When You Meet the King

When You Meet the King

John 12:12-19  

Certainly, when you go to meet a king there are certain things you may go expecting. You may think of the right way to approach, the way that king may response. What you would like to say to them and perhaps even what you hope to learn, know, or receive from them.

As we turn to John 12, Jesus is headed into Jerusalem and what we see is an incredible scene with large crowds celebrating and welcoming Jesus into the city. They some had heard about and others had seen personally Jesus’ miracles, healings, and the verse leading up to the text we will cover to tells us that many “were believing in Jesus (11).” .

With that belief came many specific things about Jesus that people were pondering and some were declaring, one such belief is seen specifically in verse 13 and that is that Jesus was the promised King of Israel. Because of this, with Jesus entering into the city for the Passover celebration, large crowds come His way and began celebrating His arrival by going out to meet Him personally while he made His way into the city. Their declaration that He was King, came with certain hopes, certain beliefs, and certain expectations of what Jesus would do when He came to town that day. But Jesus, though He was surely their promised King, would end of going about things far differently than they were expecting.

With this said, this morning we are going to turn to John 12:12-19 and circle some protocols that are always in place when you meet King Jesus.

 

John 12:12-19

 

From verse 12 we know that Jesus was headed into Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. This was a celebration of the day God saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. The origin of Passover comes from the book of Exodus when the Lord had promised to redeem His people from slavery in Egypt  Exodus (6:6). The Lord sent Moses to the Egyptian king, Pharaoh with the words of the Lord to  “let my people go” (Exodus 8:1) Pharaoh refused and the plagues were sent on the land of Egypt, the tenth plague was when God had told the Israelites to sacrifice a spotless lamb on and mark the top and sides of their doorframes with the blood of the lamb. This would ensure that their household would be spared from death or “passed-over.” Those who did not, would lose their first born. It was this that ultimately compelled Pharaoh to let God’s people go, and the Israelites were to remember this day each year with a feast and celebration.

From history, we know that Jerusalem swelled for this celebration, we understand from historians that it would swell up to about five times its normal population. People would travel from all over the known world to Jerusalem for this celebration. Therefore, not only would the city of Jerusalem be packed, but also the roads and paths to get there.

It was a joyous occasion of remembering their deliverance, but also an event that came with great anticipation of deliverance coming again. The Israelites had been freed from Egypt, but once again they are under oppression, at that time from Rome.   In Jesus’ day, the people were looking for a messianic deliverer, a king, and the predominant thought was that this deliverer would lead them in a revolt against Rome.

After all they had heard and seen from Jesus, the people began to believe that Jesus was that King, in verse 13, with Jesus headed into the city, the people go out to meet Him the way they would go to meet royalty, which was with palm branches in hand which meant royalty, victory, peace and triumph, and they also began shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, indeed, the King of Israel!”

The word “Hosanna” is a word of Hebrew origin and the result of a combination of two words, yasha (“deliver, save”) and anna (“beg, now, please, beseech”) combine to form the word that, in English, is “hosanna,” “I beg you to save,” or “please save now.”

These shouts came at the beginning of the week. But by the end of the week, the shouts from the crowd would shift from hosanna from Him to crucify Him when His way to save was the cross before the crown,  They had gone to meet king, but things went differently than they were expecting and this leads us to the protocols that must be kept in mind when you meet the king. I want to look at three protocols we must apply, centered on His ways, His work, and His wonders. 

 

 

1. His Ways Will Be Higher Than Your Hosanna

 

John 12:13, They took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, indeed, the King of Israel!”

 

• When the people came and cried out to Jesus as King, they were asking for something, salvation.

 

• They wanted Him to save them, from Matthew 21, we know that they were not only shouting “Hosanna,” they were shouting “Hosanna in the Highest,” which meant to save to the uttermost, save until there is nothing left to save!
• One might wonder what exactly they wanted to be saved from? Answer: Roman oppression.

 

• Their city and state was under Roman rule, which was a foreign authority. They faced extreme taxation, extreme military power and presence, they used crucifixion as a form of punishment, and required political allegiance.

 

• In addition to these things, it was degrading and humiliating for Israelites, who were known and referred to as “God’s chosen people” (Deuteronomy 7:6), to be under Rome.

 

• There was an expectation of one who would be born, a child given, and the government would rest on His shoulder! (Isaiah 9:6)

 

• Through the line of David, a “righteous branch” would come and “reign as king.” (2 Samuel 7:12-16)

 

• The belief, was this deliverer would come, overthrow Rome, and take His seat as king.

 

• What they wanted Him to do, was save them from their situation. You know, lower the taxes, get the military to lighten up, they them pick their own politics.

 

• And they think Jesus just might be the One! So, they cry out…Save us! We are begging you to save!

 

• Hosanna in the highest, “I beg you to save to the uttermost,” “I beg you to save until there is nothing left to save.”

 

• In shouting this, they were shouting out a song, a Psalm that was set apart for the Messiah, and here they are singing it about Jesus.

