Sermon: John 12:9-19: Jesus the Christ, the King of Israel

Old Testament Reading: Zechariah 9:9–10, 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. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.” (Zechariah 9:9–10, ESV)

New Testament Reading: John 12:9-19

“When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 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!’ And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, ‘Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!’ 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 crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, ‘You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.’” (John 12:9–19, ESV)

Introduction 

There are three things that I would like to draw your attention to in this story. The first has to do with a change in Jesus’ method. The second has to do with manner in which Jesus approaches this change. And the third has to do with motive.

Consider Jesus’ Method

Let us first consider the change that we see in Jesus’ method.

As you have noticed how, up to this point in his ministry, Jesus would engage with the people – he would engage with the leaders of Israel, he would do some great act, or deliver some teaching, and when his popularity would increase – and then he would retreat. The pattern, up to this point, has been one of withdrawal. The motto has been, “my hour has not yet come.”

Take, for example, Jesus’ response to the multitude who followed him into the wilderness. Having been miraculously fed with bread and fish they wanted to make him King. So, “Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” (John 6:15, ESV)

And do you remember how Jesus’ siblings were urging him to go up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Booths? They wanted him to go up in a public way, making himself known to the people of Israel, so that he might rule in power. His response? “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.” (John 7:6, ESV) So he did not go with them publicly, “But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up…but in private.” (John 7:10, ESV)

And just recently we were told how, after Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave, “[He] therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from [Bethany] to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.” (John 11:54, ESV)

Many more examples could be provided, but the point is this: Jesus had labored to avoid public recognition; he had worked to remain relatively private; he had resisted the impulses of the people to make much of him. Now all of that seems to change. Now Jesus takes a different approach – the opposite approach. He employs a different method as he now goes up to Jerusalem in the most public of ways.

According to John there is great excitement surrounding Jesus again. Crowds of people come to Bethany to see him. Crowds of people are in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, and they are wondering, will Jesus make an appearance? 

We don’t know how many traveled from Jerusalem to Bethany to see Jesus (it was only a couple of miles away). The text simply says that it was “a large crowd.”  And we don’t know exactly how many lined the streets to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem on the following day. Certainly this crowd was much larger than the other one given that it was a portion of those who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Understand that the population of Jerusalem would have swelled significantly as thousands upon thousands of Jews would have made the pilgrimage to the Holy City to celebrate this great feast. It was a portion of that population that welcomed Jesus into the city on, what we now call, palm Sunday. We don’t know how many, but I picture in my mind thousands of people – perhaps tens of thousands.

We might ask why it was that Jesus’ popularity had grown in such drastic way? I suppose we could say that it had been consistently growing throughout his ministry. I’m sure there is some truth to that. With each miracle, and with each teaching, Jesus, no doubt, caught the attention of more and more people. But John tells us that this recent surge in popularity was due to the great miracle of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. People wanted to see Jesus because of it, but they also wanted to see Lazarus!

So powerful was this miracle (or sign) that “the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.” (John 12:10–11, ESV)

It never ceases to amaze me how the leaders of the Jews, instead of believing upon the Jesus on account of this great miracle, determine to put Jesus to death. And not only Jesus, but Lazarus too! But this reminds me that such is our condition apart form the life giving work of the Holy Spirit. Apart from the work of Christ our spiritual eyes are so accustom to darkness that when light shines in upon us we recoil – we resist – we throw the blinds shut so that we might return back to our comfortable and sleepy state. So it was with the unbelieving Jews. The light was not welcome. It was an annoyance to them. Their solution was to exterminate to the source of it. They made plans to blot out the radiance of the sun and to draw the shades on the reflective splendor of the moon by putting both Jesus and Lazarus to death.

