Hosanna!

If you have your Bible with you, you can open it up to John chapter 12.

John 12 · chapter mention

John chapter 12.

John 12 · chapter mention

We're picking up where we left off last Sunday.

And last Sunday we heard about a special dinner that Jesus had with Mary and Martha and Lazarus

in the village of Bethany, just three kilometers outside of Jerusalem.

And we heard about how Mary poured out on Jesus her very expensive perfume, probably her

most valuable possession as a gift of love and worship.

We also heard about how Jesus' whereabouts has again become known to not just the religious

leaders, but to many of the people of Jerusalem.

And how they, finding out about Jesus being there in Bethany, have now come out to see

both Jesus and Lazarus and how many were coming to believe in Jesus.

Let's pick up the story in John chapter 12, verse 12.

John 12:12

John chapter 12, verse 12.

John 12:12

The next day, the great crowd that had come 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.

The triumphal entry.

This is a big moment in the story of Jesus.

John tells us that it happened soon after his visit in Bethany.

Either the day after the dinner or the day after the crowd arrived to see Jesus, they came.

And then this next day was the triumphal entry.

John tells us here in verse 12 that a great crowd came out from Jerusalem to meet him.

But notice which crowd.

This is not the same crowd back in verse 9.

This crowd is a different crowd.

They're the ones who have come to Jerusalem for the Passover generally.

And now they've heard that Jesus is now on his way out of Bethany to Jerusalem.

And so hearing this, they now make their way out to meet Jesus.

John tells us in the next verse,

they took palm branches and went out to meet him.

So picture this in your mind.

Word is spreading from house to house

that Jesus is just down the road and now he's on his way right now into the city of Jerusalem.

This is the same Jesus that's been the talk of the whole city.

The one that they've all been asking about.

Where is he?

Is he coming to the festival?

And as the word is spreading

that Jesus is now on his way,

these people are running out of their houses.

They're finding palm branches,

whether from trees in the city or just outside the city.

Maybe even climbing them, some of them.

Breaking off the branches

and then with branches tucked under their arms,

they're running down the road

towards Bethany

to meet Jesus.

Well, what's with the palm branches?

The only significance of the palm branches

that's in the Bible that we hear about

has to do with a different festival,

the festival of tabernacles.

But this is Passover.

The general consensus among Christian scholars and historians is this.

About 200 years before this took place,

palm branches became a national symbol in Israel.

They were used when they rededicated the temple to the Lord

about 200 years before this.

And then about 20 years after that,

a man named Simon the Maccabee

drove the Syrian forces

out of the Jerusalem citadel.

And when that happened,

there was celebration and music

and the crowds grabbed palm branches

and waved them.

It was a moment of victory,

a moment of national liberation.

And that all took place

in the time between the Old and the New Testaments.

But now here again,

Israel and Jerusalem

are not free and independent.

This time it's not the Syrians,

but the Romans who are in power.

But there is great hope by many

that this man,

who is now on his way into the city,

is the long-awaited Messiah.

The king who will reign over Israel

and liberate us from the rule of the Romans,

who will lead us to victory.

And so the palm branches

probably are a kind of a tangible expression

of this hope

that Jesus will lead us to triumph

again as a nation.

For some,

that yes,

he is the Messiah

we've been waiting for.

And this feeling comes out

in the words of the crowd.

They were shouting,

Hosanna!

Blessed is he who comes

in the name of the Lord.

Blessed is the king of Israel.

The cry Hosanna

is a Hebrew expression.

And it literally means,

save!

Or give salvation now.

It actually comes from the Psalms.

And it was a passage

that every Jew would have known

because it was used often in festivals.

Let me read a little bit

from Psalm 118.

This is from Psalm 118,

Psalms 118:19

verse 19.

And this appears on the screen in prose,

but it's actually poetic.

It's like a song.

So,

Open for me the gates of the righteous.

I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.

This is the gate of the Lord

through which the righteous may enter.

I will give you thanks

for you answered me.

You have become my salvation.

The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.

The Lord has done this

and it is marvelous in our eyes.

