Behold He Comes: So What Were You Expecting Series

Behold He Comes: So What Were you Expecting

John 12:12-19

April 17, 2011

INTRODUCTION

Flashmob

A flash mob (or flashmob) is a term coined in 2003 to denote a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and sometimes seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment and/or satire. Flash mobs are organized via telecommunications, social media, or viral emails. The term is generally not applied to events and performances organized for the purposes of politics (such as protests), commercial advertisement, publicity stunts, that involve public relation firms, or paid professionals.

T.S. A flash mob is a very good way to described what happened when Jesus came to Jerusalem.

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!"

JUST AS WHEN JESUS RODE INTO JERUSALEM, FEW OF US WILL GET MORE OUT OF A MODERN PALM SUNDAY CELEBRATION THAN WHAT WE WERE EXPECTING.

Every religious Jewish male has journeyed to Jerusalem for the celebration of the highest Feast. Rome has increased the visibility of its garrison in hopes to avoid any violent demonstrations. Zealots and political activists are looking for a chance to stir up a protest against Rome's ruling elite. Sellers of goods, line marketplaces anxious to do business and capitalize on the crowd's presence. Others are merely traveling through, on their way to the Egypt and lands south, or Samaria, Lebanon and Asia Minor. Religious authorities and sects are on the guard, each seeking to limit the expression of any thoughts deemed heretical, nontraditional or blasphemous.

T.S Into this environment rides Jesus. For each of those groups they got out of the experience what they expected.

So What did they Expect?

I. Religious individuals --

12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.There were three pilgrimage festivals

Known that name because on them the Israelites gathered at Jerusalem to give thanks for their doubly joyful character.

They commemorative of national events and they were of agricultural significance as well.

Thus, the Passover is connected with the barley harvest; at the same time it is the recalling the Exodus from Egypt (Ex 12:6; Lev 23:5,8; Num 28:16-25; Deut 16:1-8).

Each Israelite was bound to "appear before the Lord," i.e., attend in the court of the tabernacle or temple and make his offering with gladness (Lev 23; Deut 27:7). Pious women often went up to the Passover: as Luke 2:41, Mary; 1 Sam 1:7; 2:19, Hannah. Those men who might happen to be unable to attend at the proper time kept the feast the same day in the succeeding month (Num 9:10-11). On the days of holy convocation all ordinary work was suspended (Lev 23:21-35).

A. Expecting a religious ceremony

Passover

B. Expecting a feast and festive times

Feast of unleavened bread

It was indifferently called the feast of the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread, but where the object was to mark the distinction between the Passover as a sacrifice and as a feast following the sacrifice, the latter was designated the feast of Unleavened Bread (Lev 23:5-6).

II. Ambiguous group --

Travelers, Romans

In 6 AD, Judea came under direct Roman rule as the province of Judaea. The presence of so many Jews in the capital was always worrisome in this troubling province. Jews would revolt in 66AD. So on this date city is filled with a large garrison of roman soldier and citizens who oversee the government. Others are there because they have come to puy and sell. Supplies for sacrifices and trinkets are bought and sold everywhere even in the temple.

John 2: 13-16 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade."