DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Are there expectations you’ve placed on Jesus that he hasn’t fulfilled—like the crowd expecting a warrior king but receiving a humble servant? How do those unmet expectations affect your trust or obedience? What does it look like to follow the real Jesus, not just the one you hoped for?
How does seeing Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s long-planned promises (like in Zechariah 9) grow your trust in Scripture and in God’s plan for your life?
What would it look like for you to respond to Jesus not just with admiration but with allegiance? Is there a part of your life—habits, relationships, goals—where Jesus is still more of a guest than King?
SERMON MANUSCRIPT
Several years ago, I went to New York, and while I was walking out of a store with my father, I remember seeing this crowd of people rushing by us. Cameras were flashing. People were shouting. It was a big ordeal.
I remember my dad and I thinking, “Who in the world are they chasing?”
It turns out it was Vanessa Hudgens from High School Musical.
This particular moment for me in New York teaches us an essential truth for our passage today: we flock to people that we view as important. Some of us will drop what we’re doing to witness Vanessa Hudgens walk down the street of New York. Others will not. Some of us will drop what we’re doing in order to see Lebron James walk by (because he’s the GOAT). Others will not. Some of us will drop what we’re doing to get a picture with the President of the United States. Others will not.
But here’s the deal: only one person in the history of the world is worthy of a crowd's attention, and his name is Jesus. In today’s passage, we will see the one worthy of a crowd's attention come humbly riding into Jerusalem one last time before he died. And as the spotlight is on him, he humbly walks to the cross in perfect obedience to the Father’s will.
CONTEXT
Let’s try to set the context of this passage.
Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead. Following this, Jesus and his disciples, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, had a celebratory dinner in Bethany. During this dinner, we saw Mary take expensive ointments and wash Jesus’ feet with her hair. This action of Mary was such an incredible act of worship, which communicates to us the truth that “Jesus is worthy of complete surrender— courageous, unashamed, open-handed surrender.”
Following this sweet moment of worship, we see Jesus make plans to enter Jerusalem for the last time before his death. His time has come. His death is on the horizon, and he knows it. And this last and final entrance into Jerusalem is a big deal. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was widely celebrated because the crowds had heard about Lazarus being raised from the dead, and they believed that he was the long-anticipated king who would lead them to victory over their enemies. They thought that he was the king that would bring peace to his people.
But, although Jesus is the king of Israel, he was not the type of king they expected. The crowd was expecting a warrior and they got a servant. They were expecting a sword and they got a cross. They were expecting a gold crown and they got a crown of thorns.
Let’s dive in.
“12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 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!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion;
behold, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey's colt!”
16 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. 17 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. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”
A LARGE CROWD
In verse 12, we see a feast taking place. “12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.”
John 11:55 and John 12:1 tells us that Passover is at hand. John 11:55, “Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves.” John 12:1, “Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead…”
So, the Passover Feast is at hand. Passover is one of the three pilgrimage feasts (Passover, Pentecost, and Feast of Booths), meaning Jews must journey to Jerusalem to celebrate it. Passover was a time when God’s people journeyed back to Jerusalem to both celebrate and reflect on how God saved his people from slavery in Egypt through the bloodshed of a spotless lamb.
Are we familiar with this story? God’s people are in slavery in Egypt. God has heard their cries and is preparing to lead them out of slavery, into the promised land. As God’s preparing to lead his people out of slavery, he announces the last plague that will take place in Egypt. He will strike down the firstborn child of every household in the land. In order to be spared from this judgment, every family was commanded to slaughter a lamb without blemish and spread the blood of the lamb on the doorpost, and in doing so, the LORD would passover their household and spare them. Exodus 12:13 says that “the blood shall be a sign for you…I will see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you.” So, by the blood of a spotless lamb, God’s people were spared from his judgment.
The passover feast was therefore a time of remembrance, reflection, and celebration of God’s faithfulness on behalf of his people. Jews from far and wide would come to Jerusalem to celebrate this feast, and during this feast each year, the Israelites would sacrifice a lamb in order to celebrate and remember God’s faithfulness.
This tells us that Jews from all over are now in Jerusalem celebrating this feast, which means that when John says “a large crowd” was present, he means a LARGE CROWD was present!
A Jewish historian named Josephus, for example, estimated roughly 2.7 million people were in attendanceduring one Passover around 66-70AD. Now, that number could be inflated, but it could not be. We simply have no way of definitely proving that number. So, to be really, really safe, let's just say 1 million people were in attendance. That’s still A TON of people.
Let me give you a visual that might help you understand how large this crowd is. An estimated 236,016 people attended Fat Tuesday this year. To put the Passover crowd into perspective, let's multiply that crowd by 5, and you will be pretty close to our overly safe estimate of 1 million people in Jerusalem at this time. So, for every person present at Fat Tuesday, add another 10 people. And, just for fun, you would have to multiply our Fat Tuesday crowd by 11 to get Josephus’ estimation of 2.7 million people, which means that for every person present at Fat Tuesday, you would have to add another 11 people.
Put simply, this is a LARGE CROWD “that had come to the feast.”
