The Jews were looking for a king, and Jesus shows up and proclaims He is Son of God, the Messiah but He shows up with no army, no weapons, no political power, He couldn’t even get the religious leaders to back Him and the Jews would never expect their king to be nailed to a cruel cross with two common thieves.
But even with all of that, Jesus again and again proved that He was the One who the Jews had been looking for, longing for, waiting for!
His miraculous birth, The place of His birth, His ability to perform miracles, His teaching
John explained it so well-John 1:10-11-He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
Verse 15-“Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”
Zechariah 9:9-“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.
When the Roman soldiers saw this man sitting on this donkey, they would have never dream that He would be a threat to Roman, much less a king!!
I don’t think the people even realize that Jesus is the Messiah, because the same ones who cry out “Hosanna!” in just a few days will cry out "crucify Him."
Verse 24-Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain
Jesus used a picture familiar to all who heard Him speaking. Everyone knew that before a crop could be harvested, seed had to be planted first. As those grains of seed were placed into the ground and died, they provided the means whereby a plant would be produced. This new plant possessed the potential to bear thousands of new grains.
Because Jesus died and is risen from the dead, He has the power to duplicate His life in every single person who places their faith in Him.
Gal. 2:20- "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
Not only does Jesus save us from our sins, but He also gives us a brand new life!
Verse 27-Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.
Why did this king come, if not to over throw Roman, if not to free the Jews enslavement?
He came to die! He came to free mankind, not from another nation, but from sin!
He came to take the penalty of sin!!
Verse 32-And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”
There is something very compelling about the cross, something that draws us to it, maybe it is the fact, that someone would love us enough to take our punishment, to die in our place!
The cross still has the power to move! Has it moved you? Does it still move you ?
2 Peter 3:9-The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
Verse 34-The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”
Verse 37-38-But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
They had taken all of His teaching, all His miracles and they are rejecting that in one fatal swoop.
Men still do this today. They hear the Gospel and either they don’t believe it or they believe it but don’t accept it!
When they do this, they are rejecting the only hope they have for salvation.
I challenge you to look into your own heart and see where you stand in regard to the King. Have you received Him, or are you living in rejection of this One who loves you so?
