The Humble King | John 12:12-19

OUTLINE

The Triumphal Entry of the King Is About:

• The Shekinah Glory of God Coming to the Temple.
• The King of Israel Coming to His Holy City
• The King is Coming in Humility and Simplicity.

Hosanna – Means ‘save us, rescue us.

Jesus is the Temple.

Jesus is the Glory of God.

He is Now the Lord of the World.

The Kingdom of God is a Kingdom of Humility and Simplicity.

The King Conquers His Enemies by Dying for Them.

Life Application Points:

1. Recognize Jesus as King in Every Aspect of Life.
2. Embrace Humility and Simplicity.
3. Understand God’s Kingdom is Different from Earthly Kingdoms.
4. Proclaim Jesus as King to the World.

INTRODUCTION

Today, a majority of the Christian church around the world celebrate Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday is also called Passion Sunday. I grew up in an orthodox church in Kerala. Palm Sunday was a day when we would walk around the church with palm leaves and take the palm leaves home. What is the story of Palm Sunday?

The four gospels mentions Jesus entering Jerusalem. Today, we are going to look at it from the Gospel according to John.

John 12:12-19

¹²The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. ¹³ 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!”

¹⁴Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

¹⁵“Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;

see, your king is coming,

seated on a donkey’s colt.”

¹⁶At first his disciples did not understand all 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.

¹⁷Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. ¹⁸Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. ¹⁹So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

Jesus arriving to Bethany

In John 12, Jesus arrives in Bethany, just a few miles from Jerusalem. There, Jesus had a dinner in honour of him and Mary breaks an alabaster Jar and pours a pint of pure nard on Jesus’s head and feet and prepares him for his burial.

The next day, according to Luke, Jesus sends two of his disciples and tells them to fetch a unridden colt, a little donkey. This is the Passover time. This is the time where 1000’s of pilgrims are coming into Jerusalem for the Passover. John mentions that a great crowd that come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They come to Jesus and join his disciples. What are they doing?

They are shouting at the top of their voices:

John 12:13

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!”

Hosanna – Means ‘save us, rescue us.’

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” This is taken from Psalm 118:25-26

Blessed is the kings of Israel.

As the people come into Jerusalem for the Passover, this was the greeting the people would give them, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

John says that the disciples at first did not understand all this and only after Jesus was glorified they realized that these things had been written about him.

Fulfilment of OT prophesy

The OT texts have spoken about these events. The ancient texts have found their fulfilment in Jesus and now fills us with life and purpose and mission.

The Shekinah Glory Of God Is Coming To The Temple

Jesus and the disciples come to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives and enter the temple. We understand that to the east of the holy city is the Mount of Olives and then further on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, we have got Bethpage and Bethany. So Jesus is approaching gradually from the East. He is coming to his holy city. The east gate is the main gate of the temple.

Ezekiel 10:18-19

¹⁸Then the glory of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim. (Here is a vision of the glory of the LORD departing from the temple. It is a very sad situation) ¹⁹While I watched, the cherubim spread their wings and rose from the ground, and as they went, the wheels went with them. They stopped at the entrance of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

What he is pronouncing there is something utterly devastating. Ezekiel is pronouncing a kind of judgment on the temple. The temple was YAHWEH’s dwelling place on earth, but Ezekiel says that it has become so corrupt that the shekinah glory of the LORD which dwelt in the temple got up and left, and it left by the east gate which is the main gate of the temple. And then as he goes on further he says it hovered up above the Mount of Olives.

Ezekiel 11:23

The glory of the LORD went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it.

So he is imagining the glory of the LORD leaving the holy temple and going east. A very sad text. Has God’s glory left the temple because of its corruption?

But then a little later in Ezekiel we find this: The prophesy that one day the glory of the Lord will return and return the same way he left.

Ezekiel 43:1-3

¹Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, ²and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory.

He left because of corruption, but he will come back says Ezekiel. When Jesus comes to Jerusalem, it is the glory of the LORD coming back to the temple.

The King of Israel coming to His Holy City

Another text which they could not have missed during the triumphal entry is Zechariah 9:9.