LAZARUS IS ALIVE!?
Now, if you look down to verses 17 and 18, you will see that the people who saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the grave are continuing to bear witness about Jesus. Because of this testimony, a large crowd will meet him. Word has gotten out amongst this crowd that Jesus, who raised Lazarus from the dead, was coming to Jerusalem. Everyone wants to see the man who has power over death!
Now listen! This is far from the main point of this passage. But may the same be true of us, saints.
The Bible says that we were dead in our trespasses and sins, but by God’s grace and mercy, we have been made alive with Christ. So, like Lazarus, we once reeked of death. But now, we let off the aroma of Christ. May the testimony about how we have come to know Jesus lead others to Jesus.
SAVE US, KING!
Upon hearing this news about Jesus, the crowd takes action. Look at verse 13, “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!’”
Now, when you compare John’s account of this story with the other gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), you will notice that John is the only one who tells us what type of branches are being used here. He tells us that this crowd “took branches of palm trees and went to meet Jesus.”
So, why? What is the significance of them grabbing palm branches?
I think the type of branches they’re grabbing tells us who they believe Jesus is and what they’re trying to communicate about Jesus. Ever since 164 B.C., during the Maccabean Revolt, where the Syrian army was driven out of Jerusalem, and the temple was restored, palm branches had become a national sign of kingship and victory. Palm branches were the badge of a conquerer. The crowd has heard about the power of Jesus. Therefore, they assume that Jesus is the one who possesses the power to deliver them from Roman oppression, which leads them to welcome Jesus as king. And as they meet Jesus with palm branches in hand, they cry out, “Hosanna!” “Hosanna” means “save us now.” This is a cry of desperation! Then they exclaim, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” This comes from Psalm 118:25-26, which says, “Save us, we pray, O LORD! O LORD, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD.” These verses would have been recited and sung regularly during both the Feast of Tabernacles and Passover. The saying, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord,” would have been a common way of greeting anyone traveling into the temple during one of these feasts.
However, John recorded an important detail in their greeting here. The crowd adds, “Even the King of Israel!” They’re declaring Jesus as the long-anticipated King of Israel, who possesses the power to come and save them. In hearing of Jesus's works, the crowd thinks he’s the long-awaited Messiah who will set them free from Roman captivity. So, they’re ready to crown him as king.
THE HUMBLE KING
Now, following the recording of that proclamation, John (and every other gospel writer) makes a point to tell us what Jesus chooses to ride into Jerusalem on. As we see in verse 14, Jesus finds a young donkey, sits on it, and rides into the city.
Look at verses 14-15,
“14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
15 ‘Fear not, daughter of Zion;
behold, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey's colt!'”
Unlike the other gospels, John spares quite a bit of detail here. For example, Matthew tells us that Jesus sent his disciples to retrieve the donkey for which he had made miraculous provisions. Luke tells us that Jesus stopped and wept before he entered the city. But John simply tells us about Jesus finding and sitting on the donkey and how that act fulfilled an OT prophecy found in Zechariah.
So, why doesn’t he spare the details about the donkey? Why is the donkey detail important?
Well, it’s important because it fulfills what was written. In Zechariah 9, God promised Israel a new king who would come riding on a donkey, and the donkey reveals to us the type of King he would be!
Let’s talk about a donkey for a moment.
Donkeys aren't necessarily anti-kingly. Throughout the Old Testament, there are multiple examples of kings possessing and riding on donkeys. So, the shock value of this moment isn't that donkeys are anti-kingly; the shock value is that donkeys are anti-warly (I know that I'm making up words here, but bear with me).
During this time, horses would have been a symbol of war and power (Isaiah 31:1-3; 1 Kings 4:26). Unlike donkeys, horses are big, fast, strong, and powerful. But Jesus didn’t come mounted on a horse; he came mounted on a donkey, just as it was written. This would be like the army trading in their Hummers for Prius'. No matter how good the gas mileage is, no sergeant will load up their platoon in a Prius and take them into battle. Similarly, one would expect a king coming to save his people to come mounted on a horse, not a donkey. Yet, this long-anticipated king would come in gentle lowliness, not boastful oppression. Jesus was not entering as an arrogant king who would rule over his people. He was entering as a humble king who would serve his people by laying his life down for them. He came not to be served but to serve.
AS IT IS WRITTEN.
Now, at the end of the story, we know that Jesus would usher in peace for his people through his death on the cross. But no one understood this at this point in time, not even his disciples.
In fact, before we look at verse 15, skip to verse 16. John says, “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.” So, Jesus’ disciples and the crowd do not truly understand what Jesus is doing here. But, the moment Jesus was raised from the grave, things clicked.
Can you imagine the excitement here when they understood Zechariah 9? That which was once foggy has now become clear. That which was once black and white is now seen in bright colors.
