Grace Baptist Church, Nokomis, IL.

Text:

Witnessing an unexpected role reversal catches you off guard. Sometimes our kids correct us, acting as our parents. Often the nerdy kid in school becomes your boss, and you must respect him and call him “sir.” There are three great role reversals in the passage of Scripture that we will read this morning.

“The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.” “ (John 12:12-19)

This event has come to be known as the triumphal entry, and what an awesome sight it must have been! Jesus was at the height of his fame. The whole region knew who He was. This was before television, radio, and the internet. Only the most important news was spread very far. Jesus was known this well because He had performed miracles all over the place. His latest miracle was raising Lazarus from the dead.

People placed their coats on the ground for Him to walk on to show they honored Him. Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, sitting on the coats of His disciples which they placed on the donkey. This is what kings did after winning a battle, and it fulfilled Zechariah 9:9. People waved palm branches and shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” was commonly sung as the Jews went to worship at the Temple. But they added, “even the King of Israel!” They identified Jesus as the Messiah.

Yet, these same people would shout just days later, “Crucify him, crucify him.” This is the first great role reversal in this text. What made them change their minds about Jesus? The crowd was there because they heard about Christ’s miracles (v. 18). But they would not wholehearted follow Christ out of fear of being ostracized (v. 42-43). We must not shy back from serving God out of fear of what others may do to us.

“Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. “ (John 12:20-22)

The words that Jesus say in the following verses are in response to the desire of the Greeks to see Jesus.

“And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” “ (John 12:23-32)

There are basically two themes in these verses. One deals with the glory of Christ, and the other deals with our response to His glory.

1.Jesus regards the cross as intertwined with His glory (v. 23).

Unless a seed is planted, it is worthless. But when planted, it produces a harvest (v. 24). Jesus would not say, “Father, save me from this hour,” but rather, “Father, glorify your name” (v. 27-28a). God spoke from Heaven, confirming that He would glorify Himself through Jesus going to the cross (v. 28b). Jesus didn’t need to hear it (v. 30), but imagine being one who did hear it.

Jesus going to the cross and Jesus being glorified are virtually the same thing. This is the second great role reversal in the text, and it’s actually a double reversal. The king who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, a symbol of conquest, is now talking about His death, which we think of as being defeated. But because of that death, he would be glorified.

2.Christ’s death on the cross draws “all people” to himself (v. 32).

Obviously not every single person follows Christ. Jesus meant that the doors are now open for all people. Every kind of person is welcome to come to Christ in faith. You don’t have to become a Jew. All of this was in response to the Greeks who wanted to see Jesus. They wanted to see Him because they heard that he could perform miracles. Jesus wanted them to know a greater miracle was about to happen. The curtain in the Temple would be torn that marked off the “Holy of Holies,” and there would be no separation from the presence of God.

All of us are invited to know Christ and be saved by the grace of God. We must follow Christ. Not loving our life, but hating the ways of the world, and serving God. We are not giving up joy, but are gaining a greater joy (v. 25b, 26b). This is the third and final great reversal in the text. We are nothing but sinners, yet we are given eternal life and honored by God. The parable that Jesus told about himself in v. 24 about the grain of wheat is true for us as well. In order to gain the greatest blessing, we must die to self.