Palm Sunday - Death and Glory

This sermon was preached at Immanuel Church on Sunday 29th March 2026.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

We're in John's Gospel. So we're starting chapter 12, verse 12, and we're reading through to verse 36. So starting at verse 12. The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel. And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it just as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt. His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him, and had been 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 to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him. Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Beth Seda in Galilee, and asked him, Sir, we wish to see Jesus. Philip went and told Andrew, Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus, and Jesus answered them, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me, and where I am there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honour him. Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour but for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name. And then a voice came from heaven, I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again. The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said an angel has spoken to him. Jesus answered, This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world, now will the ruler of this world be cast out, and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. So the crowd answered him, We have heard from the law that the Christ remains for ever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man? So Jesus said to them, The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light that you may become sons of light. When Jesus said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. Last year I was watching our children's sports day, and halfway through one of the girls' sprint races, one of the girls tripped and fell face first into the grass. And incredibly, another one of the girls who she was racing against had seen what had happened out of the corner of her eye, and she stopped and she went back and she helped up her friend and she held her hand and helped her to the finish line to great cheers. On the face of it, that girl had lost. It was a defeat. She'd given up a place for a medal and come last. But what she did was actually glorious. And there wasn't a dry eye in the crowd, or at least mine weren't. And she received more honor even than the winner. What looked like defeat was actually glory. And today we're going to see Jesus heading towards Jerusalem, towards what looks like a humiliating defeat. But it's actually the beginning of glory. So our first point is this: the king arrives, but he's misunderstood. So we join our passage. We're five days before the Passover, we're in Jerusalem. And in the days leading up to this point, Jesus, he's raised Lazarus from the dead, and the word about that miracle has spread everywhere, even to the high priest, who now wants him dead because of it. And the night before our passage, Jesus had been anointed with perfume by Mary, which he acknowledged was for his burial. He knows his death is coming. And then the next day he starts to knowingly walk towards it. So verse 12, picture the scene. Jerusalem is heaving, it's buzzing with people there to celebrate Passover, and Jesus is on his road towards them. And the word spreads, he's on his way. People have heard him raise, they've heard him raise Lazarus from the dead. If you look at verse 17 and 18, and they love drama. People love drama, don't they? So the crowd goes out to meet him. You can imagine if Taylor Swift was eating in Miracles Cafe on the high street, social media would go crazy. Within minutes, half of Brentwood would be out going to see her because people love the drama. And those who'd heard about Jesus raising Lazarus, they were no different. And apparently from verse 13, they've been tearing off palm branches as they go out to meet him. And those palm tree branches, they were and had become over years in Israel's history a symbol of victory, a symbol of deliverance. Perhaps they thought Jesus had come to conquer and deliver them from the Roman rulers. But not only are the Romans, sorry, not only are the crowd waving palm branches at Jesus, have a look and hear what they're crying out to him. Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel. They're singing some of Psalm 118, which we just read earlier, and it was sung during the Passover festival, and it was a messianic psalm. It looked forward to the Christ coming to save his people. That's what Hosanna means. It means, save, please, save us now. And so they're directing their Hosanna's at Jesus, who they think and believe has come in the name of the Lord to save them. They even go so far as to call him King of Israel. So we have palm branches, and we have hosannah, and we have the title king. They think he's the Christ. They think he's come to conquer and save, and they're right. What a moment in Israel's history, since the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden. The world had been waiting for this moment, the coming of the king to put everything right. And Jesus doesn't deny it, he accepts it silently. And he didn't have to. Way back in chapter six, the crowd had attempted to make him king then, but he escaped. See, nothing happens to Jesus without his say-so. And now it's time for him to acknowledge publicly that he is God's king, that he has come to conquer and save. But not in the way they think. They get his title right, but they misunderstand the type of king that he is. They're confused about what glory is, and so he has to show them. And so he finds a young donkey to ride on, and in so doing, he purposefully fulfills a prophecy that was made 550 years before by Zechariah. That chapter in Zechariah speaks of God defeating the nations and protecting his people using a humble king sent to Zion, that's Jerusalem, to bring peace and salvation, and he arrives on a donkey. I am that humble king, Jesus is saying. But at the time the crowd and even the disciples, they don't understand what's going on, they miss the meaning of it all. It's not until after he's glorified, which is his resurrection, his ascension, not until after that do they understand. Because perhaps they're excited, they're caught up with the crowd, they want victory, they want glory, but they don't understand that God's king receives glory in his suffering and in his humiliation. And their own scriptures made that clear. In Psalm 118 again, and in other places in Zechariah, there are other verses that show that Christ must be rejected and be pierced and struck down. But they didn't think it was feasible that you could link those two verses to God's king. How can suffering and death and glory go together? And the Pharisees, they certainly couldn't put those