For sermons and additional resources, visit STBARTS.COM.AU

TRUTH & GLORY: JESUS’ FINAL STORIES FROM JOHN’S GOSPEL (WEEK 2/14: TRUE KING)

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS CONNECT: Read through the Gospel of John (or at least chapters 11-21) in a sitting or two.

WARM-UP Questions 1. What do you think of when you think of the word ‘King’? 2. Have you ever been part of a significant moment in history? What was it like?

Read John 12:9-12 3. Why are people so upset about Lazarus being raised from the dead? 4. Why do you think the chief priests want to kill Lazarus again? 5. Why are the crowds in Jerusalem? Why are they so excited about Jesus? 6. How do Jesus’ actions expose the false kings in his world? How do Jesus’ actions expose the false

kings in our world? 7. Read Psalm 118:26-29. Why is it ironic and yet significant that the people sing this song as Jesus

enters Jerusalem? 8. What are the ‘false kings’ in our world today? How can the message of Jesus expose the ‘false kings of

today’?

Read John 12:13-19 9. Why do you think Jesus chooses to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey? 10. How does Jesus understanding of kingship differ from that of the crowds and that of his opponents? 11. Read Zechariah 9:9-11. What characteristics of the king’s identity in Zechariah do you see in Jesus? 12. In v.17 what are the crowds doing? How can we do the same thing today? 13. Why are you and I able to understand the true significance of Jesus entry into Jerusalem? (see v.14) 14. Read v.20-32. What does this tell us about ‘the hour’ that Jesus is talking about? 15. What areas of your life do not yet reflect Jesus Kingship over your life? 16. Is submitting to Jesus as King an enslaving or liberating act?

APPLY (to this week): How can we encourage one another to worship Jesus as King each week?

PRAY: Lord Jesus, thank you that when you rode into Jerusalem you chose a donkey to ride. Thank you

that you are not like the kings and rulers of this world but that you rule with humility, justice and mercy. Please forgive me for the things I have elevated above you in my life and help me to submit to your rule and reign every day. Amen.

For sermons and additional resources, visit STBARTS.COM.AU

TRUTH & GLORY: JESUS’ FINAL STORIES FROM JOHN’S GOSPEL (WEEK 2/14: TRUE KING)

GOING DEEPER RESOURCES & SUGGESTIONS

Potential Next Steps NEXT STEP IN GROWTH: Sign up for the Lenten Study Guide: Truth and Glory (see link at bottom) NEXT STEP IN EVANGELISM: Ask someone close to you who the king of their life is. NEXT STEP IN PRAYER: Think about which aspects of your life still don’t reflect Jesus as your King and

pray about these things.

Talks & Audio • ‘The One who is King’ by Luke Ijaz (half way down the page)

https://www.allsouls.org/Media/AllMedia.aspx?speaker=Luke%20Ijaz • “Triumphal Entry” by John Hua

https://www.realityvancouver.com/Easter2013 • ‘See your King is Coming…’ by Alistair Begg

https://resources.thegospelcoalition.org/library/see-your-king-is-coming

Video & Music • ‘The Triumphal Entry’ a video for children

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-39h0xYqdE • ‘That’s my King’ sermon by SM Lockridge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qjGezfVOFc • ‘The Triumphal Entry of Jesus’ the Triumphal Entry in historical context

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlSSqoi_nks

Articles • “Commentary on John 12’ Craig A. Sterlee

https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1929

Helpful Books (for the Series) • “John For Everyone” Part 1 by N T Wright. Available at:

https://www.bookdepository.com/John-for-Everyone-Part-1-N-T-Wright/9780664227890?ref=grid-view&qid=1517643407417&sr=1-1

• “John For Everyone” Part 2 by N T Wright. Available at: https://www.bookdepository.com/John-for-Everyone-Part-2-N-T-Wright/9780664227906?ref=grid-view&qid=1517643407417&sr=1-2

• Remember: you will be able to download a free study guide (starts February 14): https://stbarts.com.au/blog/truthandglory

Talk 2/14 (JOHN’S GOSPEL: TRUTH & GLORY): 04/02/18

“True KING” by the Rev’d David Browne

Bible Passage: John 12:9-19

We’re into our second week of our Truth and Glory series focussing on the second half of the book of John

• last week we looked at the account of Jesus raising a man called Lazarus from the dead

• Here we saw Jesus true character, authority and call our on lives and the glorious truth that Jesus offers us resurrection life here, now and forevermore