Zechariah 9:9

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.

There is Zechariah predicting the definitive return of the Davidic King.

In 2 Samuel, David, the great king of Israel conquered Jerusalem and established it as capital. As David comes into Jerusalem, leading the Ark of the Covenant, the people celebrate the triumphant king. David’s son, Solomon builds the great temple which houses the Ark of the Covenant. For that brief shining moment, Israel is well governed, it has a righteous king. Then we know, Solomon himself and most of his descendants fall into corruption. They are not doing what the Israelite king is supposed to do. The prophets pronounce judgement on the kings as they pronounce judgement on the temple and they begin to long and hope that one day a definitive David would return. That is Zechariah’s prophesy.

When Jesus comes to Jerusalem on the foul of a donkey and as people shout hosanna, it is prophesy fulfilled that the true king of Israel is coming to his holy city.

YAHWEH Is Now The LORD Of The World.

The OT prophesy pointed out to YAHWEH being the great king of the world.

The lords and presidents and prime ministers that we see are not the Lords of the world. YAHWEH is the LORD of the world. Our job, the church’s job to announce this great truth to all the world.

Isaiah 52

⁸Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices;

together they shout for joy.

When the Lord returns to Zion,

they will see it with their own eyes.

Malachi 1:14

For I am a great king,” says the Lord Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations.

Psalm 145:1

I will exalt you, my God the King;

I will praise your name for ever and ever.

Psalm 145:12-13

¹²so that all people may know of your mighty acts

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

¹³Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures through all generations.

Davidic king is the vehicle by which the LORD becomes king of Israel, thereby the king of the world. They Jews believed that the Davidic king YAHWEH himself would become king. YAHWEH would govern his people through this Davidic king.

YAHWEH Is Now The LORD Of The World.

The lords and presidents and prime ministers that we see are not the Lords of the world. YAHWEH is the LORD of the world. Our job, the church’s job to announce this great truth to all the world.

Jesus Himself Is The Temple.

Prophet Ezekiel said the LORD will come back from the East and take possession in the temple. Then Ezekiel says that the temple will then be rebuilt and reconstituted and the glory of the Lord will dwell in it.

Jesus said as he commenced his public ministry:

Matthew 12:6

I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.

In his own person, heaven and earth have come together.

In his own person, the glory of the LORD is dwelling.

John 1:14

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Hebrews 1:3

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Who is Jesus? Not just a rabbi. He is the shekinah, he is the glory of YAHWEH now coming back to reclaim His temple. The minute he arrives in the holy city see what he does. Jesus goes into the temple, like Ezekiel he proclaims judgment upon it, overturns the tables and says:

John 2:19

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

John 2:21

But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 

This is exactly what Ezekiel said would happen. When the shekainah of the LORD will return, the temple will be rebuilt. John says that he was talking about the temple of his body.

Jesus Is The Glory Of God.

Jesus Himself Is The Rebuilt Temple.

He Is The Reestablishment Of The Link Between Heaven And Earth.

The shekinah of YAHWEH left the temple because of sin but now in Christ the glory and the temple come together.

How will this ancient king arrive? The triumphant king comes with his army. The same today our Prime Minister comes on an entourage, they are surrounded by their armed forces and there is a great display of power.

How does this new Davidic king come? On a donkey, not a Mercedes. Even on a foul, like a baby, a little donkey. Surrounded by armies? No, he comes in humility and simplicity.

The Kingdom of God is a Kingdom of Humility and Simplicity

We the children of this great King Jesus must live in humility and simplicity

Philippians 2:1-11

¹Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

⁵In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

⁷rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

⁸And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

¹¹and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

As Jesus enters Jerusalem, people are shouting: Hosanna

The Misunderstanding of the Crowd

The People Misunderstood Jesus As An Earthly Warlord.

John 12:13

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!”

Remember, Jesus, his whole life was moving toward this last week. He has now come to the hour when the Son of Man will be glorified, v23, 27. Now for the final days of Jesus, the setting is going to be in Jerusalem. Various scenes are going to take place in Jerusalem this week. Jesus comes to Jerusalem on a donkey, a humble animal.

