TEXT: JOHN 3:1-21 SERMON: “Hosanna”
Jesus' entry into Jerusalem is also recorded in: Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; & Luke 19:28-40
STORY TAKES PLACE BETWEEN BETHANY AND JERUSALEM
In today's passage, John tells his 1st Century Readers how Jesus fulfilled prophecy confirming he was the Messiah by entering Jerusalem on a donkey with the people praising God while the Pharisees’ second guessed themselves.
This morning we’ll be looking at what John says about Jesus fulfilling prophecy on what we call Palm Sunday by discussing how three groups of people responded to Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey:
1. Passover pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem
2. Eyewitnesses to the raising of Lazarus
2. Pharisees
The first thing John tells us in verses 12-15 is that
A. The Passover pilgrims recognized him as Messiah, who came in the name of the LORD. vv 12-15
Explanation:
John 12:12-15
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.”
- "Great Crowd" - Pilgrims in Jerusalem for the Passover Feast (unique to John's version)
- Palm Branches - used in victory celebrations
- Lev 23:40 On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees—and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.
- Rev 7:9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
- John 12:13 3 COMPONENTS
(1)Jeremiah 31:7
7 This is what the LORD says:
“Sing with joy for Jacob;
shout for the foremost of the nations.
Make your praises heard, and say,
‘LORD, save your people,
the remnant of Israel.’
(2) Psalm 118:25,26
- CUSTOMARILY SUNG BY THE PASSOVER PILGRIMS ON THEIR WAY TO JERUSALEM
25 LORD, save us!
LORD, grant us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.
From the house of the LORD we bless you.
A MESSIANIC TITLE IS BEING APPLIED TO JESUS BY THE PASSOVER PILGRIMS!
HOSANNA - "SAVE NOW" PLEA FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION BY THE KING
DAUGHTER OF ZION - CITY OF JERUSALEM (ISAIAH, JEREMIAH, MICAH, ZACHARIAH)
(3) Blessed is the King of Israel - reflects Jesus' royalty
John 1:49 49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
- John 12:15
- HIS ENTRY ANNOUNCES HIS TIME HAS COME BUT NOT ACCORDING TO PEOPLE'S EXPECTATIONS
-NOT CONQUEROR
-MESSENGER OF PEACE
-ARRIVES ON DONKEY NOT STEED
(1) Zech. 9:9 The Coming of Zion’s King -
ANNOUNCES KING OF ISRAEL WILL APPEAR HUMBLY W/O POMP & CIRCUMSTANCE
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
- John 16
- STATEMENT INSERTED BY JOHN STATES DISCIPLES DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION ALTHOUGH LATER COMPREHENDED IT
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. v 16
(1) Glorified - after Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension & Pentecost the disciples appreciated the meaning of the prophecies and their fulfillment
- John 2:22 Destroy this Temple... disciples remembered what he said after his resurrection
Illustration:
Hail to the Chief
Ruffles and flourishes are preceding fanfare for ceremonial music for distinguished people.
Ruffles are played on drums, and flourishes are played on bugles.
For example, the President of the United States receives four ruffles and flourishes before "Hail to the Chief." Four ruffles and flourishes is the highest honor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxpp_OkRU_M&feature=related
Application:
What is John telling us today, on Palm Sunday, 2011?
Is there anything we need to be saved from?
Anything we have urgent need of?
Any trouble we are facing?
Do we need to be saved from something NOW!
Any financial problems? relational or marital problems? health problems? loved ones suffering? loneliness? depression? alcohol or drug problems? deep pain from the past? deep pain from the present?
Anything we need saving from?
Then we need Jesus to ride into Wilmington today!
We not only need him in our heart, we need him in our lives.
And we need to shout Hosanna to him - Hosanna, Hosanna, Save Us Now, Save Us Now!
We need to shout loud, calling on the name of the Lord, the King of Israel.
Like the Israelites of 2000 years ago we have no shortage of things that oppress us that we need to be saved from and in the midst of our sufferings our Hosanna's take on a sense of urgency.
It is the point where we stop relying on ourselves and instead cry aloud to Christ the "beggars prayer" -
Lord Have Mercy
Christ Have Mercy
Lord Have Mercy.
Asking him to save us from whatever trouble we find our self in.
Transition: Another thing John also tells us in verses 17-18 was the people's response when Jesus fulfilled prophecy confirming he was the Messiah by entering Jerusalem on a donkey:
B. The eye witnesses were amazed by his ability to raise Lazarus from the dead. vv 17-18
Explanation:
John 12:17-18
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.
