We Would Like to See Jesus

I want to begin reading John chapter 12, verses 12 through 22.

John 12:12–22

The next day, the great crowd that had come to the festival,

for the festival, heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.

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.

Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written. Do not be afraid, daughter Zion.

See, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt.

At first, his disciples did not understand all of 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.

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.

Many people, because they had heard that he had performed his sign,

let me repeat that, many people, because they had heard that he had performed

this sign, went out to meet him.

So the Pharisees said to one another, See, this is getting us nowhere.

Look how the whole world has gone after him.

Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival.

They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request,

Sir, they said, we would like to see Jesus.

Philip went to tell Andrew. Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

Imagine yourself in Jerusalem over 2,000 years ago.

There was a great crowd there that day that had come to celebrate the feast of the Passover.

I can imagine it was something like what we might think of in Times Square on New Year's Eve.

Josephus, that noted Jewish historian, estimated that more than 2 million people

were involved in the grace Passover

feast. for the whole week they would come and go during this time.

Now, you have to keep in mind, Jerusalem at that time was a city of about 16,

maybe at the most 16 square miles, about a four mile by four mile area.

It wasn't very big. And over 2 million people would have been coming in and out of there.

It's known that over 256,500 lambs were slain during one Passover season.

And each lamb represents at least 10 worshipers.

So there had to be 2,500,000.

So with more than 2 million people flooding into the city to observe the Passover, over,

the task of managing the necessary housing and food arrangements to handle such

a mass of people must have been absolutely overwhelming.

They didn't have FEMA to provide for all of this.

They had to do all of this on their own. An exciting carnival-like atmosphere

was bound to prevail over such a mob of people.

It was in the midst of all these people jamming the streets of the city,

getting ready to celebrate and observe one of the most important feasts of the Jewish year,

that the word came out, got out, that Jesus was on his way into the city.

Very few of the gospel stories are recorded in all four Gospels,

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Sometimes one or two Gospels record the same event.

Occasionally, some events in Jesus' life are recorded in three Gospels accounts.

But what happened on this day in Jerusalem, Palm Sunday, triumphal entry,

is recorded by all four of the Gospel writers.

So apparently, for that reason alone, we need to consider that what happened

on that day was important.

The crowd gathered as Jesus rode into the city on the colt of a donkey,

and they began to wave palm branches and shout their welcome to Jesus.

They would lay their palm branches and robes and cloaks and all of that in front

of the donkey so the donkey didn't have to ride on a dirty path.

But who were the faces in that crowd that day? If you were there,

who would you see and what were they thinking? I believe that as we examine

the crowd that was present that particular day, we may find ourselves in some of these around us.

Now, next week, we're going to be looking at this crowd of people that were

there at the crucifixion.

And this morning, we're looking at those crowd of people that were there at

the triumphal infantry. First, the Roman soldiers were there.

As the crowd began to honor Jesus, I'm sure it got the attention of the Roman soldiers.

There were probably a large number of Roman soldiers who gathered to see what

was going on because they were charged with keeping the Jewish people under control.

What did this demonstration mean to the Romans? Well, nothing is recorded about

their Roman viewpoint, but it is certain that they kept a close watch on that day.

During the annual Passover feast, during recorded history, it was not uncommon

for some Jewish zealots to try to arouse the people to fight back against the

Roman oppression of their city and their country.

And the Roman soldiers quickly put those uprisings down, oftentimes killing

some of those who were rioting.

Maybe the Roman soldiers thought this parade was that kind of event.

Maybe they were expecting to have to quell a riot.

But then here comes Jesus riding on a donkey's colt.

I imagine that some of the Roman soldiers that must have been smiling at this,

quote, triumphal entry, because it was nothing like any of their triumphal entries,

triumphal celebrations back in Rome.

I'm sure the Roman soldiers who were there were smiling and laughing a little

bit at the Jewish people.

They'd probably seen this type of tribute before. Whenever a Roman general was

victorious on foreign soil,

killing at least 5,000 of the enemy and gaining new territory,

he was given a Roman triumphal celebration when he returned to the city of Rome.

