There Is One Path To Glory (John 12:12-26) Series

Let's start today by simply rereading our passage from last week, John 11:55-12:11. This will help us remember where we are in the gospel of John:

(55) Now, the Passover of the Judeans was near,

and many went up to Jerusalem from the surrounding area before the Passover,

in order that they would sanctify themselves.

(56) Then, they were seeking Jesus,

and they were saying with one another in the temple, standing,

"What does it seem to you,

that there is no way he will come to the feast, right?

(57) Now, they gave-- the chief priests and the Pharisees-- commands,

that if anyone knew where he is, he should report [it],

so that they could seize/arrest him.

(12:1) Then, Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany,

where he was-- Lazarus--

whom he raised from the dead-- Jesus.

(2) Then, they made him a supper there,

and Martha was serving.

Now, Lazarus, one, he was, of the ones reclining with him.

(3) Then, Mary, taking a pound of fragrant oil, genuine, very costly, anointed the feet of Jesus,

and she wiped with her hair his feet.

Now, the house was filled with the fragrance of the fragrant oil.

(4) Now, he says-- Judas the Iscariot-- one of his disciples-- the one about, him, to hand over/betray--

(5) "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"

(6) Now, he said this,

not because about the poor he cared about,

but because, a thief, he was,

and the money box having, the things put in it he was stealing.

(7) Then, he said-- Jesus--

"Leave her,

[The purpose was that] for the day of the preparation of my burial, she would keep it.

(8) For the poor, always, you have with you.

Now, me, not, always, you have.

(9) Then, it found out-- a great crowd of the Judeans--

that there, he was,

and they came-- not because of Jesus alone,

but in order that also Lazarus they would see,

whom he raised from the dead.

(10) Now, they decided-- the chief priests--

that also Lazarus, they would kill,

(11) because many because of him were leaving from the Judeans,

and giving allegiance to Jesus.

At the end of this day, we see a "great crowd of Judeans" leaving from the Judeans, and giving allegiance to Jesus. We find ourselves optimistic and encouraged about that.

At the same time, confusingly, the dark clouds on the horizon are getting closer. The chief priests have rejected Jesus. And they've decided that not only should Jesus die, but also Lazarus. It's better that two people die, than the entire nation. The hour of Jesus' death is getting closer, and closer.

Verses 12-13 bring us to the next day:

(12) On the next day, the large crowd-- the one coming to the festival--, hearing that Jesus is coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of palm trees,

and they went out to meet him,

and they were crying out,

"Save us! ("Hosanna").

Praised/blessed [is] the one coming in the name of the Lord-- even the king of Israel."

When you hear these words, you can't help but thing about Palm Sunday. Every year, on the Sunday before Easter, churches celebrate this moment in the gospels. The crowds coming streaming out to meet Jesus, waving palm branches, crying out, "Hosanna! Praised is the one coming in the name of the Lord-- even the king of Israel."

And in many churches, this is reenacted by children. Children come from the back of the church, waving the palm branches, echoing this language.

We think about this moment in Jesus' life, maybe, as the peak of his earthly ministry. This is the moment when everything looked perfect. Huge crowds are coming to Jesus, praising him, understanding that he is sent from God to save them. This is the moment of his glory.

But when we read these verses in John, we are supposed to hear two (maybe three, can't decide) false notes. We struggle to hear them, maybe, because we have decades of watching kids wave palm branches. But there is something going on here that's dangerously off.

(1) False Note #1:

The first false note has to do with the "palm branches" that the Judeans wave. If you asked any Judean what the significance of palm branches was, they would tell you that palm branches are a symbol of freedom from foreign (Greek-Syrian) rule. They are part of how Jews celebrate Hannukah-- the celebration of the cleansing of Jerusalem from its enemies, and their victory over their enemies.

We find this in two places. This story won't make perfect sense-- I'm skipping too much-- but you can read more at biblegateway.com if you select NRSV as the translation.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+macc+13&version=NRSV

1 Maccabees 13:49-53: