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Jesus Enters Jerusalem as King
Jesus Enters Jerusalem as King John 12:12-19 Key Verse: 12:15 “Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” In this passage, Jesus, always aware of God perfect timing, decides it was time to enter Jerusalem for the final time. The crowd that had been with Jesus and had seen Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead continued to spread the news about Jesus. Many people who heard about this miraculous sign went out to meet Jesus as he rode a donkey into Jerusalem. They welcomed him waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!” Many of the people now believed that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah. However, there was still the problem of the Jewish leaders who refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. They wanted to kill Jesus, but they certainly didn’t want to do it during the feast of the Passover, because they feared it might cause a rebellion among the crowds of people who were putting their faith in Jesus. However, in accordance with God’s perfect plan and timing, Jesus enters Jerusalem amidst shouts that he is Israel’s King and Savior. This forces the Pharisees hand and they will ultimately offer Jesus up as God’s Pascal lamb on the Passover day. Today let’s think about what kind of King Jesus is and accept him into our hearts as our personal King and Savior. First, “Hosanna, King of Israel!” (12-13). Look at verse 12. “The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.” Ever since Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, many people had been looking for him. They were wondering where he was and when he would appear. When they heard that he was on his way to Jerusalem they stopped whatever they were doing and went out to meet him. Of course, they knew that Caiaphas had issued an arrest warrant for Jesus, but they did not think Jesus was a criminal. In fact, they believed Jesus was sent by God and was the blessed King of Israel. They acted according to their hearts and went out to meet Jesus. Look at verse 13. “They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Blessed is the King of Israel!’” Their actions and their words are an expression of Psalm 118. This great messianic psalm describes the coming of the King of Israel to the temple after winning a great victory over Israel’s enemies. It anticipated the coming of Christ to reign over his people, bringing deliverance and salvation. The people welcomed the King by saying in Psalm 118:25-27, “Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. ” When Jesus entered Jerusalem, people welcomed him as the Christ, the King of Israel, that had been promised and prophesied in the Scriptures. Look again at verse 13. There are three phrases quoted here and each is meaningful. The first is “Hosanna.” This was a Hebrew expression that literally meant “save” but it came to be an expression of praise to God who saves. It is roughly equivalent to “O Lord, save us.” When the people cried, “Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna!” they were crying out to the Lord Jesus to save them. They believed that the promised Messiah would deliver them from all their enemies and bless their lives to be abundant and happy. This is true. Jesus saves his people and blesses us in many ways. We must always remember way Jesus saved us and how he blesses us in our everyday lives. Jesus saved me from a life of drug addiction and wild living and has brought me to a place that seems like a slice of heaven on earth to me. He has surrounded me with children to love and shepherd and help grow as children of God who can embrace the world with his love. Jesus truly does save us and he blesses us in many ways. We need to take the time to reflect on how Jesus saved us and how he continues to bless us so that we can continually shout “Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna!” as we serve him with all our heart. The primary purpose of Jesus’ coming is to save us from our sins. Sin cuts us off from God, and from other people, and makes us spiritually sick. Sin makes us miserable and makes us focus on all the bad things we experience in life instead of the blessings that God has poured out on us and wants to pour out on us. When we cry out to Jesus, Jesus saves us from our sins, gives us a new birth as children of God and gives us a completely new view of life. Jesus is our Savior and we can always be sure that when we cry out to him, he hears us and he answers us. Whatever problem we face in this world, we need to cry out to Jesus. Jesus can save us and Jesus will make our lives blessed and happy. Look at verse 13 again. The second phrase is “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Jesus can save because he is the Savior sent by God. Jesus did not come in his own way or in his own name. Jesus came in the name of the Lord. Jesus is in very nature God, but he came down from heaven, became flesh, and made his dwelling among us. As a man, he humbled himself before God to be absolutely obedient. He humbled himself to be the servant of all kinds of people. In everything he did and said, Jesus revealed God and fulfilled the will of God. Jesus lived by God’s time schedule (2:4; 7:6). Jesus taught only the word of God (7:16). Jesus worked only for the honor of God (7:18). Jesus always did what pleased God (8:29). Jesus was so obedient to God that he was never apart from God. Jesus could say, “I and the Father are one” (Jn 10:30). When Jesus came into Jerusalem at the Passover, it was God’s coming into Jerusalem to be with his people. The last phrase of verse 13 says, “Blessed is the King of Israel!” The people welcomed Jesus as their King. They recognized his divine appointment. They acknowledged him as the one who would sit on David’s throne and reign with righteousness. Isaiah 9:7b prophesied this: “He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” The people of Jerusalem welcomed Jesus as the King sent by God. We also must welcome Jesus as our King. We must welcome him into our hearts and lives as our absolute and sovereign King . We must let him rule over us with his justice and righteousness. Then we can have true peace and joy for all eternity together with Jesus. Second, “your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt” (14-15). Jesus heard the exuberant shouts of the crowd and their united singing that welcomed him as the King of Israel, the promised Messiah. Jesus accepted it, because Jesus is King. However, Jesus was not the kind of king they had expected. Jesus knew that they did not really understand the nature of his kingship, but Jesus did not try to correct their misunderstanding with many words of explanation. Instead, Jesus did a dramatic thing that would remain forever as a statement of his kingship. Look at verses 14-15. “Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written, ‘Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.’” Jesus’ act of riding into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt fulfilled Zechariah 9:9,10. This prophecy reveals most excellently the nature of Jesus’ kingship. This