The people who are coming to Jerusalem and the residents of Jerusalem feel that they have been bowed down by the Roman oppressors, they are longing for their God to bring deliverance in their situation to save them. When they heard about this miracle worker – a prophet from Galilee, their hopes were raised.

The Governors Would Come To Jerusalem With Power

During Jesus’ time, Pontius Pilate lived in Caesarea. During the festivals, he would come with his entourage and he would come into the city on a great horse with hundreds of soldiers. He would make sure that there was no insurrection against Rome during this time. But Jesus comes on a little donkey, representing the Kingdom of God. A donkey is an ordinary animal. The people of God shout with great anticipation, with palm branches and spreading their clocks in the ground.

Apparently, the palm fronts that we read about in connection with Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, are palm fronts that you do not have any deep understanding of in the OT. The passage in the OT has the mention of the original use of palm fronts in connection with the feast of Tabernacles; Leviticus 23. This is an expression of praise as God’s people would remind themselves of a God who inhabits, who tabernacles among his people. So they would make booths out of the branches of the palm and other trees.

Palm Fronts Were A Symbol Of Political Liberation

But that symbolism was taken over about 150 years before Christ and came to be used as a symbol of political liberation rather than liberation from the tyranny of sin. It came to be used to welcome into Jerusalem 150 years before Christ, the hero Judas Maccabees whose military genius was instrumental in overthrowing Greek tyranny, the rule of Antiochus and the terrible suffering of God’s people that was celebrated in the feast of Hannukah; Jn. 10:22.

By Jesus’ day, palm fronts were a symbol of rebellion against the rule of Rome and later on in the Jewish revolt, the palm fronts were stamped into the coins of Israel as an expression of their defiance against Roman rule.

Background of all the characters

It may well be then that our text reflects that misunderstanding, imagining that Jesus was coming in as a king to liberate Israel from Roman rule, rather than to liberate sinners from the rule of sin. The disciples also provide us with a rather disturbing model. They too seem to misunderstand, at best were confused, at worst disloyal. Jesus later, during the Holy Week on that Thursday, remembered how he had asked Peter, James, and John to watch and pray with him in the Garden of Gethsemane. Praying that they would not fall into temptation, Jesus returned to his disciples twice that night, only to find them fast asleep. A little later, when the guards in the great crowd armed with clubs and swords appear to arrest Jesus, the text tells us that all the disciples deserted him and fled; Mt. 26:56.

During the trial, Apostle Peter in response to the accusations of servant girls denies Jesus three times. He even invokes curses on himself swearing that does not know the man. He denied the Saviour as he was being tried.

Then we have Judas who betrayed the saviour for 30 pieces of silver.

So the celebration of Palm Sunday is a little troubling. Who are our models in all of this? It seems that no one was really offering adequate worship or meaningful praise. But the right things were said, “Hosanna, hosanna in the highest.”

So the people shout, “Save us, rescue us.”

God’s people thought that Jesus will deliver us from Roman oppression. They were wrong. The disciples of Jesus also would not understand now, but they will understand later.

We Want God To Be In Our Terms.

It is one thing to be excited about Jesus, it is another thing to be completely surrendered to him.

Yes, this is the return of the king. Yes, the Shekinah coming back to the temple, coming from the east, but now the king coming to take possession of his capital city.

Is he David? Yes

Did he fight as David did? No.

Now the story unfolds through the passion week, we see precisely how the new king fights. He allows all the powers of the world to overwhelm him and he swallows them up in the great ocean of the divine forgiveness and divine mercy. He thereby conquers the enemies of Israel and emerges as the true king of the world.

Jesus Conquers His Enemies By Dying For Them.

This is precisely why Pontius Pilate put on the cross, “Jesus of Nazareth, king of the Jews.” He put it in all three languages of the time: Hebrew, Greek, and Latin so that no one would miss it. This is Pilate with supreme irony announcing, “Yeah, the king came back and he died.

John 2:19

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

John 2:21

But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 

Jesus Is Both The Temple Of God And The Glory Of God.

The Church’s Mission Is To Announce That Jesus Is King.

