PALM SUNDAY WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING TO SEE WITH JESUS. We have a-lot of expectations don t we? Especially those of us who have been blessed

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1 PALM SUNDAY WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING TO SEE WITH JESUS By: Vicar Ron York JOHN 12:12-19 March 28, 2010 Grace To You and Peace from God our Father, Fellow Redeemed. We have a-lot of expectations don t we? Especially those of us who have been blessed To live here in the United States of American, for in other countries, their peoples expectations Are quite different then ours. We grow up expecting to live in a comfortable home, have nice Clothes, nourishing meals, a good education, a good career, a strong financial portfolio, great Health and a wonderful leisurely retirement. Not bad. But what happens when your expectations Don t measure up to reality, what happens then? You see on the first Palm Sunday in Jerusalem a-lot of people had a-lot of expectations About Jesus of Nazareth, but then they aren t so different from the people today, for even today People have a-lot of expectations of this Jesus of Nazareth. What about you? What are your Expectations of Jesus of Nazareth and do you think he is going to meet those expectations? Interesting scenario isn t it? Jesus is very much concerned as to people s expectations of himself. In Matthew 16:13-20 Jesus asks his disciples as to who do people say that the Son of Man is? Or in another sense, what Are their expectations? In Jesus day the people expected the re appearance of some notable prophet, However; opinions differed as to who this would be. The disciples said some say you are John The Baptist, others say you are Elijah, and others say your are Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Jesus Then gets very personal and he asks his disciples who do you think I am or what are your expectations Of me? Then we have that tremendous statement of faith from St. Peter, who says Thou art the Christ,

2 The Son of the living God. You see Peter saw this Jesus of Nazareth who had walked on water, Calmed storms, healed the sick, raised the dead and made many bold claims. Jesus confirmed that Peter was correct. Well how important is it that Jesus identity is the Christ? St John wrote In 1John 2:22 That he who denies that Jesus is the Christ is a liar and an enemy of God. A ` Pretty strong proclamation. What do you think? Do you honestly down deep inside believe that? Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ? Do we really believe that? Do our thoughts, opinions and Conduct affirm that belief or do they simply make it superficial at best, just a-lot of fluff? What does the word Christ mean? The term Christ is an English derivative of the New Testament Greek word Christos, which means, "anointed. The Old Testament Hebrew Word is Messiah. Both Christ and Messiah mean anointed or anointed one. Is there any significance of anointing? In the Hebrew Bible, the term is most often used of Kings who were marked by anointing with oil. Anointing was a rite of kingship in Syria and Palestine, However; it was not only kings who were anointed in scripture, but Israel s high priests were anointed. In biblical usage, anointing is an act of consecration-setting one apart for the holy work of God. It was Symbolic of the pouring out of God's Spirit onto someone (compare Isaiah 61:1; Romans 5:5)-representing God's power and intervention to perform the duties of the office one was anointed to. In John 12:1, just 11 verses before out text, this Jesus of Nazareth is anointed by Mary at Bethany. We see in our text this morning Jesus coming into Jerusalem amidst a large crowd of people who Had gathered for this procession. They had taken Palm Branches and spread them on the road and waved Them. Palm branches were used to adorn processions. They sang out Hosanna, a plea for divine help Or deliverance, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel. What a sight That must have been. The people are openly acclaiming this Jesus of Nazareth as the promised messiah And even a king, with a divinely appointed destiny to fulfill, but do they really acclaim him as messiah And king? Do we really acclaim this Jesus of Nazareth as messiah and king? If a king told you to do Something or not to do something, unless you were incredibly stupid you did what the king said, yet

