.

People are going to be drawn to Jesus.

No matter how much opposition the gospel faces it will never be over taken.

In John 12:19, the Pharisees even speak a prophetic word about what is happening.

They say John 12:19 “...Look, the world has gone after him!””

Again Jesus is not a nationalistic Messiah.

He is a messiah for the whole world.

And in the next few verses we see what the pharisee’s mean by the world going after him.

John 12:20–22 CSB

20 Now some Greeks were among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 So they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested of him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.

The World Comes

In John’s gospel whenever he talks about the world he is demonstrating the inclusiveness of Jesus.

Remember, the Jewish people wanted a Messiah that would save them.

But Jesus came to save the world.

and this is demonstrated by the Greeks going to visit Jesus.

When John refers to the Greeks they aren’t necessarily from Greece rather he just means all non-Jewish people.

These Greeks had come to the festival.

Meaning that they either a) were full converts to Judaism including circumcision for the males, or b) they were God fearers. Meaning they worshipped God but weren’t going to get circumcised.

So these Greeks that went to the festival at least admired the Jewish Religion.

And now they are interested in what this Messiah was saying.

They were intrigued by his message and had probably heard about his ministry.

So they wanted to see Jesus.

And their coming fulfilled what the Pharisee’s had feared.

More people were coming to and interested in Jesus.

And not just Jewish People.

Jesus was now having influence over people from different backgrounds.

Those that had either converted to Judaism or at least admired it were now intrigued by Jesus.

Not only do the Pharisee’s see the coming of the Greeks as a sign, but so does Jesus.

John 12:23–26 CSB

23 Jesus replied to them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit. 25 The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me. Where I am, there my servant also will be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

The Hour Has Come

There is beauty in this statement.

For most of John starting all the way back in chapter 2 Jesus and John both have been telling us that the hour had not come yet.

That it wasn’t time.

And at the sight of the Greeks coming and the heat from the religious leaders, Jesus now tells us the that the hour has come.

This is the definitive turning point in the Gospel.

The climactic sign was Jesus’ raising Lazarus from the dead.

The shift in focus was the Greeks being drawn to Jesus.

That’s when the hour came.

What hour is he speaking about?

What does this mean?

It is the time for him to lay down his life.

It is the hour for him to be glorified.

Jesus is glorified in his death.

“Every clock in the universe was waiting on this hour.”

This wasn’t just the turning point in Jesus’ ministry, but in the whole of the universe.

Jesus’ sole purpose when he came to this earth was to die.

To give us life.

Jesus knew that this time would come.

The alarm clock has sounded.

The chimes are resounding.

And Jesus is now on what can be considered his death march.

This is his final week before his death.

Jesus after announcing that the hour has come then launches into a mini parable about death producing life.

He again appeals to the crowds knowledge of agriculture.

A seed planted in the ground must die to bring forth fruit.

Jesus is paralleling this truth with his own death.

He knows that to produce fruit.

That is to draw people to himself he must die.

That was his sole purpose.

To die so that we may live.

And not only that, but this was the plan from the beginning of time.

Jesus’ death and resurrection wasn’t the back up plan.

From the foundations of the earth God knew that this must happen.

And it was through this obedience and sacrifice that Jesus would be glorified.

But this wasn’t just he pathway to glory.

The glory was in the suffering.

This is to fulfill what Isaiah said some 700 years earlier

Isaiah 52:13 “13 See, my servant will be successful; he will be raised and lifted up and greatly exalted.”

If Jesus had not died sacrificially on the cross then his death would not have been fruitful for anyone but himself, but his sacrifice bore much fruit.

In fact, the reason you are sitting here today is b/c of Jesus’ sacrifice.

And as his followers we are called to follow in his footsteps.

The call of a disciple of Jesus is to live a life like Jesus.

Meaning that our calling is a calling to live sacrificially.

And then Jesus tells us how we can find salvation.

It’s through that same type of death.

As his followers, we are to be like Christ.

And we know it.

We say it.

But do we live it.

Jesus leaves no room for personal interpretation.

John 12.26 “26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me. Where I am, there my servant also will be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”

If we want to serve Jesus. We must follow Jesus.

If we want to be honored by the Father we must serve Jesus.

This verse sounds an awful lot like

Matthew 16.24 -25 “24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it.”

As a culture we are so wrapped up in Individualism.

We think that nothing should get in the way of our own self-expression, self-evaluation or self-fulfillment.

Whether we actually say it or not, many of us believe that the world revolves around me.

That I am the center of the universe and My greatest goal in life is to be happy.

To be fulfilled.

To get whatever I want.

But, and this might sound harsh, there is no room for this type of individualism when following Jesus.

Sure you can keep parts of your personality, but if you want to follow Jesus you are substituting your will, your self-expression, your self-fulfillment for his.

The world doesn’t revolve around you.

Your selfish desires, your selfish deeds, your self-centered world view gets replaced.

It gets replaced with one thing, that is to bring Glory to God.

Which may sound bad, overwhelming, or even evil.

But it’s not.

Because unlike you, God is perfect, holy, and incapable of doing wrong.

You on the other hand, are capable of all kinds of evil.

Not only that, but living a sacrificial life is following Jesus.

Jesus was solely concerned with doing the will of the father.

Of bringing glory, honor, and praise to God.

And if he is to be our example we should be imitating.

We should be following him.

And I don’t want you to think that this is going to be easy.

I will tell you from experience it won’t.

It will be hard.

And if it wasn’t hard it wouldn’t be a sacrifice.

No matter how hard it is it will always be worth it.

Even Jesus struggled with the difficulty of submitting wholly to God’s will.

