Final Days For several weeks, we have been looking at the events and life of Jesus as He neared His appointed time of sacrifice. Today we will look at two events that could easily stand independently. These two events are monumental on their own merit. However, when we consider the two events and their relationship with each other and with the life of Jesus, they combine to prove that Jesus was and is the Christ or Messiah. We will read through a large block of scripture this morning. In the interest of time, we may skip over some verses while we focus on the salient points. I encourage you to find some time during this week to read the 11 th and 12 th chapters of John. You will see some of the nuances of the events that we may not see this morning. Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Here John helps us to remember who these people are by reminding them of another event. It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. So, the sisters sent word to Him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick. But when Jesus heard this, He said, This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. Then after this He said to the disciples, Let us go to Judea again. The disciples said to Him, Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again? (John 11:1-8 NASB) 1
In these few verses, we learn that Jesus loved this family. We also notice some strange behavior. Jesus waited two days before leaving to go to Lazarus. We also see that the disciples knew that it was dangerous for Jesus to return to the area around Jerusalem. Jesus uses the euphemism of sleep for death and some of His disciple take it literally. In this next couple of verses, notice a little sarcasm as we pick up at verse 14. So, Jesus then said to them plainly, Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him. Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus (or twin), said to his fellow disciples, Let us also go, so that we may die with Him. (John 11:14-16 NASB) We know that Jesus arrives to the sister s lament over Jesus could have saved Lazarus. Jesus assures them that Lazarus will rise again. The sisters think that Jesus is speaking of a future event so Jesus asks to be taken to the tomb. In verse 39, Jesus takes command over the situation. Jesus said, Remove the stone. Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, Lord, by this time there will be a stench (Lit. he stinks), for he has been dead four days. Jesus said to her, Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God? So, they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people (Lit. crowd) standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me. When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with 2
wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, Unbind him, and let him go. (John 11:39-44 NASB) One thing stands out about this miracle. It is the only miracle where Jesus went out of His way to make it into a spectacle. He literally played to the crowd. Jesus did not want there to be any question about His ability to command supernatural things to occur. Here, Jesus waited until Lazarus was dead and the decay process had begun. Lazarus was not in a comma and awakened by Jesus. Lazarus was dead and stinking. Jesus wanted the crowd to be fully aware of His power over death. It worked. Therefore, many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him. (John 11:45 NASB) Many believed in Him. However, this presented a problem for the religious leaders. Therefore, the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation. (John 11:47-48 NASB) Did you catch the order of importance? Their jobs were on the line. Their future depended on keeping the peace in the region and keeping Rome as remotely involved as possible. They were not in the least concerned about the implications of Jesus being the Messiah. They were only concerned with saving their positions. They begin to formally plan how to handle Jesus. So, from that day on they planned together to kill Him. 3
Therefore, Jesus no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews, but went away from there to the country near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples. (John 11:53-54 NASB) The next major event that we will mention this morning is His entrance into Jerusalem for one last time. It was a triumphant entry. It carries a regal implication. It occurred shortly after Jesus raised Lazarus. The Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate the raising of Lazarus on Saturday prior to Palm Sunday. Some scholars believe that the two events may be separated by as much as two weeks. Regardless of which date we choose, these two events were near to each other and shortly before the crucifixion. As we turn to the 12 th chapter of John, we find Jesus in in the home of Mary and Martha. Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So, they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said, Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people? Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it. Therefore Jesus said, Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me. (John 12:1-8 NASB) 4
This pound of nard (or spikenard) was a Roman pound and was approximately 12 ounces. (Like our current pound of coffee.) It was worth almost a year s wage for a working person. A denarius was typically considered a day s wage. The editorial comments about Judas help us remember that the gospel accounts were written in retrospect. The writers were sharing their memories and, at times, they offered some insight that may not have been know at the time of the event. The controversy over the use of this perfume was addressed when Jesus reminded the people that there will always be poor people. His (Jesus) suggestion is to keep it for His burial. Jesus knew that it was less than a week away. In fact, on the next Saturday evening, Jesus will be in His grave. On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel. Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, FEAR NOT, DAUGHTER OF ZION; BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING, SEATED ON A DONKEY S COLT. These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him. So, the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. For this reason, also the people went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. So, the Pharisees said to one another, You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him. (John 12:12-19 NASB) 5
Here we have the celebrity who had raised the dead (Lazarus) coming into the capital city. He is arriving as a king of peace riding on a colt of a donkey. Horses were associated with a conquering king. A king waging war. Jesus came as a humble peaceful king to a crowd of admiring people. They greeted Him with a traditional song of ascent sung by pilgrims as they made their way int the city for the Passover celebration and may be found in Psalm 118:26. Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD. Jesus arrived in Jerusalem and was initially received as a king. He was greeted with the songs of Hosanna! Hosanna is a Greek rendering of a Hebrew word. It is a plea for salvation and is a term of adoration. The crowd looked to Jesus for their salvation. The song they sang was a call for salvation from the person who comes from God. Jesus arrived riding on a donkey. John explains that, while they (the disciples) did not understand at the time, this entrance was the fulfillment of another prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9 NASB) 6
Jesus arrived in Jerusalem and was initially received as a king. He was greeted with the songs of Hosanna! Hosanna is a Greek rendering of a Hebrew word. It is a plea for salvation and is a term of adoration. The crowd looked to Jesus for their salvation. The song they sang was a call for salvation from the person who comes from God. The reception that greeted Jesus was not well received by everyone. So, the Pharisees said to one another, You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him. (John 12:19 NASB) Events unfold rapidly from this point. In three to four days, all of the pieces will be in place and Jesus will be arrested, tried, sentenced and executed. This is the plan that God had in mind before the foundation of the world. We might ponder and question the religious leaders of that day. If they had simply been more open to the concept of Jesus as the Messiah, if they had allowed that the scriptures, they read might be pointing to the events that were unfolding in Jerusalem, if they had asked God for guidance in the process, would things have happened differently? Do we allow God to speak to us? Do we allow Him to change our mind in regards to ideas that we have held for so long that we can t (or won t) see anything else? Are we truly receptive of the humble king coming in peace? 7