• Today’s reading from John 12:9-19 is a continuation of the Lazarus story • The impact of Lazarus’ coming back to life was huge as more and more people heard

about this amazing event and about Jesus • In today’s reading we find the tension around Jesus is rising, as we heard last week at

the end of John 11 the local leaders are plotting to kill him • Their leader Caiaphas the High Priest ironically declares that it is better that Jesus die

for the people than the whole nation be destroyed • Lazarus’ return to life was the last straw for the religious leaders, so Jesus withdraws

from public life and goes to remote Ephraim and Galilee with his disciples • It’s clear that Jesus is in trouble if he returns to Jerusalem, crowds of people want to

see another miracle, and the chief priests and Pharisees want to see him dead

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• But return he does and at the most important time in the Hebrew calendar: the Passover festival

• It’s within this tension that our passage is couched, Jesus has just been anointed at a party at Lazarus’ house and told everyone there that this anointing points to his death

• v.9: “Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.” (John 12:9–11)

Up to this point Jesus has been teaching and healing but what he does next will trigger a chain of events that will culminate in his death and resurrection

His next steps will expose the false kings of this world

And reveal himself as the true King in all his glory

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#1 EXPOSING FALSE KINGS \\ John 12:9-12

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem has all the hallmarks of a blockbuster movie: “The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 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!”” (John 12:12–13)

• v.12 is a marker of time and shows us that we are now five days out from Passover • At this time the City of Jerusalem is filled with pilgrims many of whom have heard

about Jesus and Lazarus(who is becoming famous simply for being dead) • Some estimates put it that in the weeks around Passover over a million people travel

to Jerusalem for the biggest festival of the year • Many of the people had heard about Jesus and his miracles and wanted to see him for

themselves so they rush to Bethany just east of Jerusalem • It’s here that the crowd perform a remarkably prophetic and dangerous act • They find palm branches, readily available in that area, and rush out to meet Jesus

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Palm branches were a symbol of freedom • 150 years before Jesus’ birth, Judas ‘The Hammer’ Maccabeus, a Jewish priest, had

lead a revolution in Israel and kicked the foreign invaders out of Jerusalem founding a Jewish kingdom

• The festival of Hannukah remembers Judas’ victory • The crowds which greeted his victory waved palm beaches as he entered Jerusalem

and King Judas stamped the image of a palm branch on his coins • The Maccabean dynasty lasted 100 years until the Roman Empire moved in and

installed a puppet ‘king’ Herod

But still this lingering memory of a free Israel burned brightly in the hearts of the people, and palms were a symbol of nationalism

Another richly symbolic thing the crowds do is that they sing! • Hosanna means: “Save!”, its an exclamation of praise for God’s saving acts in the

past but is also a plea for future help

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• They sing Psalm 118 which is a song of praise to God for liberating his people from slavery in Egypt

• It’s a part of a six Psalms that the people would sing and chant during the feast of Tabernacles, a time when the people remembered God living among them in the wilderness

In this triumphal moment three feasts: Passover, Tabernacles and Hannukah all come rushing together as the people look to Jesus as the saviour king!

It almost seems like mission accomplished for Jesus • Everyone is calling him King and proclaiming him as saviour • but looking at the passage closely we realise they have the wrong kind of king in

mind! • Now the idea of kingship is hard for you and me to understand: • While Elizabeth is our Queen of Australia and her descendants may be our kings

they are distant figureheads and have very little to do with our lives • The word used here for king was used of local chiefs and strong leaders, and doesn’t

describe a distant powerless monarch but a person who controls closely • kings had absolute power over taxes, armies, law courts and the identity of a people

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• The crowds want this type of king but Jesus will have none of it, • Earlier in John 6, just after he has fed the 5000, a crowd makes moves to force a fight

but: • “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a

mountain by himself.”(John 6:15)

The people want a mighty warrior king like Judas to make Israel great again, meanwhile the chief priests want to hold onto the power they have

In v.10 we see that the chief priests and religious power brokers are deeply threatened by Jesus

• if you flick back to chapter 11 v.48 you’ll see that they were worried that the Romans would see the Jesus movement as a rebellion and move in to crush their temple and nation

• The chief priests had the spiritual authority but the Romans had the political might to crush an uprising and the delicate puppet kingdom was a powder keg

• But Jesus hasn’t come simply to take power over a small tract of land or its people

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• All power and authority belong to Jesus already and he will not take it through bloody revolution or political wrangling,

• Jesus has come to expose false kings and reveal himself as the true King - God • Back in 1 Samuel the people of Israel badger God for a king like all the other nations

around them but in doing so they reject God as their king, • Even when God warns them that an earthly king will abuse them and lead them to

sin they shout: ““No!” … “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.””(1 Samuel 8:19–20)

• The crowds around Jesus are baying for the same thing, an earthly king, • The limitations of their understanding of Jesus’ kingship will be revealed in John 19

as the same crowds that hailed Jesus shout: • “Crucify him! We have no king but Ceasar,” (John 19:15-16)