The Lord has done it this very day.

Let us rejoice today

and be glad.

Lord,

save us.

That save us is literally

Hosanna.

And the Lord is literally

Yahweh,

the name of God.

Yahweh,

save us.

Yahweh,

grant us success.

Blessed is he who comes

in the name of Yahweh.

From the house of Yahweh,

we bless you.

Yahweh is God

and he has made his light shine on us

with bows in hand.

Join in the festal procession

up to the horns

of the altar.

These were the words

of the song

that was sung long ago

and still sung in Israel

at the time.

Great song of joy.

Song of worship

and praise.

He is our deliverer,

the Lord.

The one who saves us.

And so we cry,

Hosanna.

Yes,

Lord,

save us.

This phrase is not just a plea

for deliverance.

It's also an acknowledgement

that we have one

who is mighty,

who is strong,

who is powerful enough

to save us from our enemies.

And so it became,

by this time,

very much

a statement of praise,

a word of praise.

And as the people

cry,

Hosanna,

oh,

there's a lot of meaning now

in this moment

as they're saying this

while Jesus

is walking down the road.

Perhaps

for some

in saying this word,

there's that plea

for salvation.

Though probably

for many

who used it this way,

not the kind of salvation

that Jesus

has been talking about.

More like it's the

come and

liberate us

from the Romans,

save us,

deliver us

kind of salvation.

But there is also

in this word

the praise part of it.

And I think

perhaps

some of these people

are getting it.

Yes,

Jesus is the Messiah.

He is the one

who can save us,

who can deliver us.

Not just from the Romans,

but in every sense,

he's the one.

Hosanna.

Hosanna.

Hosanna.

The second thing

that John

notes them saying,

blessed is he

who comes

in the name

of the Lord,

in the name

of Yahweh,

our God.

This is good.

This is true.

This is who Jesus is.

And then finally,

he reports them saying,

blessed is the king

of Israel.

this final proclamation

makes it clear

what this moment

is all about.

Let's not forget

that there's already

a man sitting

on a throne of sorts

in Jerusalem.

Let's not forget

that there's already

a Roman governor

over this region

under Caesar,

the Roman emperor,

who has laid claim

to this territory

as his own.

So this is a big deal.

What the people

are doing

and saying

in this moment

is actually

kind of risky.

They are making

this into

what very much

looks like

a royal

coronation procession

for Jesus,

a new king,

parading him

all the way

into Jerusalem,

an occupied nation

that seems

that seems to

already have

a king.

But there's

something about

this procession

that's very

different than

others.

Look at how

Jesus comes

into the city

in verse 14.

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.

Jesus does not

come in

riding on a

war horse

with an army

ready for battle

behind him.

This is not

at all

a military

procession

as if he's

now coming

to rule

or to take

over the city

by force.

He comes

on a donkey,

a lowly

and relatively

gentle creature

which symbolizes

peace.

John tells us

that this

was the

fulfillment

of the

word of

Zechariah

long ago.

Zechariah

Zechariah 9:9

chapter 9

verses 9

and 10.

God spoke

through Zechariah

and this is

what Zechariah

said.

Rejoice

greatly,

daughter Zion.

Shout,

daughter Jerusalem.

see your

king comes

to you

righteous

and victorious

lowly

and riding

on a donkey

on a colt

the foal

of a donkey.

The prophecy

goes on.

I will take

away the chariots

from Ephraim

and the war

horses from

Jerusalem

and the battle

bow will be

broken.

He will

proclaim peace

to the nations.

His rule

will extend

from sea

to sea

and from

the river

to the ends

of the earth.

So God

long ago

through the

prophet Zechariah

told his people

that the Messiah

would come.

The king

would come

just like this.

Lowly,

gentle,

riding on a donkey.

And I love

what John says

about this

in verse 16.

He says

at first

his disciples,

this includes

him by the way,

did not

understand all

this.

Only after

Jesus was

glorified

did they

realize

that these

things

in Zechariah

had been

written about

Jesus

and that

these things

had been

done to him.

I love this.