John 12:27–28 CSB

27 “Now my soul is troubled. What should I say—Father, save me from this hour? But that is why I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

Turmoil

John doesn’t provide us with the scene of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

So the closest we get to that is here.

Do you hear the passion in Jesus’ words?

He doesn’t want to die.

In fact, the word troubled in v. 27 is the same one used before Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.

He is deeply troubled.

Anxious, angry, frustrated, fearful about going to the cross.

Jesus’ cry to the Father when he said “Father, Save me from this hour” shouldn’t have a question mark after it.

And yet most translators put it there.

Rather than Jesus asking the Father to save him from this hour.

It is better read as Jesus crying out in agony and the pain of knowing death is right around the corner.

Think about it.

I know you’ve seen or heard about someone who just recieved a grave diagnosis.

They only have so much time to live.

Or they have cancer. or some other disease

And at that point they are so overwhelmed that all they want to do is cry out.

That’s what Jesus is doing here.

He agonizes over the prospect of going to the cross.

Remember he had flesh and bones just like us.

Those nails were going to pierce his skin.

Blood was going to drip down his body.

He was going to struggle to breath.

The cross was not going to be a pleasant experience.

This Father Save me cry is equivalent to when Jesus cries out to the Father to take this cup from him in Mark.

Jesus knew the road ahead of him.

He knew the pain that he would have to endure and it was overwhelming for him.

And sometimes in our lives as we follow Jesus we are going to experience times like that.

When we are overwhelmed by the circumstances that God has called us to.

Where all we can do is cry out to God.

As Christians, we have lost the art of lamenting.

I don’t know what happened, but somewhere along the line we have decided that it is better to pretend that things are better than they actually are.

We put on a false face.

We grin and bear it.

We roll with the punches until we get knocked out.

Here’s the thing, we need to understand and submit to the fact that this life is a life of suffering.

Especially if we are going to submit to God’s will.

B/c God’s will and our will are going to clash a lot.

God will say push when our will says to pull.

But regardless of the pain, God knows what he’s doing.

So as Jesus faced the prospect of death and the agony of the cross he didn’t end with crying out in turmoil.

He ended with the purpose in mind.

He knew that his sole purpose for coming was to die and bring glory to God.

And Jesus declared “Father, Glorify your name.”

When God is glorified everything is right in the world.

A life of sacrifice has meaning b/c God is being glorified.

As a follower of Jesus our most important desire and aim should be to bring Glory to God.

That as people look at our life they would see God’s Glory and grace all over us.

God’s glory is the reason that he does anything.

God’s glory is the reason that you exist.

God’s glory is the reason that he sent Jesus.

God’s glory is the reason that Jesus rose from the grave.

God’s glory is the reason that there is salvation.

God’s glory is the reason that there is redemption.

God’s glory is the reason for anything that is good.

And our lives of sacrifice.

Our lives following after Jesus.

Our lives of doing good works will bring Glory to God.

That is our chief end.

That is our chief goal.

That is the sole reason we exist.

To bring Glory to God.

Jesus came to die so that God’s glory would be on full display.

We life a life submitting to him so that we can display his glory as well.

And the father confirms this when he speaks from heaven “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.

This was an audible voice that confused and confounded the crowd.

John 12:29–33 CSB

29 The crowd standing there heard it and said it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus responded, “This voice came, not for me, but for you. 31 Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 As for me, if I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate what kind of death he was about to die.

The Dividing Line

The crowd heard the voice from heaven, but they were confused.

Some thought it was thunder.

Some thought it was an angel.

But nevertheless, Jesus tells them that the voice was for them.

Jesus didn’t need convincing of his mission.

Jesus didn’t need reminding that God’s name will be glorified.

But some of the people did.

And Jesus falls into a small discourse or talk about what all this means.

I love those old movies where someone has to make a decision and the protagonist draws a line in the sand.

You are either for me or against me.

Which side of the line are you going to land on?

The cross is the dividing line of history.

What I mean is this.

The cross is going to bring judgement to the world.

People will either believe or not.

And those who don’t will be judged according to their lack of belief

Jesus came sot hat people will be saved, but those who don’t receive salvation will receive judgement.

Another way the cross divides is it casts out the ruler of the word.

At the cross, the devil was defeated.

Do you understand that?

Satan is already defeated he just doesn’t believe it yet.

He still has some power and influence, but the sacrifice of Jesus and his resurrection prove that what power the devil has is limited.

Jesus is going to be lifted up and people will be drawn to him.

People will be drawn into his kingdom.

There are some people that twist the scripture in verse 32 where Jesus says “I will draw all people to myself.”

They say and teach that Here Jesus is saying that all people will be saved.

They believe in some sort of universal salvation.

But what Jesus is saying isn’t that all people will be saved, but rather all kinds of people will be saved.

Remember the Jewish people believed that salvation was only for them.

That the Messiah was limited in scope to serving them alone.

But Jesus is tell them here, that it isn’t just the Jewish people he came to save, but any and all that would receive him.

He’s drawing all that will come.

And he does that through the cross.

Jesus’ suffering is his exaltation.

Jesus’ crucifixion draws people.

His earthly throne was the cross.

His kingdom was brought out in his resurrection.

The cross is the dividing line of history.

Which side are you on?

Are you a part of the kingdom of God or the kingdoms of this world?

Are you willing to pledge allegiance to Jesus and him alone?

After all he is the only one worthy of our life and our sacrifice.

Where are you today?

Are you still seeking out the right path?

Well friends the right path is Jesus’ path.

He wants you to come into his kingdom.

Will you come and serve the king?