John 12:12-26; April 2, 2023; Palm/Passion Sunday
“Look, the world has gone after him!” — John 12:19
Now, my question for us today is, are we going after him, or have we gone after him? …Can you hear the difference? Have we gone after him, as in, are we too out to get him? Or are we going after him, walking in his footsteps, after the example he has set before us? Which one, my friends?
Verse thirteen of our gospel text today quotes and brings into focus Zechariah’s prophecy from chapter 9:9, which reads:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey.”
So far, this is almost a carbon copy of what we get in John 12:13. But listen to what immediately follows verse 9 in Zechariah:
“On a colt, the foal of a donkey,
He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the warhorse from Jerusalem;
and the battle-bow shall be cut off,
and he shall command peace to the nations.”
This is what it reads exactly. This then is what John is quoting here…not just that Jesus will ride in on a donkey in humility, but by doing so the battle-bow should be snapped, and the warhorse cut off, and peace commanded to the nations. This is also then his commandment to us.
Remember too that the people in our story lay down palms before Jesus rides into Jerusalem. They sing “Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel!” before he rides in. In all the other gospels, this proclamation comes after Jesus rides in. Only in John does their song of praise for a king come before.
Why? Because John’s Jesus is once again correcting the people, critiquing us, basically saying, in modern tongue: Oh, nice song you got there. But did you really think I was going to look like the king you’re singing about? With swords and armor, riding in on a great stallion? Nah. Check out this humble donkey I’ve got instead; no weapon by my side, nor metal shielding my heart, for look, it’s wide open in vulnerable and sacrificial love. This is what it looks like to be strong. This is what it looks like to be mighty. This is what it looks like to be a king, the King of kings.
Are we going after him, or have we gone after him?
Are our arms down and our palms open, or are they instead raised and clenched like fists too easily triggered?
When we hear Jesus correct us, and tell us to be his followers by becoming believers in his peace and service unto others, are we listening? Or are we tuning him out and turning him off?
When we see Jesus riding in with humility, beating swords into ploughshares, and spears into pruning hooks, do we say, that’s nice, but you can’t tread on me and my culture and my amendments, Jesus. Nah uh. I’m good over here waving my palms, and laying them down before you, but the second you ask me to lay down my arms and my way of life for another, for your children, nah, that’s where I draw the line.
Are we following him, or are we out to get him?
Jesus tells us in our final verses today: “Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.” – John 12:25-26
Those who love their life lose it. Those who hate it, keep it.
Now I don’t know about you all, but I am tired of the way we are living this life. I hate turning on the news or seeing it scroll across my phone, seeing people hate other people. I hate seeing people not working with other people. I hate seeing people destroy the lives and future for other people. And I really hate seeing people kill other people. Especially our children.
Yesterday we had 300+ children here at Grace. 300 of different ages, colors, faiths, backgrounds. All of them running around innocently trying to find the thousands of eggs Joel and his volunteers hid for them. 300+. All happy. All smiling. All alive.
And so, I would be all too happy to lose this way of life, if that would also increase the odds of our kids getting to keep their life.
So, let’s link up with CeaseFirePA and Heeding God’s Call. Let’s March for Our Lives. And write our council people and representatives. Let’s preach and teach this from this sanctuary of Grace, that God’s grace is extended not to the mighty, or to the strong, or to those who are behind the scenes lobbying to stay on their warhorse, but to the most vulnerable, the weak, the tired and the afraid; those stuck in this prison of violence that we have sickly built around them.
And pray, don’t let us answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” – Matthew 25:44-46.
“‘Hosanna! Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” – John 12:12
Hosanna!
Do you know what Hosanna literally means? What it translates as? “Please, save us,” Please save us, in the name of the Lord.
Please save us.
Maybe then today we can stop acting like having active-shooter drills are no different than having fire drills. Maybe then today we can stop acting like all of this is normal because it’s also American. Maybe then today we can stop believing and parroting that illogical argument which says that making it more difficult for who can buy and own what is somehow also not going to make any difference at all.
Maybe today we can stop with all that nonsense, and actually do something for the sake of Christ and His own: our babies. So that our kids, God’s children, could look us in the eyes, and say, thank you — thank you for really following him, for really going after him in his ways of service, instead of going after him in ways of violence.
For peace… peace is what is commanded to the nations. Peace. This is everyone’s God-given right. Not battle-bows. Not swords. Not guns. But peace. Peace.
My friends, here then at the Lord’s table of peace, where life was sacrificed so that others might live, I invite us, I beg us, to do the same.
Amen.
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