I would like to pause here for just a moment to make a bit of a side point. You have probably noticed in John’s Gospel how the phrase, “the Jews”, is often used in a negative way. It is often used to describe those who do not believe. And it is often used to describe those who were enemies of Christ. It is true that many of the Jews were enemies of the Christ. And it is certainly true that the Jews played a large role in the crucifixion of Christ. But it would be a terrible mistake to assume that the Gospel of John is somehow against the Jews. No! Jesus himself was Jewish. John was Jewish. The Apostles were Jewish. And, as you can see in the text before us, the first to believe in Christ – the first to respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ in faith – were Jews. The Gospel of John is not against the Jews. It is against unbelief! That is the point! In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, but all are one by faith in the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. By the time that John wrote his Gospel in the late 80’s AD there were certainly tensions that existed between the Christian Church and the Jewish Synagogue. The Jews were persecuting the Christians at this point in history.  But the Gospel of John was written, not to condemn the Jewish race, but to confront their unbelief. His purpose in writing was to persuade Jew and Gentile alike to believe, or trust, in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. Our objective should be the same today as we labor to make disciples of all nations.

Notice that many of the Jews continued in unbelief, but not all were of the same opinion. Some saw the sign of the raising of Lazarus for what it was. Many went out to see Jesus and Lazarus. Many more would welcome Jesus into Jerusalem on the following day.  So numerous were they that the unbelieving “Pharisees said to one another, ‘You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.’” (John 12:19, ESV)

This is a significant statement. The word “world” is obviously used here, as it often is in John’s Gospel, not in reference to every person without exception (to take it that way would be absurd), but in reference to a great number of people. The Pharisees were lamenting that fact that thousands seemed to be following Christ. And the context should also lead us to recognize that the word “world” here has more to it than just a reference to a great number of people – it also is used in reference to a great diversity of people – not only Jews, but also Gentiles were flocking to Jesus. Look at the heading above 12:20. Mine says, “Some Greeks Seek Jesus”. When we come to that passage we will learn that it was the Greeks seeking Jesus which prompted him finally to say, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” (John 12:23, ESV) And so the Pharisees are bothered by the fact that many people – mainly Jews, but also Gentiles – were flocking to the Christ because of what he had done with Lazarus.

The point is this: Jesus has changed is method. Whereas before he would have retreated to the mountain, or gone up to Jerusalem in secret, or moved with his disciples to a rural place – now he moves forward publicly. He is ready to receive the accolades of the people, and to be received by them.

And what is the meaning of this? We are to recognize that God was in control of the situation. Jesus was in control. Jesus’ life progressed on God’s timetable. From a human perspective we might say that Jesus owed his successes and, so-called, failures to other men. He was made great because men wanted to make him great, and he was brought low because men wanted to bring him low.  But John wants us to see that God was in control – Jesus was in control. He chose when to go up. And when he went up, he went up in full control of the situation. This principle has already been stated in 10:17, where Jesus says,

“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.” (John 10:17–18, ESV)

So first of all, it is clear that Jesus has changed his method.

Consider Jesus’ Manner 

Secondly, notice the manner in which Jesus implements this new method. Jesus goes up to Jerusalem to be received as King, but he goes humbly, and in fulfillment to Old Testament prophesy.

Look with me at verse 12 and see that the people received Jesus as King of Israel:

“The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 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!’” (John 12:12–13, ESV)

It is cleat that the people had a very particular view of Jesus. They thought him to be the Messiah, the long awaited King that was promised to David. Whether their expectations of him were correct is a conversation for another time. For now it should be noted that they thought him to be the King of Israel, their Savior.

This is clear for there reasons:

One, the people greeted him with palm branches. This might have little significance to you and I but, “From about two centuries earlier, palm branches had already become a national symbol. When Simon the Maccabee drove the Syrian forces out of the Jerusalem citadel he was fêted with music and the waving of palm branches (cf. 1 Macc. 13:51, 141 BC).” This was a customary way to greet a great king, or savior.

Two, the people cried out saying, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord…!” (John 12:13, ESV) Hosanna means “save us”. This is an allusion to Psalm 118 which says in verse 25, “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.” (Psalm 118:25–26, ESV) A quick read of Psalm 118 makes it clear that it is about the coming Messiah. The people sung it to Jesus because they thought him to be the Messiah, their Savior King.

