Jesus Comes as King
The great crowd that had come for the Passover festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him” (John 12:12-13).
The Passover was the great festival in Jerusalem commemorating God’s rescue of his people from captivity in Egypt. Their slavery under Pharaoh was a time of bitter despair in which they suffered extreme oppression and harsh labour. They were desperate to be freed from this miserable existence.
God heard the cries of his people and led them out. But with the mighty Egyptian army in hot pursuit, they reached the shores of the Red Sea, and were trapped. It seemed as though all was for naught. There was no way out. But God made a way where there was no way, by parting the Red Sea and leading his people through to safety. God led them to freedom, after which they dwelt in temporary shelters, or tabernacles (Leviticus 23: 39-43).
So that they would never forget God’s salvation, always remember that their success was wholly due to his grace, and trust him alone for their provision, God instituted another festival: the Feast of Tabernacles. His people were to live in temporary shelters with thatched roofs made of palm branches, willows and other leafy trees for seven days, rejoicing before him. From this time on the Palm tree became a symbol of victory for Israel.
This is the all-important context to today’s Gospel reading. Next slide The great crowd of pilgrims who had come from all over the land to Jerusalem for the Passover festival had heard that Jesus was on his way there too. So they took Palm branches and went to meet him. As they held the Palm branches, they jubilantly shouted verses of Psalm 118:
“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna” means: “Lord, save now!” They proclaim that Jesus is the one who has come in the name of the Lord with saving help—the Messiah promised from of old who had come to share God’s blessing with them right there at Jerusalem. There’s a sense of overwhelming anticipation and jubilation over the blessing and salvation Jesus will bring. The bringing of Palm branches to Jesus suggests the people understand that, in him, they will enjoy a victory greater than God’s miraculous rescue of his people of old.
But what kind of victory? What did they see in Jesus? What did they expect? There was such a swirling storm of different ideas, views and expectations of him.
John tells us that the crowd who was with Jesus when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead (back in chapter 11) continued to spread the word. Many people,
because they had heard that Jesus had performed this sign, went out to meet him” (John 12:17-18). Perhaps they thought that if Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead, how much more could he resurrect them as a powerful nation, saving them from the Roman rule they hated so much. As they waved their palm branches and shouted “Hosanna!” they pictured Israel again being a great and independent nation, politically and economically powerful. Perhaps that’s why they add words to Psalm 118 that aren’t actually there: “Blessed is the king of Israel!”
That’s why the religious leaders of Israel saw Jesus as a threat—a rival to their plans of controlling the religious structure they had established. That Jesus attracted such a great following reflected poorly on them. The control they sought to maintain was fast unravelling out of control. So the chief priests even made plans to kill Lazarus as well as Jesus (12:10).
And then, the Jewish folk who had seen and heard of what Jesus had done, bringing life out of death by simply calling Lazarus forth from the tomb; the God of creation who spoke and it was so. They were going over to Jesus and believing in him—placing their trust in him, who demonstrated that he had authority and power even over death.
And the blindness of Jesus’ own disciples, who did not understand all this. Only after he was glorified did they realize these things had been written about him and had been done to him.
And so that day, five days now before Passover, God comes, travelling not through walls of water of the Red Sea he once parted, but through the crowds that lined the street: in the midst of all of those who were confused and not understanding, those who were cheering and praising but who had their own wayward expectations of who Jesus was and what he had come to do, those who rejected Jesus and wanted him done away with, and those who put their hope in him.
Where are you in this crowd?
Are you among those who know, like God’s Passover people of old, that you are completely dependent on God for all things, even life itself, and that it is only by grace you are here instead of someone else, and so you put your hope in him?
Are you among the disciples who didn’t understand Jesus and his mission? Do we misunderstand him so much that we seek to be king over getting even, caring only for those who care for us first, forgiving only those who we deem to be worthy of forgiveness, reaching out only to those who are nice, only those who measure up to our standards, only those who have appealing personalities?
Or are you among those who sought to fit Jesus into their own expectations; shaping Jesus into your kind of King to fulfil your own will, demands and desires: ‘Lord save us, come now, give us this, do that, fulfil the vision we have for our life and church’—with a vision that is so far away from Jesus’ own, like those in our text? Do we seek to justify giving God our leftovers rather than the first fruits, looking to make provision our own way rather than trusting in our Heavenly Father—who has already given us everything we have in the first place?
Are you among those who sought to maintain control of the religious order and resented Jesus? Does this not happen in the times we don’t like what Jesus has to say; when we seek to counsel God and help him understand, when his words don’t align with our will?
All of this is precisely why Jesus rode in to Jerusalem—to again do for mere humans what we were helpless to do for ourselves, just as he rescued his people of old through the Red Sea. Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem was to liberate the whole world from the most oppressive slavery; one which, like Israel of old, we had no resources within ourselves to effect such a great escape.
Jesus rode in, not on a mighty warhorse, but as Zechariah prophesied: on the colt of a donkey, symbolising that he was coming in peace. Riding in on a pipsqueak of a donkey would hardly look threatening would it? He rode in to the city that stoned the messengers of God and murdered the prophets, to bring peace between the world and God by his precious blood:
“Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” (verse 15).
Despite all our confusion, all our misplaced expectations and trust, even our times of resenting Jesus, our triumphant King still comes to us with his peace. Every time we celebrate Holy Communion we join that crowd in John’s Gospel in shouting out: “Hosanna!” (Lord, save now) and declare of Jesus who comes to us in this holy meal: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”.
He is truly present as our King and welcomes us all to his table to deliver the salvation that he won for the world, to you through his own body and blood which he serves us.
As you eat and drink Jesus proclaims that he has led the victory procession over the enemies of Satan, sin, death, hell and the world, and has made a mockery of them by his death on the Cross. He proclaims that he is your Passover Lamb who has purchased you as his own by the shedding of his precious blood, to ride behind him into Jerusalem, to the Cross, to let go of everything we grip so tightly, and hang on to control, in our secret hearts, in our lives, and in the church, and that we might find true joy, life and peace in his leading of us, until he comes again to judge the living and the dead.
On that day, he will take you to share in his glory in heaven, where there will be unending rejoicing with the crowd of angels and all the other saints of all times and places. All who remain steadfast in faith, believing in him, shall stand in front of the throne and before the Lamb–clothed in white and holding palm branches in their hands. (Revelation 7:9-10).
Do you see yourself in that crowd?
Your Father in Heaven does, for after Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem came his victorious death, resurrection and ascension into heaven, which he brought to you in baptism. So on that final day, you too will join around the throne of God in heaven and shout, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Amen.