things together. You see them scoffing with jealousy at Jesus in verse 19. Look how the world has gone after him. And they're more riot than they realize. Because in a twist of irony, John shows us the world is in fact going after him. Which brings us to point two, the king's hour, the nations are coming. Look at verse 20. There's a group of Greeks in Jerusalem, they're there to worship, they've made Yahweh their God. They're non-Jews, that is Gentiles, and John uses them to represent the nations outside of Israel. And they want to see Jesus, not like the Pharisees, they want to see him. And so they go to Philip, one of the disciples, in verse 22. Sir, they say, We wish to see Jesus. We wish to see Jesus. There's a desire and longing in what they say. And shouldn't that be the same for us? That same desire and longing to see him? It's why those words appear on plaques in various lecterns in various churches around the world. I think they were there at Oak Hill. They're there on the lectern at St. Peter's. Maybe we'll have it one day. But it was a reminder to preachers that the people they stand before are saying in their hearts, Sir, we wish to see Jesus. And it appears to be a simple request from the Greeks, but then suddenly everything changes, and their request becomes the turning point of John's gospel, even the turning point of history. Look how Jesus responds to their request in verse 23. Jesus answered them, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. Now what kind of response is that you're thinking? I wonder if Philip and Andrew were thinking, is it a yes, is it a no? Can they come? Well, up until this point in John's Gospel, there's been three occasions when Jesus is recorded as saying, My hour has not yet come. But with the arrival of these nations seeking him, there's a shift. The nations come, and his hour comes. I expect most of her most of us have heard that expression, the hour has come. It's the kind of phrase you hear at the turning point in a big movie, just before the big end battle scene, when the hero's rousing his troops before he leads them out to glory. But when Jesus says, My hour has come, it's different. For him, it means walking towards rejection and betrayal, and towards a certain agonizing death on a cross to bear the judgment of his people's sin. Which certainly doesn't sound like glory. But he'd come for that purpose. Jesus' ministry had been focused on the Jews of Israel, but they were never his only intended target. After all, he is the seed of Abraham, through whom all the nations would be blessed. The crowds might have called him king of Israel, but he is the king of all nations, and now they're starting to come to him. Listen to what God said about Jesus through the prophet Isaiah. This was seven hundred years before this moment. It should be on the screen. So in chapter 11, verse 10 In that day the root of Jesse, that's Jesus, who's descended from the line of Jesse and David, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples, of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. And God also said this about Jesus It is too light a thing that you should be a serv be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel. I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. And that time had come. The nations were coming, and they were inquiring. And it was time for Jesus' mission to go across the world. And Jesus saw it. And then Jesus explains why the Greeks, and by extension, the nations can't come just yet. He has to die first. That's what he means in verse 24. Like a seed buried in the ground, it looks dead, but it springs up in life. And Jesus' death has the same effect. As sinners who deserve judgment are given eternal life through his death. Because when he dies and returns to the Father, his spirit will come, and the gospel will go out to the ends of the earth, and they will see why the king was crucified. So can the Greeks come? Yes, but only because he needs to die. And then from verse 27 onwards, everything looks like defeat. It starts with trouble and it ends with death. But we'll see that it's actually glory. So our third point the king's glory looks like defeat. So the nations come, the hour comes, and with them a deeply troubled soul. In verse 27. Many in this room will know that feeling of the news that you are expecting and dreading finally comes, and it fills you with trouble and dread. And the thought of crucifixion would trouble anyone, but Jesus anticipates something far worse. It's the wrath of his father against the curse of our sin that will be judged in his flesh. He is filled with a profound sense of distress and turmoil that we can't imagine. But he doesn't run or hide or ask God to spare him from this hour because he says this is why he's come. And even amid this inner turmoil, God's glory is foremost in his mind. Look at verse 28. Father, glorify your name. It's been his chief concern his whole earthly life, distressed and yet obediently completing what he and his father had planned in eternity. This doesn't feel like glory, but it is. And for the third time in Jesus' public life, God the Father replies from heaven and says, I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again. God had glorified his name through Jesus' life, through his miracles, his words, his signs, and he would glorify his name again in five days' time on a hill and a cross outside Jerusalem. And then at the resurrection and the ascension, and at Pentecost, and every time a sinner turns in faith to Christ, God is glorified. Judgment is also part of that glory. Look with me at verse 31. He says to the crowds, Now is the judgment of this world. Now will the ruler of this world be cast out, and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. So there's judgment of the world and of Satan. At the cross the world is judged, and its guilt is exposed. The cross reveals the world's true nature as it executes its own maker. Our hatred, our rebellion against God is shown for what it is, and it is terrible. And the rule of the world is condemned along with it. Since Genesis chapter 2, when Adam and Eve bowed their knee to Satan, the world came under his control. But at the cross, Satan's uncontested rule is over. No longer will he have the power to imprison and enslave God's people in sin, because at the cross his head is crushed and his authority stripped, and he becomes a dog on a leash, and Jesus holds the leash. Satan's doom has been sealed, and his kingdom is being plundered even as we speak. But as the hour brings judgment and the rejection of the world, it also draws people to Jesus. He says in verse 32 that when he's lifted up, which means in crucifixion, he'll draw all people to himself. He will become like a magnet of irresistible grace, turning his chosen people to see him for who he truly is, and to come and worship. It's at the cross we get to see our God most clearly. And