See, Your King is Coming

John 12:12-19

Key Verse 15

Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion;
see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt."

1. Read verses 12.  What Feast were the Jews coming to Jerusalem to celebrate? (Joh 12:1) What did they hear about Jesus? (12)  What might have been on Jesus’ mind on his way to Jerusalem? (Joh 12:7)

2. Read verse 13.  How did the crowd welcome Jesus?  What do the following expressions mean?  a) Hosanna;  b) He who comes in the name of the Lord;  c) King of Israel (Psa 118:25-26)  What sparked them to come out to meet him? (13)

3. Read verses 14-15.  Why did Jesus come on a donkey and not a horse? (14-15; Zec 9:9-10)  What does this reveal about the nature of Jesus’ kingship and kingdom?  How was this different from the people’s idea?

4. Read verse 16-19.  When did the disciples realize the meaning of these things? (16)  What is it they realized?  What did the eyewitnesses of the raising of Lazarus do? (17)  Why did the crowd come? (18)  Yet, how did the Pharisees respond? (19)

Blessed Is the King

John 12:12-19

Key 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!"

When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, there was a great impact. In the previous passage, we saw the response of Lazarus and his sisters. They held a dinner in his honor. And his sister Mary washed Jesus’ feet with her expensive perfume and wiped his feet with her hair. One thing that she had been saving up for herself for a long time she then offered fully to Jesus with a thankful heart. She found that Jesus was worth far more than what she had been saving up for herself. Jesus loved her and her family and by raising her brother revealed the glory of God and helped them to believe in him as the resurrection and the life.

In today's passage we see the great crowd now welcoming Jesus and blessing him. And we see that he is also worthy of our praise and to be blessed because he is the king that God sent to save us. The love, power and glory Jesus revealed in raising Lazarus was not just for Lazarus and his family, but for the whole world. And we can learn something from the crowds. Usually when people met Jesus, they wanted Jesus to bless them and do something for them, like make bread. But now people came out to bless Jesus and praise him. I’d like to share today about two things I learned: First, treating Jesus as the king that he is. Second, living as citizens of his kingdom, meaning, after his own example.

First, treating Jesus as the king (the people meet Jesus to bless him) (12-13). 

Look at John 12:12

[12] The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 

The events in today’s passage occur the next day after Jesus had had dinner at Lazarus’s house. The great crowd of people had come to Jesus for the Feast. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem also, but now he was going there to offer himself as the Lamb of God and to die on the cross. He had a different kind of kingdom that he came to establish. It was not an earthly kingdom, otherwise, he would not offer up his life. He has a spiritual kingdom, and he is a spiritual king. And he established his kingdom out of his sacrificial love. 

Look at John 12:13

[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!"

When they heard Jesus was also coming they got very excited went out to meet him.  How did they meet him? It was with great celebration. They came out parading with palm branches and shouting praises. In chapter 6, the people tried to make Jesus king by force. At that time, Jesus didn’t let them and he tried to run away from them. They had seen a miracle, Jesus feeding 5,000 men without only 5 loaves and 2 fish. They wanted to secure bread from Jesus. They were looking to utilize Jesus like a golden goose. But people don’t make Jesus a king or not. He is a king. He is the King of Kings, who rules over everything, and he came from God. He entered Jerusalem as a king according to the Scriptures and he didn’t stop their praises, which also came from the scripture. It means they treated him in the right way this time. So let’s think about the way they welcomed him.

(1) they waved the palm branches. The waving of the palm branches signified celebrating before God. This is how God had them do some celebrations in the Old Testament (and we also see it in the New Testament as well; cf. Lev 23:40; Rev 7:9). They were giving thanks to God. Treating Jesus as the king in a right way begins with being joyful and thankful. 

I think we have become too busy to be thankful. We are so busy for this and that, and worrying a lot about this class, or this project I have to do, or what I have to do for work or my house, etc. I like my iPhone, but sometimes it keeps me unnecessarily busy. I have always quick access to messaging, emails, twitter, news, a camera. Allan told me that I am so good at responding to messages or emails that I would have made a good professor. Although always being connected has its good points, it has some bad points too, like making us demanding.

It’s important to give thanks to Jesus our king, because as our king he has done wonderful things for us. And by definition as the king, he is the ruler. So even those things that at first don’t seem to be reasons for us to give thanks or be joyful, can be Jesus’ blessings to us. So we can give thanks all the time because he is the king.

Think about Lazarus’s sisters. They sent word to Jesus when Lazarus was sick. They really wanted him to go there quickly and heal their brother whom Jesus loved. But Jesus didn’t. And Lazarus died. When Jesus finally went to them, they cried and they complained to him, “If only you had been here...” They were so defeated and complained. But Jesus was in control the whole time. His delay revealed their lack of faith in him and lack of depth of knowledge to who he really is, that is, the resurrection and the life. But he taught them who he is. He told them, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” Then he raised their brother back to life. Jesus is the king. And he works for the good of his people all the time, for the glory of God. We can always give thanks because he, who is good all the time, is our king. And with that thanks comes being joyful. 

