John 12

Who doesn’t love a good parade?

When we had our vacation cabin in Red River, New Mexico one of our favorite times was the Fourth of July parade through the middle of our small town. There were home- made floats, marching bands, horses, and lots of free stuff being tossed to the crowd. It seemed like everyone in the county showed up.

In John 12 we find a parade known as “The Triumphal Entry” in which a huge crowd followed Jesus into Jerusalem. Today we commemorate this event each year on Palm Sunday. But was it really a “triumphal” entry? It certainly seemed to be to the raucous crowd, but was it triumphal to Jesus or was it something entirely different? Let’s look a little closer.

What Kind of Messiah?

First, why was there a huge crowd waiting for Jesus? It was Passover week in Jerusalem and the city was teeming with people. John’s twelfth chapter makes it clear that most of the crowd was there because of Jesus’ incredible miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. On that day there was a “media” buzz around the city that attracted thousands to see both Lazarus and Jesus. John tells us that many believed in Jesus because of the miracle.

What were these people expecting? Based on their greeting they were clearly expecting the long-promised Messiah. But what kind of Messiah? The palm branches, a sign of victory, and the cries of “Hosanna”, meaning “Save us now” tell us they were looking for Jesus to be the conquering king Messiah. A Messiah who would defeat their Roman oppressors and restore their kingdom and their fortunes. Like the crowd that Jesus fed with fishes and loaves in Galilee, they wanted this man to be their king and then to work on their behalf.

Jesus’ Parade Surprise

But Jesus surprised everyone at the parade. He did not act like the coming Messianic King they all expected. First he rode a donkey colt. Kings often rode donkeys, but only in times of peace. The people were ready for war and were hoping he would rally them to attack and seize control from the Romans. But Jesus came in peace as a sacrifice.

We learn from Luke’s gospel that, as Jesus looked over the city of Jerusalem, his heart was not filled with joy, but so much sorrow that he wept. He knew that, because of their rejection of him as the sacrificial lamb, the city would soon be destroyed, and the Jews dispersed from their land.

The other three gospel accounts tell us that he surprisingly attacked the Jewish leadership rather than the Romans. The day after the parade Jesus went to the temple and angrily overturned the moneychanger tables and berated the Jewish leaders for their hypocrisy.

Not What Was Expected

None of Jesus’ actions were the crowd’s idea of a Kingly Messiah. They did not understand that Jesus, the True Messiah, did not come to bring freedom from the tyranny of the Romans. He came to bring freedom from the tyranny of sin. The crowd wanted a Messiah who was in their own image and who would do what they wanted. They did not understand that the cross had to come before the crown.

Many times, as Jesus tried to teach his disciples that he came to die, not to overthrow and he gave them examples to follow. He told them, if you want to be first, you must be last. And if you want to become great, you must become the servant of all. Jesus then gave them the ultimate example when he gave himself up for them and for us.

Nothing has changed today in peoples’ desired perception of Jesus has it? We still want a Messiah who promises health and wealth. We still want Jesus to act on our behalf and bail us out of trouble. It is so easy for us to ignore the want-must paradigm that Jesus laid out for us.

But he said, if you want to live you must die to self. If you want to be first, you must be last. Because Jesus gave us something better – he gave us redemption for our sins and eternal life. But it doesn’t come like free stuff thrown from a parade float. It is free, but it comes at a cost.

Maranatha

Andy