You know,

it's not like

John and the

other disciples

at the beginning

of Jesus'

ministry

all sat down

with Jesus

and they

opened up

the scriptures

and they

made a list

of all

the prophecies

that Jesus

was to

fulfill

and then

said,

all right,

let's get

some prophecies

fulfilled.

What do we

got to do?

Check,

check,

check.

No.

John freely

admits,

we didn't

even know

what the deal

was with

the donkey.

Jesus,

why a donkey?

Why a young

donkey?

It wasn't

until later.

Can you

imagine that

after Jesus

had died

and rose

and ascended?

There they

are hearing

the words

of Zechariah

or reading

them.

Look at

this.

This is

exactly what

happened.

We were

there.

We saw

him.

You guys,

you were

the ones

that went

and got

the donkey

for him.

You were

fulfilling

prophecy

and you

didn't

even know

it.

Amazing.

And that's

how it

was.

In fact,

probably not

just with

this one

incident,

but probably

all over

the scriptures

in the Old

Testament,

as the

disciples went

back,

as they

looked into

the scriptures,

here,

there,

everywhere,

what they

had just

witnessed

with Jesus

was being

proclaimed and

described hundreds

of years before

any of it came

to pass.

And many of

these things,

they were

fulfilled and

in that moment

the disciples

didn't even have

a clue that

this is that

fulfillment right

here.

We're part

of it.

That's how it

works with

God.

God,

he really

does know

the end

from the

beginning.

And he

is able to

work and

ensure that

none of his

words fall

to the ground,

that every

single one of

them is

fulfilled,

regardless of

the actions

or the

decisions that

the characters

in the story

are taking.

It's awesome.

It's evidence

that he is the

Almighty and that

Jesus is the

one sent

from him.

We'll come

back another

time to what

it means for

Jesus to be

glorified.

Jesus is going

to bring that

up in chapter

17.

But for now,

let's come down

to verse 17.

John goes on,

he says,

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

this sign,

went out to

meet him.

Now there's a

bit of a

question here

as to which

crowd is which,

which crowd is

when,

and which

crowd is where.

Some see in

these words

two crowds,

one traveling

out from

Bethany with

Jesus and

one traveling

out from

Jerusalem to

meet Jesus.

Others also

see two crowds,

but it's one

who had been

at Lazarus'

resurrection and

ever since has

been spreading

the word,

and one who

is now going

out to meet

Jesus because

of the word

that they

heard.

And if that's

the case,

then how many

of the ones

who were at

Lazarus'

resurrection came

out yesterday

to Bethany,

and how many

are now coming

out now?

And you can

kind of see

where this all

gets mixed up

a little bit.

And a lot of

this seems to

hinge on a,

I guess there's

a manuscript

variant.

There's two

different streams

of manuscripts,

and it's the

difference of a

single Greek

letter as to

the word,

whether it's

this word or

that word.

Is it that the

crowd being with

Jesus when he

raised Lazarus

from the dead,

that crowd was

testifying?

Or is it the

crowd being with

Jesus was

testifying that he

raised Lazarus

from the dead?

And it's difficult

to say.

But here's what is

clear.

John wants us to

know, why are all

these people doing

something like this?

I mean, running

out of the city

with palm branches

to declare Jesus

king.

This is serious.

The man that

they're going out

to welcome and

declare his king

is a wanted man.

And John tells us

here in verse 18,

one of the big

factors in people's

minds is this.

Many people,

because they had

heard that he had

performed this sign,

that's raising

Lazarus from the

dead.

Because they heard

that, they went

out to meet him.

Literally, for this

reason, the crowd

met Jesus, because

they heard this sign

he had done.

So however you

interpret it, you've

got two groups of

people.

One of these groups

is testifying about

how Jesus called

Lazarus out of the

tomb and raised him

from the dead.

And the other group

is hearing this

testimony and saying,

wow, that's

amazing.

If that's the

case, this could

be the Messiah.

And so out they

go to meet him.

This is key.

Without the

resurrection of

Lazarus, there

might not have been

a triumphal entry.

It was the critical

event leading up to

this moment.

