april 2 2023
2023 Palm Sunday, April 2nd
Old Testament: Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm: Psalm 118:19-29
Epistle: Philippians 2:5-11
Gospel: John 12:12-50 (Please add whatever verses are not printed in the bulletin)
Sermon Text: John 12
Sermon Title: “Lifted Up”
Grace to you and peace, from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
“Hosanna, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; even the King of Israel”. (John 12:13b) “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified”. (John 12:23b) “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself”. (John 12:32) “Though He had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in Him”. (John 12:37b) Others, “of the authorities believed in Him … but they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue”. (John 12:42) “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in Me may not remain in darkness”. (John 12:46)
In doing a bit of reading about legal philosophy, I came across an old quote that sounded very much like something out of the current news headlines. “Show me the man, and I will show you the crime”. The person who said this believed that it was not the job of police or government to investigate actual crimes, but rather to take people who were considered enemies of the state and then to find something they had done wrong (or if they couldn’t to make something up) in order to justify arresting and silencing them.
For the record, this quote is attributed to a man you’ve likely never heard of; Lavrentiy Beria. You probably have heard of his boss though; his name was Joseph Stalin who was responsible for more deaths than even Adolph Hitler; through political purges and planned starvation of his own people. Beria was the head of Stalin’s secret police. Even in more “normal” times, corruption of these institutions is common, causing Luther to write, “seldom do people of integrity preside in courts of justice”. (Large Catechism, 8th Commandment, par. 259) Of course, the biblical account of Jesus’ arrest and conviction shows this to be true.
Jesus had arrived at Bethany on a Friday. For the moment, all seems well with the world. Despite the worst efforts of the haters of Christ Jesus, things seem to be going His way. The crowds are shouting their praises; “they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him crying out, (the words of Psalm 118) Hosanna; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel”. (John 12:14) “And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it” As the prophet Zechariah foretold, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt”. (John 12:14-15)
The disciples did not understand what was happening in the moment, “but when Jesus was glorified (on the cross) then they remembered that these things had been written about Him and 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 out to meet Him was that they heard He had done this sign” (John 12:16b-18). Sadly, this was the only reason many of them followed.
Even the Pharisees were briefly discouraged, cursing their “bad luck”; saying “to one another; you see that we are gaining nothing. Look; the world has gone after Him”. (John 12:19) Jesus was as popular as He would ever be at this moment and as King, He rightly accepted their praises. But, Jesus also knew what was in the heart of the Pharisees and all people, that their attitude towards Him had not changed in the slightest; they were simply, momentarily unsure about what to do next. But, as is often the case, when defending false teaching and lying, violence and even death are used to defend it.
Now, being God, Jesus could have played each side against the other to His own benefit and avoided the cross. But, Jesus also knew what He had come to this earth to do, so He continued to speak of the cross saying, “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified … Now is My soul troubled … for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify Your name”. (John 12:23b, 27-28a) All the miracles that Jesus had done would have meant nothing without His atoning death on the cross and bodily resurrection for the forgiveness of our sins. He came to overcome sin, death, and the works of the devil.
“Then a voice came from heaven; I have glorified it and I will glorify it again”. (John 12:28b) There was a disagreement about the voice, but Jesus declared, “the voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And when I am lifted up from the earth (on the cross) will draw all people to Myself. He said this to show by what kind of death He was going to die. (John 12:30-33) “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life”. (John 3:14-15)
The cross is where our salvation was accomplished, but the cross is also “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” (Romans 9:33a) for those without faith in Christ; for those who trust in their own works. As the Apostle Paul declared, the message of the cross is “folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”. (1st Corinthians 1:18) From the rest of our text, it seems this talk of the cross is what caused many to fall away from Jesus so quickly, in just a few days, despite seeing all the miracles and signs He had done.
