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Sunday, May 11, 2008 – Mother’s Day
*The reactions to the humble King’s ride to the cross!*
John 12:12-22
/19 //So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere.
Look how the whole world has gone after Him!” /John 12:19 NIV
*-----------*
Last week I *briefly commented* on the *difference between rescue and prevention*.
We tend to make *heroes of* *rescuers* but *rarely* do we *acknowledge* the invaluable service of *preventers*.
I don’t know that I *spoke of this in both services*, but in response to the *heart attack that was prevented* by early detection, I commented that *prevention was certainly the preferred strategy over rescue*.
I threw in *my shameless plug* for my nearly non-existent *carpet business* by saying that *the best seams I ever made* were those I *eliminated*.
As good as I can *make a seam look*, I still *can’t compete* with the one I am *able to eliminate through smart planning.*
Prevention is better than rescue.
*The same* can be said with regard to our *physical health*.
*Prevention* is *a far better strategy* and much *wiser use of our resources* than emergency *rescue* operations.
Yesterday I engaged in some *preventive maintenance on the lawn*.
I didn’t have the time to *remove the dandelions* and their *roots*, but, I did *take the *time to *keep them from spreading* their seeds and *multiplying* themselves.
It *wasn’t* particularly *something I wanted to do*.
But, knowing the *consequences of doing nothing*, I endured the pain of *nipping the dandelions in the bud*.
http:~/~/www.youtube.com~/watch?v=K0GEv78335o
Dennis Swanberg, “Nip it in the bud.”
Folks, when it comes to *dealing with sin in our lives*, prevention is the *smarter strategy*.
Keeping the *seeds of sin* from being *planted* in our hearts is a *far better use *of our *resources* than having to *call on Jesus* to always *get us out of our messes*.
O, *don’t get me wrong*.
We all *need Jesus* to rescue us and get us out of our sin messes.
But, once He has *pulled us out* of the muck and mire of sin, *He* *sets us on the rock of His word* and commands us to *surrender to Him as Lord*.
Here’s *the deal*.
If we insist on having *Jesus only as our rescuer*, we will *spend far more time and resources* working with Him to *clean up our messes* than what we would ever spend working with Him in *preventing the messes*.
In other words, *your car* will spend a whole lot *more time in the shop* with a strategy of *emergency rescue repairs* than with *preventive maintenance*.
*Spiritually* speaking, we’ll get a whole lot *further down the road* with a *disciplined strategy of prevention* than an *undisciplined practice* of emergency *rescue*.
*Jesus enters **Jerusalem** 5 days before Passover* so that He can be *both* our *Savior* and our *Lord*, rescuer and preventer.
And I stand before you today to urge you to *place yourself under His Lordship*, obedient to *His leadership*, and let Him *chart your path*.
The *cost* may seem *too high to obey* *His commands*, but I assure you that it will be *far less *than the *cost that foolishness and sin will exact* from your life.
It has been said that Sin will take you further than you ever intended to go; Sin will keep you longer than you ever intended to stay; and sin will cost you more than you ever intended to pay.
Jesus has come *from **Bethany* where He *raised Lazarus* from the dead and where *Lazarus’s sister Mary* had *anointed His body *with expensive perfume, unbeknownst to her, *for His burial*.
Now just 5 days before Passover, on *Palm Sunday*, Jesus *enters **Jerusalem* where the Sanhedrin has a warrant out for His arrest.
But, *from the foundation of this earth*, Jesus knew this day would come.
He knew that *without His intervention* and *without His sacrifice*, we would not only *have no one to rescue us* from sin’s clutches, but we would *have no one to lead us away* from sin’s *temptations, snares and traps*.
In his book */And the Angels were Silent/*, Max Lucado writes, "*Forget any suggestion that Jesus was trapped*.
Erase any theory that *Jesus made a miscalculation*.
Ignore any speculation that *the cross was a last-ditch attempt* to salvage a dying mission.
For if these words tell us anything, they tell us that *Jesus died...on purpose*.
No surprise.
*No hesitation*.
No faltering.
No, the *journey to **Jerusalem* didn’t begin *in **Jericho*.
It didn’t begin *in **Galilee*.
It didn’t even begin *in **Bethlehem*.
The journey to the cross *began long before*."
(Lucado, 15)
As I *read our text*, keep in mind that *John*, the writer, has *put the details together very intentionally*.
There’s *nothing* in his Gospel that is *accidental*.
Thus, it is *completely appropriate* that we ask, why is John *making us aware of these certain people* when telling us the story of Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem?
*John 12:12-22 (NIV)*
/12 //The next day *the great crowd* that had come for the Feast 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!” /
/14 //Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, /
/15 //“Do not be afraid, O Daughter of //Zion//; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”/
/16 //At 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 they had done these things to Him. /
/17 //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.
18 //Many people, because they had heard that He had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet Him.
19 //So *the Pharisees* said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere.
Look how the whole world has gone after Him!” /
/20 //Now there were *some* *Greeks* among those who went up to worship at the Feast.
21 //They came to Philip, who was from //Bethsaida// in //Galilee//, with a request.
“Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 //Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
/
The text we examine this morning is what *the other three Gospels present as Christ’s triumphal entry into **Jerusalem*.
This will be His *final Passover celebration* which will also result in *His crucifixion* which *became the altar* on which He was sacrificed as *the ultimate and final Passover Lamb*.
As John writes, *he uses the least number of words *to describe this event as *compared* with the other three Gospels.
Also, *he minimizes the festive character of this event* by setting the story *in the center of a burial theme*.
John *establishes the burial theme* with his *bookends* to the story.
First, he places the *story of Mary of **Bethany* anointing His body for burial as the *immediate front bookend*.
*John 12:7 (NIV) */7 //“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied.
“It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of My burial.
/
Second, John *encloses the story* with Jesus speaking of His death *like a seed of wheat that must die* if it is going to produce and be glorified.
*John 12:23-24 (NIV) */23 //Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
24 //I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.
But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
/
Then, *John tones down the festive character of the triumphal entry* by bringing *his* *understanding* of this event to the *Zechariah 9:9* verse that he *references and loosely quotes*.
Let’s first look at the *text of Zechariah 9:9* and then notice *John’s paraphrase* of that verse.
Then, *you tell me what you think is going on*.
Keep in mind that the phrase “*Daughter of Zion*” refers to the *people or city of **Zion** or **Jerusalem*.
Here is *the prophet Zechariah*:
*Zechariah 9:9 (NIV)*
/9 //Rejoice greatly//, O Daughter of //Zion//!
Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
/
Now notice how John paraphrases that verse.
*John 12:15,* /15 //“Do not be afraid, O Daughter of //Zion//; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”/
Maybe the *first thing we notice* is that John *abbreviates the verse*.
That may in some way *encourage those of you* who are trying to *memorize Scripture verses*.
If John can both *paraphrase and abbreviate* verses, then *why can’t we?*
I suspect, however, that *John knows what he is not including* as he writes his paraphrase.
So, tell me, *what’s the difference in saying to someone*, “rejoice greatly” and “do not be afraid?”
What’s the difference between those two?
Wouldn’t you say that *the context of the first statement* is like *celebrating a victory* whereas *the context of the second statement* is the *very* *real presence of danger* but it’s *not* to be feared?
You see, my reading of John is that *he wants us to see what the disciples missed* when it was happening.
John is *bringing to his presentation* of the triumphal entry his *20-20 eyesight* that he *gained after* the resurrection.
He doesn’t want his readers to *miss what he missed* as he witnessed this highly significant event.
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