Disaster Or Victory?
John 12:12-26
The King of Kings (Easter Series)
John 12:12-15 12 The 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!” 14 Jesus 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.”
It was not residents who welcomed Jesus to the city, but pilgrims, in the city for the feast.
John 12:16-19 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 these things had been done 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 performed this 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!”
This was not a spontaneous demonstration by the people
John 12:20-24 20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 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. 23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, 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.
Jesus is the grain of wheat. Unless he goes to the cross, his whole purpose in coming will have been wasted. But if he dies, he bears much fruit. Jesus sees these Greeks as the first fruits, the symbol of the great harvest for which he came. _
John 12:25-26 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
The authentic gospel begins with dying, with the cross. Living for ourself will never give us what we really want out of life. Only as we surrender to the Lordship of Christ can that happen. That is why the gospel includes a cross, and why the cross has become the symbol of Christian faith.
Luke 9:23 23Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. _________________________________________________
