Enter the King John 12:12-19
Palm Sunday. Today Jesus is entering the city of Jerusalem in triumph; and it’s a vast contrast to the way this week will end at the cross.
But today is a celebration. You’ve heard me say the Old Testament is a shadow of what happens in the New Testament. In 2 Samuel King David brings the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. 2 Samuel 6:14, “David was dancing before the Lord…while he and Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.” This is the shadow of today’s event. Today the multitudes assembled to watch God’s true and living ark, Jesus enter Jerusalem.
Jesus has spent over three years preaching his message of God’s Kingdom. He has spent the past three years challenging the religious establishment. And today he brings his message directly to the stronghold of the Pharisees power. And the symbolism of the events unfolding were I sure not lost on the religious leaders there.
Jesus entered through the Eastern gate, the gate through which royalty entered the city. The palm branches waved by the crowd and placed on the road before Jesus had their symbolism too. They were originally used 200 years earlier to celebrate the Jewish Maccabean army retaking the Jerusalem from the pagan occupiers. Today it is estimated that there were 500,000 people in the city to celebrate the coming Passover and Jesus enters the city being hailed a king, reminiscent of King David and King Solomon’s ceremonial riding into Zion.
All of these events were foretold in the Old Testament scripture, Zachariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly Daughter Zion! See, your king comes to you righteous and victorious, lowly riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foul of a donkey.”
Jesus is entering the city hailed as a king expected to lead the people from their current occupation. But Jesus enters the city not as a war leader but as the Prince of Peace and the crowd, even his disciples missed it. They saw this event as a new sheriff coming to town. They all were expecting Jesus to take control from the Sanhedrin and then lead the masses in a revolt against Rome. Jesus conversation in Luke 24:19 and 21 on the road to Emmaus after the resurrection, “About Jesus of Nazareth…he was a prophet; powerful in word and deed before God…we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.”
The people didn’t understand their scripture; therefore they didn’t understand what Jesus was really doing. And because of this when things didn’t go as they hoped, Jesus triumphant entrance into Jerusalem went bad, fast.
All through scripture Jesus is referred to as king, a great leader, in fact, King of kings. When I think of a great leader and how he enters as a conqueror I think of someone like Caesar riding in an ornate chariot, I think of the paintings of George Washington on a great white stallion, I even think of the pictures of General MacArthur returning to the Philippines in a military jeep. Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey. Doesn’t fit my idea of a triumphant ride into the city. Regardless, Jesus is our King. Let’s take a look at our king.
A king is usually the eldest child of the reigning monarch and indeed Jesus is the son of the one who reigns over all creation but our king is different. Most royalty comes determined to rule, Jesus comes to serve. Most monarchs build up their egos, Jesus comes with disarming humility. As we already saw most conquerors ride impressive stallions, our king rides a foul of a donkey.
Jesus knew what he was doing and the symbolism he was putting across. The horse has stood for war and war was what the people wanted and expected, war to set them free from Rome. Jesus rode a donkey, a symbol of meekness and peace. He did come to set the people free, not from Rome but from sin.
Most kings and even our own presidents at their death have great ceremonies attended by the leaders of nations. Think of the funeral processions of Lincoln, Kennedy and Reagan; imagine what Queen Elizabeth’s funeral will be. Jesus had a humiliating death marked by the insulting inscription “King of the Jews” above his head.
Yes our King is different. Most kings inherit their position and usually it is accompanied with either ambivalence or bravado. Jesus had neither. Many monarchs have want of public displays, great halls full of admirers; people who tend to their whims. Up to now Jesus has shied away from publicity, but today; today he is deliberately provoking the response he receives. He uses all the Old Testament prophesies to declare in no uncertain terms “I am King.” Yet this declaration was not to earn the crowds admiration, it was designed to set the stage for the greatest event in all of human history.
Two thousand years ago the crowd shouted out that their king was coming to set them free. Today we can and should shout out that our king has come and he has set us free. We need to understand that if we make this declaration it cannot be made shallowly or halfheartedly. With Jesus there is no maybe, no we’ll see; we are either all in with him or we’re not. It is either I believe who you are and what you have done or you’re still on the outside. Our salvation came hard and at a great price at the cross and it demands nothing less than total dedication to Christ from us.
Again I use this imagery; Jesus didn’t ride into the city on a great stallion. He didn’t enter the city with a large army in their finest, swords and shields polished and shining in the sun. Jesus didn’t enter the city demanding tribute and admiration from the crowds. Our king came into the city with a compassion born out of the immeasurable love he has for each one of us. Our king did not come to judge us or to punish us or to subjugate us. Our king came to take our inequities onto his body. Our king came to take our punishment. Our king came not to put shackles on us and to imprison us. Our king came to remove the shackles of sin and to release us from the prison of the damned and to welcome us to life everlasting in paradise with him.
Please allow me to end today’s message with prayer:
Lord Jesus,
It can be easy for us to lose the enormity of what you have done for us.
When we look at our leaders whether they be Presidents, Kings or Prime Ministers
We can see how they lead from an elevated position of power Or a forced respect.
We forget how you lead; with humility and compassion.
When we see individuals, groups or nations try to force control and amass power and wealth
Let us remember that you died as a poor man
And as our God who gave up all power and subjugated himself
So you can be our savior, our Lord and our King.
I pray that during this week
As we move towards and through Good Friday and Easter Sunday
That we meditate and pray on what happened 2000 years ago
And on why it happened.
You deserve more respect and praise than any leader we raise up from our own
For without you and the cross
We would still be lost and condemned.
All glory to you Lord,
Amen.