 

Psalm 118:22-26, A stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This came about from the Lord; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord has made; let’s rejoice and be glad in it. Please, O Lord, do save us; please, O Lord, do send prosperity! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord

 

• They wanted Him to save them out of their situation, they wanted to be saved on their own terms and in a specific way, but Jesus was there to save in a higher way.

 

• Jesus wasn’t there to save them from Roman oppression immediately; He was there to bring about Salvation eternally.

 

• Jesus had surely come to bring about hosanna in the highest, but His ways were higher than their hosanna.

 

Isaiah 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

 

Illus. Hosanna!

 

Proverbs 19:21, Many plans are in a person’s heart, but the advice of the Lord will stand.

 

Hebrews 7:25, He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him…

 

1. His Work Will Fulfill What is Written

 

John 12:14-15, Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: “Do not fear, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”

 

• From verses 14 to 15 we know that Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it at He continued into the city.

 

• Here in the book of John, we learn that He found a donkey, but from the other Gospels we get the story a little more fully…

 

Mark 11:1-6, As they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples, and said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it’; and immediately he will send it back here.” They went away and found a colt tied at the door, outside in the street; and they untied it. And some of the bystanders were saying to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” And they told them just as Jesus had said, and they gave them permission.

 

• Jesus “found” the donkey by giving very specific instructions to His disciples and they were willing to listen.

 

• Jesus’ disciples were willing to walk over to the village and start untying the donkey. People started asking, and the disciples did just as Jesus said.

 

• They were willing, but Jesus made it all work.

 

Illus. Borrowed things. 

 

• God didn’t have to make it work this way. But He has chosen to allow us the opportunity to be a part of His story. What we must be willing to give Him in order to do His work in our lives, however, is access.

 

Illus. Access.

Philippians 2:13, It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

 

• Jesus was working here, and in His work, He was not only working in the lives of those who were walking with Him, He was fulfilling what was written of Him.

 

• As Jesus sat atop the colt of a donkey, He was fulfilling biblical prophecy.

Zechariah 9:9, Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is righteous and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

• It was foretold that the messiah, the savior, would ride into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey. Here it happened.

 

• As Jesus fulfilled this prophesy, He was presenting Himself as king. He was putting Himself on display as Messiah which is something He had previously avoided.

Illus. What happened?

 

• This time it was different.

 

• Jesus had been planning the entire thing. Not just the donkey, but the day.

 

• We know that this particular day, on the Jewish calendar was the 10^th day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar, or April 6^th 32 AD on the Julian calendar.

 

• What is important to note about that date, is that for the Passover celebration, people were to select lambs to be sacrificed. In Jewish law, the day of selection for a sacrificed lamb was the 10^th day of Nisan or April 6^th.

 

• That wasn’t the day they were sacrificed, but the day they were selected. On that day, the lamb would be presented to the family, and the family would select the lamb without blemish to be sacrifices.

 

• What is interesting is that it is on this day that Jesus presented himself to then nation of Israel as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

 

• On this day, He was celebrated, and “selected,” and on the 14^th of Nisan, He would be the lamb of God, slain for the sins of the world.

 

• In Luke 19, Jesus stopped on the mount of Olives and wept over the city of Jerusalem because they did not recognize the “time of their visitation” (Luke 19:44)

 

Illus. That day…

 

Luke 24:44-48, He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (NKJV)

 

• When you meet the King His word will fulfill what is written. Jesus said thus it is written, and thus it was necessary. 

Illus. Prophesies.

• Perhaps Jesus pointed these disciples to these Scriptures.

 

• Jesus explained all the things concerning Himself in the Scriptures, and there were many. These were prophesies, or a foretelling.

 

Illus. Odds.

 

John 12:16, These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things for Him.

 

III.   His Wonders Will Accomplish Much in Your World

 

John 12:17-19, So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. For this reason also the people went to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not accomplishing anything; look, the world has gone after Him!”

 

• The through line to the last couple chapters is that some are believing in Jesus, and others had rejected Him.

 

• The religious leaders stated plainly their desire to kill Him.

 

• At the end of chapter 11 we read that Jesus no longer walked among them.

 

• Here we see that those who were with Him, continued to testify about Him. The word used for “testify” is the same word used for “witness,” to be a “witness,” means to see, hear, or know by personal presence or perception.

 

• A witness gives testimony based on what they know.

 

• And those who walked with Him, knew about the wonders they had seen from Him, and they could not stop talking about Him.

 

• People heard about Him then from those who walked with Him, and the Pharisees who were trying to end Him recognized that they weren’t accomplishing anything, “look,” they said, “the world has gone after Him!”

 

• When you meet the king, His wonder will accomplish much in your world, don’t stop witnessing, don’t stop sharing but there is a world in need and part of that world God wants to work through you to reach.

 

Illus. Sharing the Story.

 

 

 

 

 

John 12:12-19  

12On the next day, when the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13they took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, indeed, the King of Israel!” 14Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 15“Do not fear, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” 16These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things for Him. 17So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. 18For this reason also the people went to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. 19So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not accomplishing anything; look, the world has gone after Him!”