- John 17-18
- SECOND GROUP OF PEOPLE FOLLOWING JESUS - WITNESSES TO LARAZARUS' RAISING
- AROUSED CURIOSITY OF THOSE IN JERUSALEM WHO WENT OUT TO MEET HIM
- John 17
(1) John 11:42 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
- John 18
(1) v 10-11 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him
(2) Luke 19:37 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”[a]
Zech. 12:10 10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit[a] of grace and supplication. They will look on[b] me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
Illustration:
Presidential Campaign of 2008
Obama: Change We Can Believe In / Change We Need
Inauguration of President Barack Obama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1aK0d4vpvA&feature=related
Application:
Today, we come to meet Jesus because of more than his raising of Lazarus.
We come to meet Jesus because of the sign of the Cross - the sign of his death, but also the sign of his resurrection because unlike the Crucifix, the Cross is empty symbolizing not only his death but his victory over death, his resurrection.
Both the Crucifix and the Cross have their place with the Cross symbolizing victory over death!
And this is what draws us to Him.
Many were drawn to President Obama and went out to meet him in 2008 because of their desire for immediate change chanting "Yes we can, yes we can!"
We all want change for the good and it is precisely because we have heard that the Cross is empty and that Jesus is alive that we come to meet Him and experience immediate and everlasting change.
It is hard to ask Him to "save us now" without first meeting Him.
If is difficult to shout "Hosanna" without first coming to meet Him.
And, the place we meet Him is at the Cross - the place where he carries all of our troubles, all of our burdens.
Transition:
John goes on to tell us in verse 19 that when Jesus fulfilled prophecy confirming he was the Messiah by entering Jerusalem on a donkey there was a third group of people who were neither amazed nor praised him:
C. The Pharisees viewed him as a threat, not as the Son of God. v 19
Explanation:
John 19
19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”
- John 11:47-48 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.
“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”
(1) The Pharisees were jealous because so many in Israel believed in Him. v 19b
EXASPERATED BY THEIR ATTEMPTS TO STOP HIM BEING TOO FEW TOO LATE!
Illustration:
As Media Matters for America has documented, numerous media figures have compared Obama to Hitler and the Nazis in recent days. Cunningham asserted on the October 30 broadcast of his show that "Obama wants to gas the Jews."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7790828
Cunningham on Obama
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200811040013
Application:
So what is John telling us today when Jesus is viewed as a threat rather than a savior?
When our President is viewed as a foe rather than a friend it compounds the gridlock of Washington and nothing changes-the ingrained political dysfunction continues to the detriment of our country.
So it is when Jesus is viewed as a threat instead of as Savior - our ingrained dysfunction, our Sin Nature, remains to the detriment of our souls.
While some shouted Save Us Now, others second guessed themselves for not doing something sooner to stop him, for not taking definitive action to keep the people from coming to him.
And today, second guessers exist as well.
Second Guessers today work to destroy their political opponents like second guessers 2000 years ago.
However, Jesus wasn't a political opponent - he was the Son of God.
Second guessers failed in their attempt to destroy the Son of God.
Through our Sin we were participants with the second guessers 2000 years ago.
Are we second guessers today?
Do we do things to try and stop Jesus? to stop the spread of the Gospel?
Do we actively do things? Do we passively do things?
By our inaction are we in effect opposing the spread of the Good News of our Lord and Savior?
By our inaction are we passively killing the message?
Are we passively trying to kill the messenger like the Pharisees actively were trying and did do 2000 years ago?
Transition:
John told his 1st Century Readers that Jesus fulfilled prophecy confirming he was the Messiah by entering Jerusalem on a donkey as the people praised God and Pharisees’ second guessed themselves.
A. The Passover pilgrims recognized him as Messiah, who came in the name of the LORD. vv 12-15
B. The eye witnesses were amazed by his ability to raise Lazarus from the dead. vv 17-18
C. The Pharisees viewed him as a threat, not as the Son of God. v 19
Conclusion:
In this passage, John tells us today that Jesus fulfills prophecy confirming he is the Messiah by entering our hearts and lives to the praise of some and second guessing of others.
A. The oppressed recognize He is the Messiah, shouting "Hosanna" to Him, begging Him to "SAVE US NOW" from their troubles.
B. The faithful are amazed by his resurrection!
C. The second guessers view Him, not as the Son of God, but as a threat to their way of life - their power, their control.
May we not be second guessers but instead Passover pilgrims, faithful believers, beggars, praying:
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy,
Lord have Mercy.
In the name of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit. Amen.
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