However, something else important occurred in this context that John doesn’t mention here, but the other Gospels do. Almost immediately after entering Jerusalem to the acclaim of the crowd, Jesus entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and bought in the temple … My house shall be called a house of prayer … but you have made it a den of robbers. And the chief priests and scribes heard it, and (again) were seeking a way to destroy Jesus”. (Mark 11:15b-18a)
Now, “The crowd answered Him, we have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say, the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man”? (John 12:34) So, Jesus warns them that He will only be with them ”รก little while longer. Walk while you have the light … while you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light”. (John 12:35-36) Jesus is “the Way and the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6a) the only way to heaven, but His way is the way of the cross that offends so many; even religious people.
“When Jesus had said these things, He departed and hid Himself from them. Though He had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in Him … even those of the authorities who did believe in Him, for fear of the Pharisees, did not confess it, so they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God”. (John 12:36-37, 42-43)
This unbelief of most of the people was also prophesied about by Isaiah as we heard; “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us? … (and) He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts”. (John 12:38a, 40a) These are difficult words for us to hear this morning, but they are the truth from God’s own Holy Word about those who refuse to hear the Gospel. It is a warning to us religious folk in the church who are tempted daily to reject the Word of God. “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, today; if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion”. (Hebrews 3:7-8a)
“Jesus cried out and said, whoever believes in Me, believes not in Me, but in Him who sent Me. And whoever sees Me, sees Him who sent Me”. (John 12:45-46) There is no division in the godhead, for Jesus said, “I and the Father are One”. (John 10:30) “What I say therefore, I say as the Father has told Me”. (John 12:50b)
Here again, the importance, the necessity of hearing and believing the Word of God is stressed. Jesus came to bring life and salvation to the world, and that is received (primarily) through the means of grace, the Word of God and the Sacraments, which the Holy Spirit uses to bring people to faith and to keep them in the one true faith. “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope”. (Romans 15:4)
Jesus said, “If anyone hears My words and does not keep them, I do not judge them, for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. (But) the one who rejects Me and does not receive My words has a judge”. (John 12:47-48a) As we have heard, those who reject Christ Jesus who came to save them, are responsible for their own unbelief. Most of these pious and religious people shunned/rejected the light of Christ (found in His Word) and chose to “remain in the darkness” (John 12:46b) of sin.
If you take the Word of God as something you can pick and choose from as you wish; like some sort of spiritual buffet; without any (eternal) consequences; consider Jesus’ words again. “The Word I have spoken to him will be his judge on the Last Day”. (John 12:48b) This is what the Lord said (of the Christ) through the prophet Moses, “whoever will not listen to My Words, that He shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him”. (Deuteronomy 18:19) Therefore, to refuse to heed Jesus’ Word is to invite judgment upon yourself; as Luther himself said, “God will terribly punish all who despise and transgress His commandments/Word”. (Close of the Commandments, Large Catechism, par. 322)
The wrath of God is no joke as the Apostle declared, “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth”. (Romans 1:18) The anger of God against our sin is real, and He is not to be trifled with; He is not to be mocked. “He will render to each one according to his works … for God shows no partiality”. (Romans 2:6, 11) So, what hope is there for us? Paul even asks, “wretched man that I am; who will rescue/deliver me from this body of death”? (Romans 7:24)
With Paul, we answer, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:25); this is not the end of the matter; as we have already talked about. Jesus came for this very purpose; to be lifted up on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for our sin and the sin of the whole world. The wrath of God was poured out on Jesus instead of on us.
The prophet Isaiah spoke of Jesus saying; “I give My back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard. I hid not My face from disgrace and spitting”. (Isaiah 50:6) As we will hear on Good Friday; “He was wounded for OUR transgressions; He was crushed for OUR iniquity … by HIS stripes we are healed”; (Isaiah 53:5) forgiven of all our sins, reconciled to God.
In light of God’s great love for you, we invite you to come again this Holy Week, (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter) to hear again of what Jesus has done and continues to do for you and for your salvation by His death on the cross and bodily resurrection. For here (in this place) is where He offers His gift of forgiveness to you in Word and Sacrament. Come, for “Everyone who is of the truth, listens to His voice”. (John 18:37b) Amen.
The peace of God …