• Jesus isn’t grasping for a earthly throne but will be enthroned upon a wooden cross

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John here exposes false kings and reveals Jesus as the true king but no one seems to understand

Jesus’ life casts a light on our own hearts, so often we put our trust in false kings and kingdoms and fail to see the true King in all his glory

• So often we look for political messiahs to save us and put our hopes in people and regimes

• Like the people trying to force their expectations upon Jesus we also try to put God in a box and fashion God into our own image

• But the truth is false kings promise the world and deliver little and trying to make God be what we want him to be will never work

• History is littered with kings and empires that brought power to few but misery for many

• Jesus exposes fake kings and kingdoms, his healings reveal his power over sickness, his miraculous feeding of 5000 people reveal his ability to satisfy our very need, and his raising of Lazarus reveal his power over death

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Jesus is King of kings and LORD of lords, his is the only kingdom open to all, the only Kingdom that will last forever, and the only Kingdom worth living for.

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#2 REVEALING THE TRUE KING \\ John14-19

Jesus next steps reveal him as the true King and the nature of his kingdom,

• great military leaders would ride triumphantly into conquered cities on horses or in chariots but Jesus chooses a donkey!

• Tim Keller says it like this: • “Here is Jesus the King of authoritative, miraculous power, riding into town on a

steed fit for a child or a Hobbit” • But this is no accident, accounts in other gospels describe how Jesus carefully sent his

disciples ahead to find a donkey waiting for him • John’s emphasis is on how this prophetically reveals Jesus as the true king: • He quotes from Zechariah 9:9, written 700 years before, but the two proceeding verses

tell us even more about the true king: “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. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the

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River to the ends of the earth. As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.”(Zechariah 9:9–11)

In this act Jesus reveals the power and humility of the true king and the peace and freedom he brings for the whole world

v.16 notes that that even Jesus disciples didn’t understand what was going on but it also reveals for us, the key to understanding Jesus and his mission

Look at v.16

“Only after Jesus was glorified did they realise that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.” (John 12:16)

• Jesus is glorified in his death and resurrection, it isn’t until the disciples reflect on his life through the cross that they see him as the true king,

• Jesus wasn’t just another pretender to the throne • Enthroned and lifted high upon the cross, rising to new life and ascending into glory

he revealed himself as the true King of the world

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Jesus is consciously travelling into Jerusalem not to take power for himself but to submit to the Father’s will and lay his life down for the sins of world, that forgiveness and life as God has always intended might once again be possible

The tension continues to rise in v.17 as the news of Lazarus’ resurrection spreads and the word gets around that Jesus has arrived in Jerusalem, • The Pharisees and religious rulers are even more frustrated and realise their attempts

to humiliate Jesus and hinder his ministry have failed • The time for Jesus glorification is fast approaching and when Greek believers from the

other side of the world ask to see Jesus he says in v.23:

• “… “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” (John 12:23)

• Jesus glorification will not be on a earthly throne but on a wooden cross, • he will not be lifted up by his oppressed subjects but by his torturers

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• The cross is the key to understanding Jesus and his mission to show us God’s justice and goodness, expose false kings and set us free to live for Him

#3 WHO IS YOUR KING? \\

In August 1997 Diana Princess of Wales died in a car crash whilst being hounded by a pack of journalists • There was a mass outpouring of grief and in the aftermath many of the tensions and

foibles of the royal family were exposed • The British public remembered her for her acts of charity, her humility and ability to

identify with common people • They called her ‘Queen of hearts’ • As Jesus moves towards Jerusalem and his death, the inadequacy of the ‘kings’ we

put over our lives is exposed and the humility and love of the true King is revealed

But Jesus isn’t just ‘King of our hearts’, he’s the king of the Universe

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Jesus is not simply our life coach, best-friend or someone who saves us from sin and has no other impact on our lives, his rule and reign extends over our whole existence • Former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Abraham Kuyper, once wrote:

• “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence, over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry, “Mine!”

• Who is your King? • Disciples of Jesus reflect his kingship over our lives not just in our affections but in

our thoughts, words and deeds • Jesus didn’t just die a sad death at the hands of people who put too much pressure on

him, he died for you and me to take the wrath of God that we deserve • Jesus didn’t just do nice things to help people, he showed us how to live for God and

submit to his will for our lives that we might have life and have it in abundance • Friends there are many false kings but the life, death and resurrection of Jesus expose

these imposters and reveal Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords • Jesus is the only King who ever gave up his life for you and is the only King truly

worth surrendering your life to and living for.

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Jesus is the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, the true King of glory. Who is your King?

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