And it's, you know,

as I was thinking

about this, it's

difficult to say,

what are all these

people thinking in

the crowd?

Are some genuinely

believing in Jesus

that he is the

Messiah?

Probably.

Are some more

interested in him as

a political savior and

king?

Probably.

Are some just going

out there to see the

miracle man?

Probably.

For some is real

faith beginning to

grow?

Probably.

We can only guess.

We don't know.

But it caused quite

the stir that day as

they paraded him into

the city, declaring

him to be the king

that comes in the

name of Yahweh, with

shouts and singing.

Verse 19.

So the Pharisees said

to one another, see,

this is getting us

nowhere.

Look how the whole

world has gone after

him.

I love this.

The Pharisees are

exasperated.

They're so

frustrated.

Let's look back for a

second to chapter 11

verse 57.

There John tells us

that the chief priests

and the Pharisees had

given orders that

anyone who found out

where Jesus was should

report it so that they

might arrest him.

Are the people

listening to the

orders of the

Pharisees and the

chief priests?

Not at all.

All of these people,

this massive crowd,

they're completely

disregarding the

orders of the

religious leaders.

In fact, they're

doing the very

opposite.

Instead of reporting

Jesus, they're going

out to welcome him

as king.

So I guess the

Pharisees are

frustrated.

frustrated.

They've lost, it

seems, what little

control they had over

the people.

And what do we do

with all these people

now?

If they don't follow

us, if they don't

obey us, if they don't

submit to us, how do you

bring consequences and

instill a fear of

authority, a respect of

authority into a group

that's so large?

They're very frustrated.

This is getting us

nowhere.

They've been trying to

turn the people against

Jesus and right now in

this moment, it seems

like they have utterly

failed.

Look how the whole world

has gone after him.

Seems like the kind of

exaggeration that we

sometimes do when we get

really angry or really

emotional.

Everything is going

wrong.

The whole world has

gone after him.

Well, not the whole

world was, but it sure

felt like that to the

Pharisees that day.

But there's another

sense in which there is

some truth to this

frustrated remark of the

Pharisees.

Passover was a big time

of year.

Historical records

suggest that the number

of people in the city

of Jerusalem at Passover

time swelled up to

somewhere between one to

three million people.

And where did all these

people come from?

They didn't just come

from all over Israel.

They came from all over

the world, so to speak.

There's a list in Acts

Acts 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2 of the various

nations that were

represented at Pentecost,

a different festival.

It's probably a good place

to start as we think

about where people may

have traveled just to be

here in Jerusalem for this

Passover, as far as Persia,

Mesopotamia, Asia Minor,

all over Egypt, Libya,

Greece, even Rome.

It was people from all

over the place that now

made up this great crowd

that had come for the

festival.

We're hearing the

testimony of how Jesus

raised Lazarus from the

dead and now running out

and bringing him in.

A very diverse group.

And so in a sense,

indeed, the whole world

is going after Jesus

just as it should.

But you can start to see

here how the religious

leaders get to a place

where they are so consumed

with hate and anger

and jealousy towards Jesus

that they would stop at

nothing to take him out.

Well, what do we do

with this whole account?

What's in this for us

here in 2022?

As I was thinking about

this, you know, for a

moment here in the story,

it was popular to be a

Jesus follower.

After all the disciples

and Jesus had been through

and the times nearly

arrested and nearly stoned,

for a brief moment,

it's suddenly popular

to be a follower of Jesus.

The disciples, I imagine,

were drinking this in.

How refreshing.

After all we've seen

and been through,

to hear this massive crowd

singing praise

and celebrating

all in favor of Jesus,

our King,

our Messiah.

I'm sure it was a day

of rejoicing.

But by the end of the week,

it's not going to feel

like this

at all.

Jesus will be dead,

falsely accused,

mistreated,

and murdered.

His death demanded

by the crowd

in Jerusalem.

And suddenly,

it will not be popular

at all

to be a Jesus follower

or to claim him

as King.

And I got thinking

about how it's been

in our world since then.

We've seen this popularity pattern

repeated throughout history,

haven't we?