YAHWEH Is Now The LORD Of The World.

The whole world is running after him.

John 12:19

So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after them.”

Why Did Jesus The King Come The First Time?

1. He came as the lowly Saviour bringing salvation.

John 8:34-36

³⁴Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. ³⁵Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. ³⁶So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

John 12:47

For I did not come to judge the world, but the save the world.

2. Jesus came as the only Son of God to not remain the only Son of God.

John 12:24

Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But it if dies, it produces many seeds.

Jesus uses the analogy of a seed.  A single seed has the power to reproduce a plant or tree that can produce multitudes of seeds, but only if it is buried in the earth.  As long as it remains alive above ground, the seed reproduces nothing; it stays alone.  When it is buried underground, it seems to have died; but after awhile, it springs up alive out of the ground, and starts to produces many others just like itself.

Jesus came to this world as the only Son of God to not remain the only Son of God. He knew the that the Father’s eternal purpose was for multitudes to become His eternal children, to adopt them to become fellow heirs of His Kingdom with His Son Jesus.  But for that to happen, they had to be redeemed from the penalty of death and destruction that their sins deserved.  The Son of God had to die the death for them, or else they would never become God’s sons and daughters.  If He did not die, He would have remained alone as God’s only Son, and the Father’s great plan to share His Kingdom with multitudes of children could never be fulfilled. So He came to die and be buried; but just like that seed, He came to life again on the third day. But He did not come back to life alone:

1 Corinthians 15:21

For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man.

3. Jesus came as the Light of the World to bring light to those who walk in darkness.

John 12:35-36

³⁵Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. ³⁶Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.”

John 12:46

I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

4. Jesus will come a Second Time to bring eternal life.

This same Jesus, who came the first time as the Savior to bring salvation, as the Son of God to bring many sons to glory, as the Light so that we would not walk in darkness, will come a second time as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to bring both judgment and final salvation to eternal life.

Revelation 1:7

“Look, he is coming with the clouds,”

and “every eye will see him,

even those who pierced him”;

and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”

So shall it be! Amen.

Hebrews 9:28

Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, Palm Sunday beckons us to contemplate the multifaceted significance of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It encapsulates the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies, revealing Jesus as the promised King of Israel. Yet, amidst the jubilant cries of “Hosanna,” there lurks a misunderstanding—a longing for earthly liberation rather than spiritual redemption. Just as the people of Jerusalem misinterpreted Jesus’ arrival, we too often project our desires onto God, seeking solutions on our terms. However, Jesus subverts expectations, conquering not through earthly might, but through sacrificial love and humility. His journey from triumph to the cross exemplifies the paradox of divine kingship. As we reflect on Palm Sunday, let us embrace the humility and simplicity of Christ’s kingdom, eagerly anticipating His return as the ultimate triumphant King. Are we prepared to surrender our expectations, allowing God to reign in His way and time?

The scripture also tells us that Jesus promised to come back again to set his rule and Kingdom in this world. We are waiting for that Triumphal Entry.

LIFE APPLICATION POINTS

1. Recognize Jesus as King in Every Aspect of Life.

Just as the crowds hailed Jesus as King during the triumphal entry, we should acknowledge His kingship in every area of our lives. This means submitting to His authority in our decisions, relationships, and priorities.

2. Embrace Humility and Simplicity.

Jesus entered Jerusalem humbly, riding on a donkey. Similarly, we should embrace humility and simplicity in our lives, rejecting pride and worldly ambitions. This involves serving others with a humble heart and being content with what we have.

3. Understand God’s Kingdom is Different from Earthly Kingdoms.

While the people expected Jesus to overthrow Roman rule, His Kingdom was spiritual and focused on liberating people from sin. We should align our expectations with God’s Kingdom purposes, seeking spiritual freedom rather than earthly power.

4. Proclaim Jesus as King to the World.

As followers of Christ, our mission is to proclaim Jesus as King to the world. Like the crowds who shouted “Hosanna,” we should boldly declare Jesus’ Lordship and share the message of salvation with others, inviting them to join in the Kingdom of God.

Let’s embrace Jesus’ kingship, humility, and mission.