He Gave Himself for Us
Dr. Larry Thorson
John 12:12-16
12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the Festival heard
that Jesus was on his way to
"Hosanna!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name
of the Lord!"
"Blessed is the king of
14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it
is written:
15 "Do not be afraid, Daughter
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey's colt."
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.
Today’s New
International Version Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society
On
While the Pueblo’s captain stalled for time in
order to destroy classified information, the North Koreans began firing on the
ship, before finally seizing it and taking 82 Americans hostage.
During their eleven-month captivity the American
sailors were threatened and tortured and forced to sign phony confessions. But,
the sailors fought back! A famous Time Magazine photo showed the sailors
defiantly making a profane gesture toward their captors to show the world what
was really going on.
That stunt got them beaten with two-by-fours when
the North Koreans discovered what the gesture really meant.
But,
perhaps the most amazing act of courage these sailors displayed was when
thirteen of them were singled out – brought to a room -- and forced to sit
motionless around a table for hours on end.
After what seemed like an eternity sitting there,
the door of the room was suddenly flung open! A North Korean guard burst in
and, using the butt end of his rifle, began brutally beating the sailor sitting
in the first chair!
The next day, as each man sat in his assigned
chair, the door was thrown open once more, and the same man brutally beaten
again! The third day it was the same!
Well, by the fourth day everyone knew that sailor
wouldn’t survive another beating. And so, very quietly one of his fellow
sailors switched places with him hoping the guards wouldn’t notice. And, when
the guard came in he automatically began beating the new sailor sitting in the
first chair. This went on for weeks! But, each day, a different sailor
volunteered to sit in that chair knowing exactly what would happen when the
door to that room was opened. But, each day someone new stepped forward until
the guards beating them gave up out of sheer frustration.
Of all the heroic acts the crew of the
When Jesus rode into
Now, it’s no surprise that all four Gospels
mention Jesus’ entry into
So,
the city was full of pilgrims and worshipers. Some estimates put the number as
high as almost three million people in
It was a time when patriotic feelings ran
especially high as the people remembered their glorious past and yearned for a
better future. But, even though Jesus comes to
Now, Hanukkah – which is actually a winter
festival -- celebrates the Maccabean revolt, when Judas Maccabaeus defeated the
Seleucids and cleansed the
Since that time Messianic hopes had run high –
especially as the nation once again fell under pagan rule. And so, the people
were actually combining their memories of Passover and Hanukkah together. And,
those memories brought them to a fevered pitch as they waved their palm
branches and welcomed Jesus as King.
Now, Jesus’ response to all this was rather
curious.
Or,
at the least, we might say it was a little out of character for Him. Whereas in
the past He might try to subdue any hint of public acclamation or avoid it all
together, this time Jesus actually welcomes it! And, He welcomes it because He
knows by this point the crowd’s fervor can’t possibly impede God’s plans.
In
other words, there’s no danger of Jesus being prematurely swept up as King and
missing the purpose for which He came. In fact, the crowd’s adoration only
serves to harden the attitude of Jesus’ enemies against Him even more.
And so when Jesus proclaims, “The hour has come
for the Son of Man to be glorified,” it seems like the crowning moment! The
moment the crowd’s been waiting for!
But, instead of commanding all the palm waving
pilgrims to take up swords and storm the local garrisons, Jesus begins talking
about stuff like kernels of wheat falling to the ground.
Jesus says: “The hour has come for the Son of Man
to be glorified. I tell you the truth, 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.”
You stick a seed in the ground. It dies. And out
of that seed springs new life! For
example, a soybean farmer will sow between 1 – 1 ¼ bushels of soybeans per
acre. And out of that 1 – 1 ¼ bushels of seed, he will average about 30 bushels
in return!
For
corn, a farmer will sow one bushel every six acres. Out of that he’ll get back
80-100 bushels per acre! It’s really
mind-boggling when you think about it!
All throughout the Scriptures Jesus was always
saying that His hour had not yet come. He says it at Cana in
But, on Palm Sunday something changes! After the Greeks request an audience with
Him, Jesus announces that His hour had finally come! The hour when the Son of
Man would finally be glorified! But, that glory wasn’t supposed to be thought
of like a conquering hero riding into a city to claim his crown. That’s what
the people thought! That’s what they wanted! And, that’s what they believed
they needed! But, that’s not where Jesus said all this was leading!
Instead, Jesus said, we had to think of His glory
it like a kernel of wheat falling to the ground and dying. A single act that
seems insignificant. Meaningless. Even tragic in some ways.
But,
from that death, a blade of wheat comes forth producing many more seeds. And,
what looks like tragedy actually turns out to be great triumph! Because the
glory of the seed turns out to be in the abundant life it generates! Jesus’
death is the vehicle which brings life for the many putting their faith and
trust in Him.
Of course, those listening to Jesus that day didn’t
understand what he was saying. Not Phillip. Not Andrew. Not the Greeks who had
come to see Jesus! None of them understood
what Jesus was saying because in their minds heroes conquer! They don’t die!
But, this Hero conquers through His death!
Like the men on the
Chuck Swindoll tells of a little eight-year old
Kenyan girl named Monica who broke her leg while falling into a pit near her
home. An older woman named Mama Njeri happened along where Monica had fallen
and climbed down into the pit to help her.
But,
while they were down there, a poisonous black Mamba snake bit both Mama Njeri
and Monica as they were trying to get out of the pit.
Monica was taken to a nearby medical center and
admitted.
But,
Mama Njeri went home and fell into a coma and died.
The
next day a missionary nurse explained Mama Njeri’s death to Monica. She told
the little girl that the snake had bitten them both. But the reason she was
okay was that all the snake’s venom had been taken by Mama Njeri -- so there
was none left to harm Monica.
Then the nurse explained how Jesus had taken the
poison of all Monica’s sins so that she could have new life. And, when it was
explained to Monica like that, she made an immediate decision to receive Jesus
as her Lord and Savior.
Now, that nurse was certainly smart making use of
a tragic situation to help bring that little girl to faith. But, there’s one
important way how what Mamma Njeri did and what Jesus Christ did on the cross
was different. You see, what Mamma Njeri did accidentally -- Jesus did on
purpose.
In fact, Jesus said it was the whole purpose for
which He came. And, while His soul was troubled and the cross was something He
would have rather avoided, He accepted it willingly because of His love for you
and me! The Bible says:
For
God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes
in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son
into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. (John
3:16-17)
On the cross Jesus accepted all the poison that
should have been ours. The poison of our sin and our shame. And the glory of
which He speaks is the satisfaction of completing God’s redeeming work in the
world and making right everything our sin has ever made wrong. And then calling
us to follow Him in a new life of sacrifice and service where He promises our
own glory will be found… With Him, in the Resurrection Life to come!
Amen.
This sermon was based on a sermon preach by the Rev. John C. Minihan, First Presbyterian Church, Newark, Ohio April 1, 2007. Used with permission.