We recently finished going though Philippians in the daily bread. In each passage Paul talks about rejoicing in the lord. Whether in sufferings, hardships, in want, or in plenty and good times. When we accept Jesus as our king, we can rejoice all the time, because he is good all the time and ruling. I share daily bread with one brother everyday by email. And I was surprised by something he shared from Philippians. He said, I repent of being miserable. I was very glad and surprised to hear that. It means he realized the joy in Jesus and then suddenly being miserable was not a consequence of circumstance but something to repent of and throw away. So treating Jesus as the king begins with being thankful and very joyful. 

(2) The crowd shouted praises. Let’s think about what they were shouting. They shouted three praises: "Hosanna!" (which means save us), "blessed is he who comes in the name of the lord," and "blessed is the king of Israel!" 

The main content is praising and blessing Jesus. So treating Jesus as the king means to praise and bless him. As we have said, the crowds often came to get something from Jesus. And Jesus gave. But he is also worthy of our praise and it is right for us to praise and bless him and do something for him. 

These praises come from Psalm 118:25-26. The psalms are songs. Picture this great crowd meeting Jesus, shouting and singing this song to welcome him. It may have felt like a stadium filled with thousands of people all singing and shouting together. It was jubilant, with loud shouts of victory and praise and thanks to God. 

What is the song of Psalm 118 about, which the people were singing? As verse 13 indicates, it is about praising God and the king he sent who saves his people and brings righteousness. Psalm 118 talks about fear, oppression, attacks from enemies, so that the people were in great anguish. They thought death was coming. And they also mourned for their sins. But God showed his love to them and sent them their king to save them. Jesus fulfills this prophecy of the king who saves from all the enemies, especially sin and death.

The Pharisees thought they were involved in a political fight against the Romans and against foreign occupation. That’s why they were scared Jesus would draw Rome’s attention too much and bring disaster upon them and so they wanted to kill him (John 11:47-53).

But Jesus was not fighting a political battle. Jesus was fighting for salvation and making sinful people into righteous people. The people saw this through Jesus raising the dead man Lazarus. In John's gospel, it is his last miracle before his death and resurrection. Through it he revealed the glory of God, that he came from God and gives eternal life, defeating death. Death rules over because of sin (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:17-19). But Jesus came and died for our sin, so that we would be forgiven, and sin and death no longer have power over us. And rose from the dead and is the King of Kings. 

Death is the cruelest oppressor. Over the past four years, I have attended two funerals, both for very young people. But the funeral services were very different. The first was at the Inter-African Bible Conference in Kenya, in 2007. On the first night of the conference, Msn. Barnabas Kojo Kumi died. In the middle of the night, his wife let out a loud cry, and it was reported in the morning that he had died. Barnabas was known by most of the members of the African ministries. He had been discipled in the Nigerian ministry during his college days, and then returned to his homeland of Ghana as a missionary. He was everyone’s friend and the kindest, gentlest person you’d have ever met. So a memorial service was held at the conference. When we reviewed his life of faith, we were all greatly encouraged. His ‘death’, or rather, falling asleep, at the conference, actually brought life and encouragement to many. The other funeral I attended was for a mother in her 40’s. She died of cancer. Her funeral service made me very sad and stung my heart, especially to see how the family she left behind was going astray, especially her widower and only daughter. 

But Jesus died and rose from the dead. He saves from sin and death. He also brings righteousness from God. Psalm 118 speaks about this. Look at Psalm 118:19-21:

 19 Open for me the gates of righteousness; 

   I will enter and give thanks to the LORD. 

20 This is the gate of the LORD 

   through which the righteous may enter. 

21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me; 

   you have become my salvation.

Jesus opens the gates of righteousness and is the gate of the Lord for righteousness. This is just as Jesus said, in John 10, that he is the gate, and that all who enter through him will be saved (John 10:9). Righteousness because he takes away the sin of the world, and his righteousness becomes our righteousness by faith.

Another passage from Psalm 118 also speaks about Jesus who was rejected. Look at Psalm 118:22-24, 27a:

22 The stone the builders rejected 

   has become the capstone; 

23 the LORD has done this, 

   and it is marvelous in our eyes. 

24 This is the day the LORD has made; 

   let us rejoice and be glad in it.

27a the LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. 

Jesus was rejected by the builders, the Pharisees and other religious leaders, but he became the capstone. So the psalmist concludes by saying, “Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Now, here in the passage, we see the people rejoicing at the king who had come to give life, who won the victory over death, who brings righteousness and light. They came to be glad before God and to bless Jesus the king. Psalm 118:26 says, “From the house of the LORD we bless you.” The “you” they are speaking of is the king. Jesus is worthy of our praise and blessing. 