It was the Roman equivalent of the American ticker tape parade,

only with much more splendor.

This general would ride into the city in a gold-covered chariot with white stallions

pulling it, a symbol of a victorious warrior.

The general would display the trophies he had won in battle,

which were really the enemy leaders who had been captured and who were led in

chains down the streets behind the general.

The parade ended at the arena where those same captives would entertain the

people by fighting voracious, fighting wild beasts.

To their death. You can imagine that some of these soldiers probably laughed

at the antics of the Jewish crowd that day, and at the sight of this so-called

king, they would be thinking, man, they don't even know how to throw a parade.

To them, it was like some kid's parade on the back street of town,

where the parade marshal would ride down the street with baseball cards attached

to the bicycle spokes with clothespins, making that clickety-clickety sound

that we all remember from our childhood, right?

How many of you did that? You know, I've always been wondering how many Babe

Ruth rookie cards were ruined on our bicycles.

But anyway, what real king would ride on a dumb donkey?

What powerful leader would stoop so low?

They probably found it amusing compared to a Roman triumphal entry.

Our Lord's entry into Jerusalem was nothing.

Isn't that how some people treat Jesus today?

They're amused by the stories about him. They laugh at him and at people who worship him.

They view worship of Jesus as some sort of kid's play.

They ask, how could sophisticated people be so ignorant?

After all, what educated person would believe some of the things that people

say to have happened? What?

Instantaneously make blind people see? Crippled and paralyzed people stand up and walk or even leap.

Deaf people miraculously being able to hear without the need of a cochlear implant.

Jesus walking on water.

Gobbledygook. Calm Stormy sees by just commanding it to be quiet with his voice? Gibberish.

Being able to feed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish,

somebody must have felt guilty about not arranging for lunch and called Jimmy John's.

Who in their right mind would believe that any human could do such things by

simply speaking or touching.

So in the face of these stories, some people today just laugh at Christians

who have faith in this Jesus of Nazareth.

They were probably some of those in the crowd that day.

Then there was probably another group of people there that day,

the crowd of people who were wanting something.

These were the ones looking for the sideshow who wanted a piece of the action.

If we could go back to some earlier verses in John chapter 12,

John 12 · chapter mention

we would see these people. Chapter 12, verse 9.

Meanwhile, a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came,

not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.

Before Jesus had come to Jerusalem, he spent some time with Mary,

Martha, and Lazarus in Bethany. and we see another large crowd gathering there.

But John says that they were there not just to see Jesus, but to see this man

Lazarus, whom, as the story goes, had been raised from the dead.

Raise somebody from the dead? This I gotta see.

There's gotta be some hoax in it. This crowd wanted to see what was going on there.

These people were there to see the show, not to see the master.

They wanted to know what was going on. They weren't really interested in why Jesus was there.

These are people who were half sincere seekers.

They see the crowd gathering at the dinner Jesus was attending,

and they wanted to be part of the party.

The crowd came to see the spectacular, that is, to see Lazarus,

the man rumored to have been raised from the dead.

They were anxious to see one who had experienced such a phenomenal event and

to see if a resurrected man was any different.

And the crowd came to a social occasion, a festive atmosphere. They came to a banquet.

Wherever Jesus was there was action and things were happening.

It was where everyone was gathering. They wanted to be part of the party.

Isn't that why some people come to church today?

To see the show and to join the party. They won't come to worship the king.

They don't come to have their lives changed. They come to see who's singing that Sunday.

They come because their friends are there. They come to socialize.

They come maybe to see if they, like Lazarus, can get in on the good stuff.

And look out if there's food.

Don't get in the way or you might get trampled.

They're there to get what they can, not to worship the king.

They're there to see the miracles, not to see the king.

John chapter 12, verse 18 says, Many people, because they had heard that he

John 12:18

had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him.

Keith Miller wrote a book about the church today, and he wrote this about this kind of people.

