“The Lamb of God” John 12:12-19
A lady was visiting an art museum when she turned to the curator and pointed at the wall. "I suppose you call this hideous looking thing modern art." He said, "No, Ma’am. Actually we call it a mirror!" The point of the story is that sometimes something can become too familiar to us; so familiar, in fact, that we tend not to recognize it’s true nature; even when we are looking right at it!
That’s what we see in our passage today. Here is God Himself in the flesh clearly making His identity known to everyone (riding on the Donkey fulfills one of the main prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah in Zechariah 9:9); yet because of their hopes and expectations for a different kind of Messiah/King, they didn’t recognize who He really was and why He had really come.
Have you ever seen ”Trading Spaces?” I love these shows (“While You Were Out”). Usually the people are happy with the remodeling done on Trading Spaces, but not always. Sometimes they hate it and it isn’t long before they tear it all down. One lady was so upset she just fussed and cried like a baby.
That’s what we see in this passage. I’ve always been amazed at how the Jews could so happily welcome their Messiah on Sunday only to cry out for His crucifixion by Thursday. What happened? How could they change so quickly? The answer lies in the fact that they were not getting the Messiah they thought they were getting; the One they wanted and were expecting and hoping for.
How about us? Have we gotten the Messiah we wanted; The One we were expecting? Or have we accepted The One God has sent that we need?
Recently a "Husband Shopping Center" opened in Dallas, where women could choose a husband from among many men. It was laid out with five floors with the men increasing in positive attributes as you ascended up the floors. The only rule was once you opened the door to any floor, you must choose a man from that floor. Also, if you went up a floor, you couldn’t go back down except to leave never to return.
A couple of girlfriends went there to find men. On the first floor door was a sign saying, "These men have jobs and love kids." The women said, "Well, that’s better than not having jobs, or not loving kids, but I wonder what’s further up?" so up they went. The second floor said, "These men have high-paying jobs, love kids, and are extremely good-looking." "Hmmm," they said. "But I wonder what’s further up?" The third floor sign read: "These men have high-paying jobs, are extremely good-looking, love kids and help with the housework." "Wow!" they said. "Very tempting, BUT there’s more further up!" and up they went. On the fourth floor: "These men have high-paying jobs, love kids, are extremely good-looking, help with the housework, and have a strong romantic streak." "Oh, mercy! But just think what must be awaiting us further on!" So up to fifth floor they went. The sign on that floor said, "This floor is empty and exists only to prove that women are impossible to please."
Jesus has not come to please us; but to save us and to call us into His service. Do we want this kind of King? This crowd didn’t, as we will see.
II. The Misunderstood Messiah - v12-13; 17-18
Is a WARRIOR KING – According to verse 14 a great crowd was in town to celebrate the Feast of Passover which was their 4th of July, their Independence Day Celebration when they were freed from Bondage in Egypt. It is in recognition of their deliverance at the hand of God when He passed over the houses of those who had killed a lamb and put its blood on the doorposts of their homes. The firstborn of every household without the sign of the blood was killed. When Pharaoh’s son was among the dead, those refusing to bow before God, he finally agreed to let God’s people go free.
Ever since then, the Jews who were able, would travel to Jerusalem to celebrate this feast. The normal population of Jerusalem at the time was about 50,000 and during this week it would grow to about 120,000, not to mention the increase in Roman Troops needed to keep things orderly this week.
The streets were swollen with people and their animal sacrifices as Jesus approached the city. Hoping that Jesus was their long awaited Messiah and having heard so much about Him (i.e. v17-18), when they heard He was coming they went out to greet Him (v13) and with Palm Branches waving they shouted, ”Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord. Blessed is the King of Israel!” They were excited – unfortunately – they were also misguided!
How do we know this? (1) The Palm Branches – Palm were commonly used as a SYMBOL of Ruling Power and Jewish Nationalism. Waving these would be like our waving the Stars and Stripes after 911. Here they were waving them hoping that Jesus would restore their political dominance – as the conquering King riding into town.
(2) Their Shouts of “Hosanna” = “Please save us now!” (NIVC Commentary: “Give us our freedom. We’re sick of these Roman’s.”) This was a Triumphal Entry, but not the KIND of triumph they were wanting or expecting.
(3) The Crowd went out to meet Him – National Liberators were WELCOMED back into their cities riding White Steeds preceded by their captives and the spoils of war.
After seeing Jesus feed the 5,000 in John 6, “14 After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself,” they wanted to make Him their King, but Jesus wasn’t this type of King. They wanted salvation/deliverance from the Romans and were expecting the Messiah to accomplish this for them.
Misunderstanding who Jesus is and what type of Messiah He is remains a big problem today. People approach Jesus today for all sorts of reason: (1) Healing – They’ve heard He’s pretty good at this so when they or a loved one gets sick or injured, they come to Him; but, they are not really interested in being healed spiritually; (2) Problem Solver – Marital Troubles – to get their husband straightened out or children back on track or any number of self-inflicted injuries; Pre-marital – they want to get their boyfriend “saved” so they can get married; (3) Forgiveness - but not for a relationship; just to ease their conscience; (4) Inspiration – but without perspiration – nothing expected of them; (5) Baptism – they just want to get their etenal life ticket punched!
