Stop the Resurrection, We Want to Die
By Pastor Jim May
John 12:9-11, "Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus."
Last Wednesday I spoke on the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. Four days after Lazarus had died and been buried, Jesus came on the scene, called Lazarus by name and commanded him to come out of the grave. The stone that sealed the grave was moved away and Lazarus came out, bound and wrapped for burial, but alive and well.
The power of Jesus to raise the dead was news that spread through the land like wildfire. The Messiah has come! The Messiah has come! The Deliverer that will lead Israel into a new dawn of freedom from oppression has come. Only the Messiah could have the power to raise the dead.
Visions of freedom and dreams of deliverance filled that hearts of most of the Jews but there were some who did not like the idea of a new King in Israel. These were the High Priest of Israel, appointed by the Roman legions, and the men of Israel who were members of the Sanhedrin Council, the ruling body of Israel much like our Congress. These men did not like the idea that their power and control over the Jews was being threatened by one who could raise the dead. So they decided to do something about it.
“Let’s kill Lazarus, and stop the news of this miracle from spreading”, is all they could think about. They believed that by killing Lazarus they could somehow stop the Jews from following the Miracle Working man from Galilee. But it was too late to stop it now. The fact that Resurrection power was real and that Lazarus was alive could not be erased. Even if they did kill Lazarus, he would only rise again in the Resurrection. Jesus is the Resurrection and the source of Life. No one could deny His power and authority over death.
The Jews were looking for a sign! They wanted the Messiah to come, but they had to have a sign before they could believe. That sign was the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. From that moment on, many of the Jews began to believe that Jesus was the Messiah.
Jesus was in Bethany again, staying at the home of Lazarus, and his sisters, Mary and Martha. The news of his presence spread quickly and crowds of people began to gather to see the Messiah and also to see Lazarus, the man who had come back from the dead.
Israel needed a Deliverer. The Jews desperately needed a Savior. They were searching for a King, and now they believed that Jesus had some to fill all of these needs.
John 12:12-15, "On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt."
The method Jesus’ entry in Jerusalem was prophesied many years before during the time of the Prophet Zechariah.
Zechariah 9:9, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."
Jesus not only rode on the donkey because it was prophesied but this was also His way of identifying with the lineage of David who was Israel’s greatest king. Until the reign of King Solomon, every king in Israel had ridden on a donkey. King Solomon had started the tradition of riding in a chariot drawn by horses instead because, in his pride, he thought that it was more befitting a king than to enter on a donkey. Therefore Jesus was establishing that his kingdom was a part of the promise that had gone back all the way to Abraham when Israel was founded as a nation.
When Jesus left Bethany, riding on a donkey in the fashion of the ancient kings of Israel, it only fueled the excitement of the Jews that much more. This was another sign to them – a sign that their King was coming.
On the side of the Mount of Olives where the road from Bethany to Jerusalem passed, there were many palm trees growing. The Jews began to line the sides of the road to witness this great historical occasion. They could tell their children and their children’s children that they were there when the Messiah came to establish his kingdom. The years of waiting and praying were over.
Since the branches of the Palm Tree were considered by the Jews to be signs of joy and victory, the Jews began to break the limbs off of the trees and wave them at the Jesus as he rode past.
The scene is also described in Matthew 21:8-9, "And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest."
By spreading their coats and garment along the way, the people were honoring Jesus as the King. It is said that they actually spread their garments in a fashion to resemble the booths that were made from Palm branches for the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast of Tabernacles was established to remind Israel that God was in their midst as they traveled to the Promised Land. The Feast of Tabernacles was also called the Feast of “Hosanna” or praise, and the last day was called “The Great Hosanna”, the greatest praise of that man could give.
It was with all of this symbolism in mind that the Jews spread their palm branches and their clothes, and waved the Palm branches along the way, as they cried out “Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest!”
Matthew 21:10-11, "And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee." They recognized Jesus as a great prophet. They praised him and welcomed him as the King. But they never accepted him as the Son of God, the Savior of the World.
As he entered the city gate, Jesus was praised as the New Messiah, the man who had come to resurrect the Nation of Israel and let Israel live again.
Jesus had come to bring a greater victory than they could ever imagine. He came to usher in a new Kingdom, but it wasn’t an earthly kingdom; it was a spiritual kingdom. He came to reign over the hearts of men, not over the dust of the earth. He came to break the power of sin, to heal the broken hearted and set the captive free, not from chains of human bondage, but from the chains of guilt and shame. Man could always rise up and break the chains of slavery, but he could never free himself from the chains of sin. Jesus came to be the Savior, the Deliverer, the King of Kings, but he didn’t come to the break the power of Rome.
One thing that strikes me about Jesus’ entry in Jerusalem that day was that the first place he went was to the temple.
Matthew 21:12-14, "And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them."
1 Peter 4:17 says, "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?"
Jesus first judged those who abused their power and used the temple to gain a profit from the people who came there to worship or for help.
There are many churches that you can go to today where the “money changers” are still operating. Every message is one designed to get your money. Everything that you need carries a price tag in dollars. Many ministers won’t give anything until they first take from you. God will judge those who misuse their position and abuse their authority to steal from the people. We are called to be ministers not masters.
Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 10:7-8, "And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give." The true blessings of God don’t carry a price tag in dollars and cents, only in believing and receiving by faith.
As Jesus rod in that day, standing in the shadows, hiding in doorways, behind the windows, and among the crowd were those same religious leaders who didn’t want to see Jesus come as king. Their power and authority was threatened and they were there for only one reason – to devise a plan to destroy Jesus and crush this rising rebellion of the Jews.
Over the next few days, their plans began to work. The arrest, trial, punishment and then sentencing of Jesus to die on the cross like a common criminal destroyed the belief of the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah that they had hoped he would be.
When Jesus failed to take his Kingdom by force, the people turned against him with a vengeance. The same crowd that had praised Jesus with “Hosanna in the highest” and waved Palm branches in victory, would now cry out, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
Israel’s only hope was being cast aside, all because Satan had blinded them to the fact that the Son of God was in their midst.
As I read this story again this morning I thought of how men still do the same thing today. We love the idea of a king who will provide us with all the pleasures and desires of this life. We love a king who can heal our bodies. We will praise a king who has the power to raise the dead. We worship a king who will give us victory over our enemies.
But like the Jews, we quickly turn away when Jesus doesn’t give us what we expect. When He doesn’t give us money, but gives us a chance to believe in Him as our Lord and Savior, we reject him because we don’t want a master, just a provider. What he offers is far more valuable, but we don’t want that because it doesn’t satisfy the needs of the flesh.
When Jesus doesn’t heal our body, and allows to get to the point of dying, we often turn against him in unbelief thinking that he doesn’t really care. But what he offers is healing for the heart and soul, and eternal life in a glorified body.
When Jesus doesn’t choose to give us freedom from persecution and oppression from other people, we turn away from him because we want to be free. But what he offers is freedom from the powers of Hell, freedom from eternal punishment and victory over sin.
Let’s not think like the Jews. Let’s look at Jesus as the true King and make Him the Lord of our lives. Lets give him praise, shouting Hosanna in the Highest. Let’s recognize him as the Son of God and worship him as the Mighty God.
He doesn’t want our palm branches and clothes spread along the way as much as He wants our hearts and voice lifted in praise and our bodies given to him as living sacrifices to serve him and preach the gospel to all people, telling them that the Savior has come!