He says, they came for the show, or they come for the show, but refuse to grow. Hmm.

Isn't that interesting? Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with megachurches per se.

But you know, I think sadly, that's why some people attend larger churches.

Some people attend larger churches because of the show and the things and the

events that are given away, the things that are just spectacular in their production.

Some are drawn to a theatrical performance that goes on, and because they can

remain anonymous and uninvolved in a church.

When we recognize those that are elected officers and leaders in our church,

you must realize that about half of the church, 40% of the church,

is involved in some form of ministry and leadership or another. That's phenomenal.

Yes, these churches are drawing the crowds, and for that we can be thankful

that people are attending church at all.

A lot of people are attending, but people are coming because of the great concerts that are available.

They're there because of the orchestra.

They come for the sing-along. They come for the show.

They come so they can say that they go to that big church that always has its

name in the paper because of some event that's taking place.

They come because they are easily influenced. They come for the events and the exciting atmosphere.

They come for what they can get, not for what they can give.

And if that's missing, if there's something that they don't like,

they move on to the next one.

How many sitting in the presence of the Lord today in his church are only half sincere?

How many come to church just because it is the thing to do, the place to be,

the place where everyone else is?

How many seek only spectacular signs and wonders?

John chapter 3 verse 30 says, So they asked him, What miraculous sign then will

John 3:30

you give that we may see it and believe in you?

What will you do basically to prove yourself?

That's the attitude of some. What will you do for me, Jesus?

What will you give me? Mark chapter 7, verse 6 says, he replied,

Mark 7:6

Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites, as it is written,

these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

Matthew chapter 23, verse 28 says, in the same way on the outside,

Matthew 23:28

you appear to be people as righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

How many want the miracles but miss the master?

There were probably some of those in the crowd that day. And then there was

another group of people there that day. They were the religious leaders.

John chapter 12, verse 19 says, So the Pharisees said to one another,

John 12:19

See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him.

The Pharisees could be found wherever the power was, wherever the prestige was.

You could be sure that they would be there. They wanted the praise.

They wanted the glory. They wanted to be on stage.

They wanted to be looked up to. They wanted to be the ones who had all the influence.

They were fine as long as they were the center of attention.

But look out if anyone else received the praise.

People were beginning to come to Jesus and follow him, and the Pharisees knew

that this meant their powerful political positions were in jeopardy.

How tragic it is that religious positions sometimes become political,

how tragic it is that men reject Christ for the things of this world,

and how tragic it is that men swap eternity for social and political gain.

These preachers and teachers, these church leaders, were only interested in themselves.

They were only interested in the prestige of their positions,

and they were going to oppose anyone and anything that threatened their power.

God isn't pleased with that type of leadership. In Ezekiel chapter 34,

Ezekiel 34:2

verses 2 and 3, he says, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel.

Prophesy and say to them, this is what the Sovereign Lord says,

Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves.

Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds,

clothe yourself with the wool, and slaughter the choice animals,

but you do not take care of the flock.

There are many in the church today around the world who want the visible positions.

They want the power and position.

They want to be the mover and shakers. They put themselves in position,

take advantage of anything that will bring them a promotion.

And to gain a following, they'll say anything that is popular that makes them popular.

They'll put on a show. They'll dance and shout to get a following and to get

an offering. They'll preach the prosperity gospel.

They'll say, come to Jesus and all your cares and troubles will be over.

Come to Jesus and he'll give you everything you want.

I remember, I think I've told you this before, when Y2K was happening,

coming up to that, I remember seeing, and we were in Michigan at the time,

and I remember seeing a pastor in Lansing, Michigan,

who one Sunday morning prior to when the world was coming to an end,

And he stood up in the pulpit, and he pulled out his wallet.

He says, I want everybody in the church to take out your wallets,

patch your wallets, and say, in the name of Jesus, this is going to be filled.

And then he went on to say, when Y2K happens, save your money,

take your money out of the bank, and when Y2K happens, you will be able to go

buy people's houses for a dime on the dollar.

You will buy everybody's possessions for all of this and the church will own all of this.