3 How many times does Jesus tell us to do something or not to do something, to believe thus or not to Believe thus, yet we say I am a mans man, you don t tell me what to believe or not to believe, or what To do or not do, and how dare you insinuate otherwise. Yet in spite of this confession, we still feel we Are Christian, how absurd. Jesus says Forsake ye not the assembling of yourselves with other Believers to hear God s Word and partake of His Sacraments, or when God says bring into the storehouse The tithe, or 10% of your income to the Lord, yet people are not even a member of a Christian Congregation, nor do they avail themselves to hearing God s Word and receiving His Sacraments, and They say that s my money, your meddling now, don t tell me what to give or what not to give, yet they Say in the same breath, I am a Christian. Who are you trying to kid? Well what were the people s expectations of this Jesus of Nazareth? When Jesus came on the scene, the Jews were expecting the arrival of a leader called the Messiah (Luke 3:15). They understood that this was the very time indicated by a prophecy recorded in Daniel 9:25 for the coming of "Messiah the Prince"-that is, the anointed ruler yet confusion abounded over to whom this term applied. "In the intertestamental period, messianic speculation included three messianic figures (the righteous priest, the anointed king, and the prophet of the last days)" Scripture contained many prophecies of a coming king and deliverer. Jeremiah wrote: "'Behold, the days are coming,' says the LORD, 'that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely...'" But what kind of king were they expecting? The majority of the people were expecting a might king to Arise on the scene with extreme power in order to overthrow the Roman Oppression on the People of Israel. Our text this morning provides the reason such a large crowd had gathered to see this Jesus of Nazareth comes into Jerusalem. The crowd that had been with Jesus at the time when he called Lazarus Out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The people in Jerusalem had Heard what Jesus had done and wanted to see this man, and perhaps see him do another trick, or receive

4 Healing or economic prosperity. What about us? What is that we are expecting to see or receive from? This Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was this prophesied King (Luke 1:32-33). When Pontius Pilate asked Him if He were a king, Jesus answered: "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world" (John 18:37) We see that God set Jesus apart to be king. But what about the biblical examples of anointing to the offices of prophet and priest? Does Jesus fulfill these roles too? Concerning a messianic prophet, Moses, who had been the chief human prophet, lawgiver and judge over God's people, foretold the coming of a prophet to replace him " (Deuteronomy 18:18). This prophet was thought to be the one mentioned in Isaiah 61:1 as being anointed by God to preach good tidings to the poor..." Later Peter directly stated that Jesus was the expected prophet (Acts 3:20-23). Jesus Himself explained that He was the anointed prophet of Isaiah 61, bringing good news-the gospel. He shocked listeners by announcing, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:17-21). Thus, contrary to a view of the time that the Prophet and kingly Messiah were two different individuals (compare John 1:20-21), these two titles applied to the same person-jesus of Nazareth. Also, "belief in a priestly messiah, son of Aaron [that is, one assumed to be a descendant of Israel's first Levitical high priest], who would arise alongside the Davidic messiah to save Israel, appears in the Dead Sea Scrolls... The mysterious figure of Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18) provides a title for one who is at the same time both king and priest (Ps ; Heb. 7)" (Metzger and Coogan, p. 514). What do we see as reality when this Jesus of Nazareth, King of Israel, the one who raises people From the dead, and most certainly can release the people from Roman Oppression, comes riding into Jerusalem on this first Palm Sunday Morning? We see this very powerful man riding in on his procession, Not on a mighty strong powerful horse, but on a young meek donkey. Jesus did not serve as priest or king. He did not restore Israel. Nor did He reign forever. When people actually tried to "take Him by force to make Him king," Jesus slipped away into seclusion (John 6:15). He was later hailed as "King of the Jews," but this label was meant

5 to mock Him while He was brutalized and crucified. Jesus then died, as we know. Many in His day failed to comprehend how He could have been the Messiah. Quite a paradox once again and continued confusion reigned because some of the prophecies seemed to contradict other prophecies. The Jews did not understand how the Messiah could be a conquering king and yet, at the same time, a suffering, humble servant, despised by his people, and who would die. All of this didn t make any kind of sense whatsoever. Many rejected the prophecies of the suffering servant as applying to the Messiah, and saw this figuratively as being Israel. Jesus proved the authenticity of his being the prophesied Messiah. Jesus died, but unlike any Other messianic claimant, he rose again three days later. No one else did. This is the specific proof of His messiahship as recorded in Matthew 12: Jesus had to be the suffering servant, to die in order To be the complete all sufficient sacrifice for sin, for your sins. He also had to be resurrected to serve As high priest, in order to make constant intercession to God The Father on your behalf, and he will soon Come again to rule as king. This king, riding on a donkey on that first Palm Sunday Morning is the Anointed one, the Central theme of every page of Holy Scripture, His name is Jesus. He lived as a Human being and died by crucifixion. God raised Him from the grave, and He will come again to rule The world, restore all of his creation, and will usher in everlasting peace all because and for you and all a Result of his tremendous love, grace, and mercy that he has for each of you.