Here Comes The King Series

HERE COMES THE KING

Text: John 12:12-19

Introduction

1. Did you know that the colonialists wanted to make George Washington a king? But he refused. Because George and many of the colonists believed that there was only one king, and it was not King George III.

a. On April 22, 1774, before the Revolutionary War, a report was sent to King George III of England, and in it the governor of Boston exclaimed, "If you ask an American who is his master, he will tell you, he has none, nor any governor but Jesus Christ."

b. In April 1775, when a British major called the colonialists, villains and told them “Lay down your arms, in the name of George, the sovereign king of England," the immediate response was "We recognize no Sovereign but God and no King but Jesus."

c. This became the battle cry and motto of the revolutionary war. No king but king Jesus.

2. Recently, I sent a document to the Congregational Methodist Church a list of all our leaders. On the very top of the document it says, “Supreme Leader: Jesus Christ.”

3. When Jesus came the first time, he came as a humble Messiah, but when he returns it will be as the King of Kings.

4. Read John 12:12-19

Transition: When Jesus entered Jerusalem, it was as a…

I. Different Kind of King (12-16).

A. Blessings on the One

1. John begins his recounting of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem with, “The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city.”

a. The news of Jesus’ coming into Jerusalem raised the excitement in the city to a fever pitch.

b. Keep in mind that pilgrims from all over the known world were gathering in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration.

c. During this time, the population would grow from 50,000 to over 120,00, and there would have been people everywhere.

d. In addition, there would have been people from Galilee who would have been familiar with Jesus’ ministry there and would have known about all the miracles he had performed and the things he had taught.

e. The level of excitement was immense!

2. The huge, excited crowd responded to Jesus entrance into the city. “A large crowd of Passover visitors 13 took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Hail to the King of Israel!”

a. The first thing the crowd did to welcome Jesus was they laid palm branches on the road in front of him.

b. The branches from the date palms were plentiful in Jerusalem, and their use had symbolic reasons behind them.

c. They had become a symbol of Jewish nationalism, and they were used in the rededication of the Temple. They were also symbols of ruling power.

d. Next, they began to shout something that came from Psalm 118:25-26. “Please, LORD, please save us. Please, LORD, please give us success. 26 Bless the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the house of the LORD.”

e. The phrase “Praise God!” is a translation of the Aramaic word, “Hosanna,” which means, “God save us!”

f. They thought that God was sending them a conquering king to set them free from Roman occupation.

g. We can see that in the fact that the last phrase in this verse does not come from Psalm 118:25-26.

h. They declared Jesus as the King of Israel, and they saw him as a conquering king they King David. But they were going to find out that Jesus was not that kind of King.

i. They were looking for an earthly, national leader, and Jesus came to be a spiritual leader who would set us free from our sin.

3. Next, John shows that Jesus was not the kind of King they were expecting. In vv. 14-15 it says, “Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said: 15 “Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem. Look, your King is coming, riding on a donkey’s colt.”

a. Jesus’ choice of vehicle shows that he was not the King they were expecting.

b. In fact, he did not enter the city as a conquering King would.

c. A conquering King would arrive on a large white horse with his army behind him.

d. However, Jesus arrived on a donkey followed by his rag tag band of fisherman and tax collectors.

e. In this entry, the King would not be a conquering hero on a white horse, but a humble Messiah who came to die on a cross.

4. But it wasn’t just the cheering crowd that misunderstood Jesus. In v. 16 John tells us, “His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him.”