Jesus can do all of these things and more, but this is not why He came. He came to be our Savior and our Lord; to submit our lives to and to follow Him! Is this the Messiah you are praising today with your shouts and singing? In Matthew 16:13-23 we hear Jesus’ $64,000 Question; 13 "When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ’Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ 14 They replied, ’Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ 15 ’But what about you?’ he asked. ’Who do you say I am?’ 16 Simon Peter answered, ’You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ 17 Jesus replied, ’Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’
20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. 21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ’Never, Lord!’ he said. ’This shall never happen to you!’ 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, ’Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.’" What about you? Who do you say Jesus is?
Everyone has an opinion. Some say He is a Fraud – He is not God the Son, but a false prophet; a liar or a lunatic; Some say He is a Prophet (Muslim) but the Koran contradicts the Bible where they have Jesus Himself saying that it is heresy to claim that the Christ is God in the flesh; Some, like the Mormons, claim that he was a man like us who became a god; and the Jehovah’s Witnesses say he is just a man, albeit a great man (like Martin Luther King of George Washington.) Some even claim that he was an apparition (vision) who just appeared to be a man.
Our problem is likely none of these. Many people today have received Jesus on their own terms rather than on His. We tend to be like the disciples who wanted to be seated on His right and on His left left. They wanted positions of prominence in Jesus’ Kingdom because they thought He was going to be this Ruling King right away too. We do this when we receive Jesus and then sit back and wait for Him to meet every need and desire in life that we have in order to make life easy.
Instead, He says in Luke 9, 22 "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." 23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” Today we are the Crowd. What are we
expecting from Jesus? What are we hoping for? What do we want Him to do for us? Have we acknowledged and accepted the Real Jesus – the One He presents Himself to be? Or have we made a Jesus according to our image; our desires; our hopes?
III. The True Messiah - v14-16 - Is the LAMB OF GOD!
Jesus knew they weren’t going to understand His true identity until after His Sacrifice on the Cross and His Resurrection. Yet still, here He gives them and us a very clear expression of who He really is – the Lamb of God . . . our Deliverer!
He’s the Coming King all right, but His victory is not won with chariots and horses and swords, but with His own blood. Instead of a mighty warrior riding his steed, He is a humble, gentle Savior riding on a donkey. Jesus wanted to be seen as the fulfillment of the Old Testament Prophecies about the Messiah.
It is interesting to me the lengths to which we will go to to invent our own Saviors; one’s that make sense to us; that we can accept easily. Have you ever heard someone say: “I can’t accept a God who would allow suffering in the world.” If you got to know Him you would learn that he would rather we suffer temporarily than eternally. As parents who do not want their children to suffer but they will let them suffer as children so they will grow up and not suffer more as adults, God must allow suffering until He returns to end it for aall time. It would be unloving not do what is best for our children. Jesus is Lamb of God – He came to take our suffering so we won’t have to.
Remember the Feast of Passover, which is a Celebration of God’s Salvation of His People from the Death that those who rebelled against God suffered? A lamb was slain and SUBSTITUTED for those who did obey God and trusted in Him and His Plan.
Palm Sunday was actually Lamb SELECTION Day – the day these worshippers selected the lambs that they would sacrifice Thursday night for the Passover Seders.
Palm Sunday is not about welcoming the Victorious National King, but about RECOGNIZING that Jesus is our Lamb who died in our place so God’s eternal Judgment for our sins will pass-over us. John the Baptist identified Jesus as God’s Lamb in John 1:29, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
(Vander Laan: “It’s almost as if God is saying to the world, ‘Here is My Lamb. Will you choose Him?’”) They misunderstood Jesus’ proclamation of His identity (Savior-King) because they wanted another kind of Messiah (earthly-king). They missed their real salvation need; and even turned against Him when He didn’t give them what they wanted. Like a child misunderstanding their parent’s discipline saying, “I hate you!” the peoplpe rejected God’s "discipline" for their sin. Do we get it? Is Jesus what you expected? Are you angrily rejecting Him or humbly receiving Him?
IV. Their Different Responses
In a parallel passage in Luke 19 the Bible says, 36 “As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. 37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" 40 “I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." 41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.”
While they WAVED, Jesus WEPT! While they cheered, Jesus cringed knowing what they were missing. So many come to church to get something from God, but they won’t take what they need most; what He died to give to them – eternal life. (Vander Laan)
Jesus weeps when we miss the blessings that could be ours, as any parent grieves when their children hurt unnecessarily. Jesus longs for us to recognize and to accept Him for Who He is. Is Jesus weeping for you today? Is He longing for you to recognize Him and to receive Him as your Savior and Lord today? Do you recognize your need for a Servant-King to be your Savior and Lord?
Sources: The NIV Application Commentary of the Gospel of John; “Faith Lessons on The Death and Resurrection of the Messiah” by Ray Vander Laan; Sermon Central Illustrations.