that phrase lifted up can mean both lifted up physically and lifted up in terms of glory. And so there's the paradox of the cross. As Christ is lifted up in death, he's lifted up in glory. As Isaiah said, and we read it, he's resting place is glorious. And when he says all people will be drawn to him, he doesn't mean everyone that's ever lived. That's universalism, that's a false doctrine, a false hope. He means all people, all types of people, all backgrounds, all nationalities, all languages, young and old, slave and free. And when Jesus returns to his father and they send the Holy Spirit, all types of people from all over the world will see who Jesus is, the one who is judged and condemned in their place. And that's when the Greeks will come. This is why they have to wait. Can you see why no one's expecting this kind of king? A king who willingly comes to be proclaimed king, and yet knowing he will be rejected by his subjects, betrayed by his friends, beaten and executed, whose humiliation would be his glory. And so the king, having explained why he's come, he then calls the crowd to believe in him while there's time, because it's belief that brings life. A choice for everyone. Verse 34 makes it clear the crowd are still not understanding. How can the Christ die? He's meant to be king forever, ruling in glory. Crucifixion can't be glory. But he's not the king they expect, but he is the king they need. And so in verses 35 and 36, Jesus implores them to believe him while they still have his light, while they still have him. And so they have a choice to make. And you have the same choice to make. Jesus may have returned to heaven, but the light of the gospel is still being preached. You've heard him preach today. Will you see him and come into the light and believe he's God's King lifted up in your place to take the punishment for your sins, the punishment that you deserve. Because this is your hour. While you still have breath, you have a chance to turn and believe, to see the Lord high and lifted up, bearing the weight of your sin, deflecting the wrath of God away from you and onto himself. Come and give your life to the King, he says. And if you do, or if you have, what will it look like to follow the King? Well have a look back at verses twenty-five and twenty-six. Jesus says, Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If any one serves me, he must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. If any one serves me, the Father will honour him. So Jesus' death brings life, but then he says to the people who follow him, Come and die. Lay down your life and your hopes and your dreams and your ambitions and priorities at his feet. Deny yourself for him. And there's no greater or harder call, there's no greater privilege or purpose to serve the king who served you, to hate your life and follow his example. But don't mishear him when he says, hate your life. He's using comparative language, a bit like you might say, I like football, but in comparison to my love for Jesus, I hate football. And I'd gladly give it up if he asked. So he's not saying, unless you're miserable and constantly in anguish of soul, you're living wrongly. He's not saying you're You can't enjoy his creation or have a laugh with friends and a good meal and enjoy your marriage or your children, absolutely find joy in the things that God has given. But he is saying hold on to those things loosely. He is saying treasure him above them. John Calvin says, to love this life is not in itself wrong, provided that we only pass through it as pilgrims, keeping our eyes always fixed on our object. So don't put all your energy into living your best life now. This life is not yours. It was bought at a price. Instead, put Jesus' kingdom before your own, and you'll find it actually brings the most joy. And any cost feeds that joy. Ask those here going into schools and in our Sunday schools, pointing children to Jesus. Ask those serving at manner mills, ask those visiting the sick and bearing each other's burdens. They'll tell you any cost to themselves generally feels like joy. But sometimes the call to follow does feel costly. But we must remember that's where glory is. When you put Jesus first and yourself last, trouble of various kinds won't be far behind. Because to walk in obedience to God's commands, like Jesus did, and to love like he did, it will mean cost to yourself and your little kingdom. But that's glory. When trouble or grief or exhaustion come because of zeal for his people and his word, it's to be expected. You're following the king, and that's glory. When you say no to worldly passions and yes to self-controlled, godly lives and are laughed at for it, that's glory. When you meet the needs of your own family and those of your brothers and sisters in this room and beyond, at cost to yourself and your money and your energy and your time and your emotion, that's glory. It doesn't always feel like glory, does it? But when it doesn't, remember this. When Jesus' hour came and his soul was troubled, it didn't feel like glory. As he sweat drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, as the wrath of his father approached, it didn't feel like glory. When he was whipped and had thorns. Sorry. Pushed through his head and nails driven through his bones when he was lifted naked up on a cross, as the wrath of God against sin fell on him. That didn't feel like glory, but it was glory. And he was honored by his father for it, and so will you be. All who serve the king will be honored. So don't chase after what the world honours. And this world loves to honour winners, doesn't it? The rich, the famous, the powerful, the influencers. But that's not the Christian life. When I think back to that girl's running race, I don't remember who the winner was. But I do remember the girl who in losing received greater honor even than the winner. This room is full of people quietly, sacrificially serving their king, insignificant and unknown to the world, but not unknown to God. And you will be honored, not with the cheers of parents at a sports day, but by God our Father, and there is no greater honor. So hear the king's call to you this morning to come and die, the king whose greatest desire was to glorify his father, the king who was lifted up in death and lifted up in glory, that he might draw you to himself. There is nothing and no one more glorious than King Jesus. And one day in heaven you'll stand in his presence alongside all types of people in a crowd of immeasurable size, and you'll be holding something in your hand, and you'll be singing something to your King. Have a look at this view from of heaven, from Revelation 7. After this I looked and behold a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, saying, Amen, blessing and glory, and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever. That's where you'll be if you come to the King and follow him. Amen.