prophecy says, “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.” Let’s think about what kind of king Jesus is, based on this prophecy. In the first place, Jesus is the king of righteousness who brings salvation. Jesus is a spiritual king who saves us from the power of sin and death. Sin separates us from God and brings many kinds of misery to our soul. Sin leads people to despise themselves others. It leads us to condemn ourselves and others but without any remedy. No one can solve his or her sin problem no matter how hard he or she may try. God, however, can solve our sin problem. God gives us righteousness in Jesus, who is the king of righteousness. God, in his love, sent Jesus to die for our sins. Jesus paid the full price. Now we can have the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” When Jesus rules as our king, God declares us to be righteous. When we are right with God, our souls overflow with joy. We also find great hope and can see a bright vision for the future. In the second place, Jesus is the gentle and humble king. Most kings rule with applied power. They want to intimidate their subjects to keep them under control. In places like North Korea where people are ruled by a dictator, they have annual parades that show off all the military weapons of war in order to demonstrate the nation’s power. It says to their own people and to the people of the world, “If you mess with us, we will bury you.” Jesus is God Almighty. Jesus could have put on a display of power that would have shaken the world to its core. Jesus could have made volcanos erupt and earthquakes rumble. Yet Jesus came riding on a donkey’s colt. No one is afraid of this image. Even children are happy to see the picture of Jesus coming on a donkey’s colt. They feel free to approach him and make friends with him. Jesus came in such a humble and gentle way because he knows we are fearful and insecure due to our sins. Jesus knows that we could not endure his holiness as it is, so he clothes himself with humility. Jesus humbled himself like this to be our friend. Jesus wants us to trust him and to open our hearts to him. Jesus wants to have an intimate relationship with each of us. He already knows all about us. He knows we cannot save ourselves. So he came humbly on a donkey’s colt to be our friend and Savior King. In the third place, Jesus is the king who proclaims peace to the nations. When Jesus reigns in the hearts of individuals, they are transformed into humble and loving children of God. They no longer suffer from anxiety about the future, for they have eternal life. They no longer envy their neighbors because they have God’s best treasure in Jesus. Jesus takes away all the causes of war and strife. Jesus proclaims peace to the nations. True and lasting peace never comes from war. Only Jesus can bring peace to the nations. In UBF we are praying earnestly to send 100,000 missionaries to 233 nations with the gospel of Jesus. Then there can be true peace on earth. By riding into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt, Jesus revealed the nature of his kingship. Jesus is the king of righteousness, humility and peace. Jesus did not come to establish a political and economic kingdom like the kingdoms of the earth. Jesus came to reign in people’s hearts and to bring forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Jesus came to bring peace to our souls and peace among men. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, he did not force his kingship on anyone. Jesus offers himself as our king. Jesus dearly wants to be our king. Jesus wants to be our Savior King so much that he humbled himself to the lowest place. Jesus will never force his kingship on us. We must accept his kingship with a willing heart. We must accept Jesus as our spiritual king. Then he rules our life with righteousness, peace and love. However, if we ignore him, he will not come in. Then we will remain slaves of sin under the power of the devil. The choice is ours. May God help each of us to accept Jesus as king with a willing heart. From the time of his triumphal entry until now, Jesus has come as king into the hearts of innumerable men and women. Jesus’ kingdom is not identified in terms of a geographical location. Jesus’ kingdom is wherever an individual person willingly accept Jesus’ reign. Our fervent prayer must be, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” For this prayer topic we engage in one-to-one and group Bible studies to advance the kingdom of God, person by person. Third, have Bible-believing faith, not miracle-seeking faith (16-19) Look at verse 16. “At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.” Jesus knew that even his own disciples would not understand the deep meaning of his triumphal entry at the time. Even though God was using them to fulfill prophecy, they did not realize it. Nevertheless, Jesus planted a strong impression in their minds and hearts by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt. They could never forget this event and it has been included in all four gospels. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they came to realize the meaning of Jesus’ triumphal entry through the word of God. They could truly understand Jesus’ kingship only through the word of God. We don’t always understand the deep spiritual meaning of God’s work going on around us, but when we simply follow Jesus and continue to study the Bible we can grasp the spiritual meaning of Jesus’ kingship. In verses 17-19 we find two more kinds of people. One were those who responded enthusiastically to Jesus’ miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. These people were at a fever pitch emotionally and went in droves to see Jesus. Yet, a few days later, many of them would join the mob that demanded Jesus’ crucifixion. Again and again, John warns us about miracle-seeking faith. When we want to live under the reign of King Jesus, seeing or hearing about miracles is not enough. It requires deep and consistent Bible study and prayer. These are the most important things when it comes to living under Jesus reign. The other group of people mentioned in these verses are the Pharisees. Despite their best efforts to suppress the truth about Jesus, a great crowd of people welcomed Jesus as the Messiah. They felt that the whole world was going to believe in Jesus. Although they spoke in frustration, their words turned out to be prophetic. At present, there are roughly 2.1 billion Christians in the world and the bible assures us that “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” The whole world is going after Jesus right now and in the end the whole world will bow before him and confess that he is Lord. Many have already found salvation and eternal life in King Jesus. Today let’s accept Jesus as king in our hearts. Not as a powerful worldly king, but as a gentle and humble spiritual king who reigns with justice and righteousness; as our Savior King who gives us true joy and peace for all eternity. Let’s pray that Jesus’ kingdom may come not only to South Korea, but in North Korea and the whole world as well. |
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