Thank you, that's not my Jesus.

They'll preach a prosperity gospel.

They'll preach what the crowd wants to hear, not what the Bible says.

Rather than pointing men and

women to Jesus, they point to themselves and their greed. Wait a minute.

The root of all sin is self.

They want people to follow them and not God. They want to say they were the

ones who produced the big churches.

They were responsible for the big crowds. They point to themselves,

not to Jesus. Isaiah chapter 56, verse

Isaiah 56:11

11 says, they are dogs with mighty appetites. They never have enough.

They are shepherds who lack understanding.

They all turn to their own way. Each seeks his own gain.

There are some of these bad shepherds in the crowd that day in Jerusalem,

and they even went so far as to plot to do away with Jesus.

What are we going to do about this man named Jesus? He's drug a whole crowd after him.

These are the people in the crowd that day, the ones like the Roman soldiers

who were amused and laughed at Jesus,

the ones like the crowds who wanted to join the party and get what was in it

for them, and there were the ones like the religious leaders who wanted the power and the prestige.

But there's another group of people in the story.

This group of people is almost always overlooked.

They're kind of like considered the outcasts. John chapter 12,

John 12:20

verses 20, 21, speak about them.

Now, there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the feast.

They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request.

Sir, they said, we would like to see Jesus. So they were the ones who wanted to see Jesus.

These were the people who came in private to ask people, could you show us to him?

We'd like to have an audience with the king of the universe,

the one who changes all eternity.

We wanted to see the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We would see this

Jesus who is the son of God and very God himself.

Oh, Philip, can you please take us to Jesus?

Oh, Philip, can you please lead the way to this one called Jesus?

Oh, if only we would all say that.

Oh, that we would all come into the presence to glorify and honor Jesus.

Oh, that the difference it would make if we would say we would like to see Jesus.

And oh, what a difference it would make if people saw the transformation in our lives today.

That they came to us and said, oh, Philip, oh, Tim, oh, Jeremiah,

oh, David, we would like to see Jesus.

Because when we see Jesus, and only Jesus, and worship his holy name, God is glorified.

When we recognize that this Jesus represents the love God has for us,

a love that would send him to the cross to die for us, we can be changed.

When we come to the realization that God gave his only son to die for you and

for me so that we won't die but have eternal life with the Father,

it changes our perspective.

When we see and believe this glorious truth, then we really begin to worship him.

We begin to bow down and surrender our whole beings to God.

We begin to follow and obey God's

will to honor and praise him in all that we say and do and live like.

The people in the crowd that day

were shouting something that was far more significant than they realized.

They were shouting, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

But most of them didn't really know who it was who was entering their town.

They thought he was just some miracle worker, some guy who had a great following.

The word Hosanna simply means he who saves. The vast majority of the crowd that

day thought they were welcoming some overcomer to throw out the Romans like

some Hollywood personality.

But this group of Greeks, the ones that Jews referred to as dogs,

knew they were welcoming a heavenly king, one who would change them and change the world.

This was not a king who would reign over Israel. This was Jesus.

He was the king of heaven and the king of all creation. Friends.

There are people all around us today who are looking at Jesus differently.

I can guarantee you that there are many people who are looking for the real Jesus.

And I wonder, to which one of these crowds do you belong?

I trust that you will decide to be in the crowd of those who want to surrender.

Wouldn't it be great if today we as the people of God who are seeking Jesus,

would turn in our own ways and follow him to the full and be transformed in

such an image that people would come to us and say, could you show me this Jesus

who has changed your life?

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, as we participate in the Lord's Supper,

we understand that you came to forgive our sins and to make us ready for heaven.

But Father, Father, we also know that you came, Jesus came to transform our

lives into the image of God.

We ask, Father, that you would help us as we observe the Lord's Supper to not

take it trivially, but to really worship you as you lead us in all that we do.

Father, we pray that this will be a time that we'll be honoring to you,

but also a time that we can take your presence within us and learn from you. In Jesus' name, amen.