In different places,

God has been gracious.

There's been renewal.

There's been revival

here and there.

Whole nations,

at times,

have declared themselves Christian,

have helped

to translate the Bible.

New nations have been founded

by settlers,

many of whom were Christians.

We might think back

to the days of Billy Graham.

Celebrated around the world

as a preacher

of the gospel.

Even the Russians

invited him

to come over

and preach the gospel there

because they didn't want

to be left out.

And there's this

sort of popular pride

for the moment

in being Christian.

but then suddenly

it's gone

and it's no longer popular

to be a Jesus follower.

Think of the disciples

here in the midst of this.

One day in the crowd

proclaiming Jesus is King.

Days later

in the crowd

cowering in fear

while the crowd

demands that

the King

be executed.

and as I was thinking

about this

I got thinking

it doesn't really matter

whether Jesus

is popular

today

or how popular

it is to be a follower

of his today.

All that matters

today

is the truth

of whether he is

the King

of God's choosing

the Messiah.

It doesn't matter

what the world

around us

thinks about Jesus

or is saying

about Jesus.

All that matters

is whether he is

indeed

worthy

of our hosannas.

Let me take a step

back from that.

We do care

about the people

around us

who don't believe

that Jesus

is the Messiah.

We want them

to believe

as we do

but what I'm getting

at is this

will we let

the opinions

of others

of our world

of the people

around us

will we let

their opinions

of Jesus

soften

or dampen

our hosannas.

Are you the kind

of Jesus follower

who only loves

to join in the procession

and sing the praise

when everybody's doing it

and it seems

like a good time?

Is the King

of God's choosing

not worthy

of our loudest praise

our highest praise

today

and every day

no matter

what the world

thinks

and what the world

is doing?

Let's go back

for a moment

to Zechariah

Zechariah 9 · chapter mention

chapter 9.

Rejoice greatly

daughter Zion

shout

daughter Jerusalem

see

your King

comes to you

righteous

and victorious

lowly

and riding

on a donkey

on a colt

the foal

of a donkey

but what else

does Zechariah

say

about this King?

He says

he will proclaim

peace

to the nations

his rule

will extend

from sea to sea

and from the river

to the ends

of the earth

do you hear that?

this same King

who rode into Jerusalem

on a donkey

will someday come

to proclaim

peace

to the nations

and his rule

will know

no bounds

from sea to sea

he will be King

to the ends

of the earth

but are you

going to wait

till then

to sing

Hosanna?

Listen

every Sunday

when we come together

we have the opportunity

and the privilege

to lift our voices

in song

and in praise

and to sing

Hosanna

and blessing

to our King

whether it's popular

in the world

or not

doesn't matter

whether it's popular

to be in church

on Sunday mornings

in Davidson

doesn't matter

Jesus is the same King

back then

today

and forever

so let's not wait

until Palm Sunday

to make a joyful noise

to rejoice greatly

let's do it every Sunday

let's not worry about

what that person

sitting over there

in the church

will think

if they hear us

singing at the top

of our lungs

to Jesus

Jesus is worthy of it

he's the King

before whom

every person

will one day

bow down

think about that

everybody in the Canadian

government today

will one day

bow down

before him

the Queen of England

who's never bowed down

to anyone in her life

probably

will bow down

before Jesus

the President of the United States

the entire Assembly

of the United Nations

every person

represented in that group

will bow down

someday

to Jesus

he's coming back

to this earth

and he will rule it all

but let's not wait

until that day

to let the whole world

know

the truth

of our great King

every Sunday

should be Palm Sunday

for us

till he comes

again

to rule

to Zion

or

takes us

to be with him

Hosanna

in the highest

our King

has come

and he's coming

again

let's pray

Father in heaven

what a great hope

we have

what an awesome

thing you are doing

help us to keep

our eyes on that

in these days

it's tough

there are so many

things that pull

our attention away

but you are the one

who saves us

and Jesus

you are our King

I pray that you

would give us

eyes of faith

to see that

and to live

in light of that

and you're coming

again

today

and every day

glory to you

Amen