Three, notice that the people explicitly call Jesus the King of Israel at the end of verse 13 saying, “even the King of Israel”

Notice that Jesus did not rebuke them. He received their praise. And he was willing to receive it because he thought of himself as the King of Israel, the Messiah, the Savior. They were right to call him King.

But notice the manner in which Jesus entered into Jerusalem – notice the way he went about it. He entered Jerusalem ridding upon a young donkey. His manner said a lot about Jesus and the kind of King that he would be.

Were he interested in exerting political or military power we would expect him to ride into Jerusalem siting atop a mighty war horse. But no, he entered Jerusalem humbly, not as a political or military figure, but as a lowly servant King. The reason for this is obvious. The Kingdom that he came to inaugurate was not an earthly or political Kingdom. It was spiritual in nature. This Kingdom would advance, not by the sword, but by Spirit and truth.

Christ’s first coming was marked my meekness, humility, and gentleness. He did not come to judge, but to save. But tell me church, will Christ be riding upon the foal of a donkey at his second coming? No! Revelation 19:11:

“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.” (Revelation 19:11–13, ESV)

How different the first and second comings of Christ are! Christ came the first time in meekness and humility to bring salvation to the elect. He will come again in great power and splendor, and to judge.

Notice that Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey was also in fulfillment to prophesy. Hosea 9:9 was written some 500 years before the Christ was born. The prophet declared,

“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. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.” (Zechariah 9:9–10, ESV)

Christ fulfilled this at his first coming, according to John. He was the long awaited King of Israel, the Messiah. He brought salvation. He came humbly. And notice also that he did indeed “cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem” along with the “battle bow”. Some read that and say, how did Christ fulfill that? Aren’t there wars all around us? The point is this: Old Covenant Israel prefigured the Kingdom of God and it advanced by way of horse and chariot, bow and sword. Read the Old Testament and see that it is true. But under the New Covenant, now that the Kingdom of God has been inaugurated, the true Israel, consisting of all who believe in Christ – Jew and Gentile – advances, not by the sword, but by the power of the Spirit and by truth. The day will come when peace will fill the earth, but not until Christ returns in power and in judgment.

Christ has, at his first coming, “cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow [has been] cut off” – John tells us that Jesus rode into Jerusalem in fulfillment of this prophesy. And he has also spoken “peace to the nations”! “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” (Matthew 28:19, ESV) And his “rule [is] from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth”! Tell me church, is Jesus Savior of the Jews only? No! He is the Savior of the world!

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem in the manner that he did – “humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” – he was doing more than claiming to have a humble disposition. No, more than that, he was claiming to be the fulfillment of all that Zachariah had prophesied over 500 years earlier.

Consider Jesus’ Motive

We have considered Jesus’ method and his manner. Let us now consider (for a brief moment) his motive.

Why did Jesus go to Jerusalem as he did? What were his hopes? What were his intentions? Did he hope that it would all go well for him? Did he think that he would win over his opponents and that all would come to love him in the end? No. Jesus, he went to die for those who would believe.

This has been made clear from the moment Jesus was introduced to us in John’s Gospel. He was introduced by the baptist. And how did John introduce him? “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, ESV) Jesus is our sacrificial lamb. He came to die.

And so as we imaging Jesus ridding into Jerusalem on, what we now call Palm Sunday, we should think of a focused, clear minded, and driven individual. Jesus, though he was willing to receive the praise of the people because the words were true, was not fooled by them into thinking that maybe an earthly kingdom – a political one – could possibly work out. No, his sights were set on the cross (this will become more clear later in chapter 12). His sights were set on the cross. He came to die. He came to establish a spiritual Kingdom. He came to defeat, not Rome, but sin and death and Satan.

And he did this being motivated by the glory of God, and for the good of you and I and all who ever have and ever will set their hope in the Messiah, from the beginning of the world, to this day, and on to end of time.