Before the foundations of this world, God had already planned to send His Son to the cross. The King of kings was always going to be the humble servant who came to humbly lay his life down on the cross. And we see this all throughout the Old Testament. As we now read the Old Testament, we can see clearly how, the King of kings and Lord of lords was always going to come as a humble servant. The one deserving of a gold crown would always come to wear a crown of thorns. In Genesis 3, God promised to send a seed from Eve who would crush Satan’s head. In Isaiah 53, “God promised to send one who would be pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our sins. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him. By his wounds we are healed.”
I had a conversation with a good friend of mine at the gym this week about the Old Testament. He was essentially asking, “If we’re under a new covenant, what’s the purpose of the Old Testament?” In other words, “Why do we need to read the Old Testament?” As we talked over the loud music, I gave him a brief overview of the Old Testament, which consists of various types of writings (narratives, wisdom, prophecies, etc.). These are still profitable for teaching and correcting today. But I also shared with him how the Old and New Testaments work hand in hand. The Old Testament gives us context for the New Testament. If you only read the New Testament, you would still read the Old Testament because the New Testament references the Old Testament. As you read through the New Testament, you will find over 300 direct quotes from the Old Testament and over 1,000 allusions and indirect references. So, as you read through the New Testament closely, you will find tremendous beauty in the Old Testament. The more you fall in love with Jesus, the more you will love the Scriptures that point to Jesus.
As you read the Old and New Testaments together, you will learn that God is so much bigger than you could ever imagine. Although we may not always be able to see it now, God orchestrates everything for our good and his glory. This is what took place with the disciples after Jesus’ death and resurrection. They began to see how every minute detail of Jesus’ life was orchestrated by God for our good and his glory. Jesus coming into Jerusalem on a donkey was a small detail of a great moment that God had spoken of long before it ever happened. It happened just as it was written.
Let’s turn over to Zechariah 9:9 for a moment.
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall speak peace to the nations;
his rule shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.”
Due to the Babylonian captivity, Israel had no king. So, God is promising a king-less people that a king is coming, and this king is going to be righteous. He is going to bring salvation. He is going to be humble. He was going to usher in peace to both his people and the nations. His rule was going to stretch to the ends of the earth.
John— along with Matthew, Mark, and Luke— declare that the King prophesied about through the prophet Zechariah was Jesus. Jesus is the one to celebrate! Jesus is the righteous one. He never sinned. He is blameless. And he came to bring salvation. He is our only hope for saving— “Whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus is the one who came to bring peace through his death on the cross. He is our only hope for peace with God, and he is our only hope for peace with one another. The hostility present between us and God and us and one another was dealt with viciously on the cross. Jesus is the one seated at the Father's right hand right now, reigning and ruling over his people. He is the one who possesses the power over life and death, and he is the one who will rule from sea to sea to the ends of the earth. Yet, he is the humble, meek, and loving King who came to bring peace to the world through his death on the cross.
No one possessed more power than Jesus, as demonstrated by his ability to resurrect Lazarus from the dead. Yet, when all eyes were on him, he intentionally lowered himself by riding in on a donkey. Rather than reach for swagger, he goes for humility. Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem doesn’t just stand in stark contrast to every other king. It stands in stark contrast to you and me. Rather than grab for power or swagger or fame, Jesus, the King of Kings, chose humble service. He decided to empty himself and become a servant. As he’s preparing to bring peace to the world through his death on the cross, he chooses to ride in on a donkey.
Jesus demonstrates to us the truth that the Kingdom of God is not a place where you can seek selfish gain. Instead, it is a place where we humbly serve one another, laying down our lives for the well-being of others.
If you are a Christian, your actions will be marked by humble service. We are called to be humble servants, just like our king, Jesus. We are to be strong and courageous and bold and brave, but we are also to be gentle, kind, and selfless servants. Whenever you walk into a room, your prayer and goal should always be to reflect the humility of Christ in your service and care for others. We should acknowledge our propensity toward self-centeredness and pray, “Lord, give me humility and help me serve those around me in a way that reflects you, Jesus.”
Whatever we do, our goal should be to reflect Christ's humility. If serving others never crosses our minds, then the gospel has not transformed our hearts. As Christians, we now get to imitate the service that Christ has displayed for us. You no longer get to consume yourself with questions surrounding how you can be served; you get to consume yourself with questions surrounding how you can serve.
So, as you engage the lost with the gospel, do so humbly. When someone combats your faith with hostility (and acts like another word for a donkey), it’s easy to want to declare war against that individual to win an argument. But, put to death your pride and ride the truth into that conversation on a donkey.
As you do life with one another in the church, do so humbly. Scripture constantly calls us to be patient with one another and to love one another, telling us that we will be wronged by others in the church. Therefore, may we be humble peace bearers within the church.
Serve your family humbly. As a husband, as a wife, as a father, as a mother, as a son, as a daughter, as a brother, as a sister, you are called to humbly and selflessly place the wants and desires of one another above your own.
As Christians, every aspect of our lives should reflect the peace and humility demonstrated by Jesus in this passage. If I were to interview everyone in your life (boss, family members, coworkers, friends, kids, etc.), would they say that the humble King, Jesus, has transformed your heart? May every aspect of our lives reflect the humble service Christ has displayed by laying his life down for us. The way of the Kingdom of God is one of imitating Christ.