Hosanna to Our King!
Message by: Harold Paul
The Pharisees were upset that Jesus was challenging them and had the audacity to raise Lazarus from the dead.
Jesus was coming to Jerusalem… even though He knew they were after Him. We, as humans, usually run away from those who are coming after us…… but this was Jesus and this was Jesus fulfilling the prophecies of the Old Testament.
This morning's message starts with Jesus at Mary, Martha, and Lazarus’ house…
John 12:9-19
[9] Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. [10] So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, [11] for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in Him. [12] The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. [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!” [14] Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: [15] “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” [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. [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 performed this 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!”
There are four groups of people who would be at the triumphant entry:
The Disciples - The group committed group that has been with Him for the past three years.
The crowd that was with them (after Lazarus) - A group of nominal believers who just saw the miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead who are spreading the word of this miracle.
Fellow Jews coming into Jerusalem for the Passover - These people would now be seeking to see Lazarus and Jesus after just being told about the miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead.
The Pharisees - A group with elevated anger because of the people flocking to Jesus and Lazarus.
The triumphant entry wasn't really triumphant at all. It was really about Jesus coming into the danger zone as He presented Himself as the lamb and sacrifice.
The next day (after the entry) would have been the the biggest and busiest day in the temple. Jewish families from all over would be there, and approximately 500,000 lambs would have been sacrificed that year.
The (flawless) lamb (to be sacrificed) had to be with the family (who is sacrificing it) for at least three days before they could sacrifice it.
The palms laid on the ground, as Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem, were symbolic from the time of the Maccabees…. During the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE, palm branches were used to celebrate military victories. Palms were not native to the streets of Jerusalem, but they would have been used to decorate the temple since 167 BC (after the revolt).
As Jesus rode into town, the crowd cried…
Psalms 118:25-26
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.
This was all foretold…
Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Over 100 prophecies were fulfilled from the time of Jesus’ birth to His resurrection.
The triumphant entry was a demonstration of Jesus’ Kingdom. At that time, a donkey would be used for a peaceful entry. This runs contradictory to what the Jews were thinking they were celebrating. The crowd had a warrior in mind - to set them free from Roman rule. A horse would have been used for a conquering leader… like the ones the Jews wanted and expected.
There are 300 prophecies of His second coming that have yet to be fulfilled. Revelation tells us at THAT time, Jesus will be riding a horse. That will be the time for our conquering warrior (not a peaceful entry).
Isaiah 53:3-9
He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces He was despised, and we held Hm in low esteem.
Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted.
But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.
By oppression and judgment He was taken away. Yet who of His generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people He was punished.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.
Jesus’ claim that God was His father, made Jesus an equal to God, which is where the Pharisees called him blasphemous, and His popularity was offensive to His enemies. Again, He knew what was about to happen…. But He went anyway.
He gave them the opportunity to accept or reject Him as king…. They accepted Him as their king on Palm Sunday, but only days later they would reject Him.
There are two days that are most prominently recognized in someone's life… the day we are born and the day we die. Churches are most full on Christmas and Easter….
The dash is recognized (as symbolized on a headstone) as the time between birth and death. These are the days we have to make an impact in this world.
The passion week (Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday) is about our focus on Jesus and what He did for us.
Our intimacy we have with God will determine our impact on other people's lives.
We are to tell others that Jesus didn't come to make a scene. We are to tell others how and why He died and came back to life.
How close are you with God? How intimate is your relationship with Him? Do you give Him control of your life, and take the opportunity to tell others your story of what Jesus did for you?
Don’t let your story be one of accepting Him and then rejecting Him.
Make your life be one of impact - an impact that matters - an impact that helps others accept Jesus Christ their king and savior.