You might ask: How can we bless Jesus? He is the one who first blesses us. The Bible teaches that we can do so by living by faith and seeking to please him and do his will, just as Jesus came and obeyed his Father’s will for him. And his will is that we love God, love each, and preach the gospel to all creation. 

What’s our attitude when we go fishing? How many people have we told this week of Jesus? Jesus has done miracles among us far greater than raising Lazarus. He has given us spiritual life, birth from the Spirit when we were once dead in our sins. Such love and grace of God! 

So, treating Jesus as the king means being thankful and rejoicing in him, and praising and blessing him, seeking to do his will.  

Second, living as citizens of his kingdom (Jesus rode on a donkey). (14-19)

Look at verses 14-15.

14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written,

 15 “Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; 

   see, your king is coming, 

   seated on a donkey’s colt.”

These verses tell us about what Jesus is like as a king. To live as citizens of his kingdom, we have to follow his character and example. Here Jesus found a donkey’s colt, not even a grown donkey, and rode into Jerusalem, according to the prophecy in Zechariah. What does this tell us about him? The king riding on a horse signified strength by force, war and fear. But a donkey signified peace, gentleness, humility, service (oftentimes they were loaded up like shopping carts). Here we see that Jesus is gentle, humble, serving, and peaceful.  

Lots of people and groups talk about peace, but what do they really mean? Nations war against each other and even against isms all the time. Veterans Day was this past Friday. Growing up I often heard my grandfather talk about his experiences in WWII and the Korean War. I remember my cousin enlisting in the navy at the time of the Gulf War. And we are still at war against Terrorism. Although wars have many reasons behind them, we have this idea that they will bring peace. 

Jesus did not use violence to bring peace. He did not established his kingdom by violence or force. Rather, he endured violence against him on the cross for the due penalty of sins. And his followers also endure violence in persecutions. We have to practice and imitate his gentleness, humility, service to others, and sacrificial love. 

As the raising of Lazarus shows, the peace of Jesus and his kingdom comes from the assuredness of the defeat of sin and death and being reconciled to God. Jesus showed his power over death, because Lazarus had been dead for 4 days! He showed himself as the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Overcoming death means overcoming sin and hostility to God. Where does death come from? It is the result of the hostility between God and man, as Genesis 2:16-17 and Genesis 3:17-19 tell us. So Jesus is the one who saves us from sin and so saves us from death and brings us into the life of fellowship with God as his children. This is lasting peace for our souls.  

Here, the author writes Jesus fulfilling the words of the prophet Zechariah. Seeing the coming king, Zechariah said, "Do not be afraid..." When we read Zechariah 9, there are many symbols which point to this peace. Let’s look at Zechariah 9:10,

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.

Many people are afraid of all kinds of things. Much of the Occupy movement is based on fear. It’s scary to imagine all the power rich bankers and governments can have over people’s lives. But Jesus brings real and lasting peace. He is called the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

So we must live as citizens of his kingdom. Jesus said in the sermon on the mount, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). Especially, it means that we love and forgive each other, and love and serve the Lord with all our hearts, minds, soul and strength, teaching the gospel to all nations. Then we become real peacemakers who are as gentle and humble and sacrificial as Jesus.

Look at verses 16-19.

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 they had done these things to him.

 17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

The disciples didn't understand what was going on at that time. They were still concerned about having a place in a earthly kingdom. But after Jesus was glorified, meaning, when he died and rose from the dead, they came to realize what had really happened. It means they put their faith in the scriptures. The news of Lazarus was like a movement spreading. More and more people were hearing about it and coming to Jesus. And the Pharisees were more and more frustrated while they waited for the opportune time to arrest and kill Jesus. 

As I prepared the message I had to think about the question: Why aren't people accepting Jesus as the king today? Several reasons came to mind, such as: 1) They don't know about him, or 2) They don't believe he is the king. Why? They don't believe he's alive, that is, his resurrection power. How then can we show his resurrection power? Remember what he told to the sisters at Lazarus's tomb? "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" And then he prayed. It’s not by raising dead people, but by revealing the spiritual (eternal) life that he gives. He reveals his power through us. And the channel, the highway, for that power to come and be revealed, is our faith and obedience to him. Our changed life (which is not really a changed life, but a new creation), living and serving him, is a more powerful testimony than even raising Lazarus. Why? Lazarus would later get old and die. But the life that Jesus gives, when we are born again, is eternal life. And when we live for him, by faith, his works and reveals his power in and through us. It means serving the Lord by faith in the resurrection first and foremost. 

We thank God for sending Jesus. He is our king who brings peace, and salvation from sin and death. He himself is peaceful, gentle, and righteous. The passage teaches us two things today: 1) to treat Jesus as the king, by being thankful and joyful and blessing him; and 2) living as citizens of his kingdom, following his example of gentleness, humility, peacefulness, and service.