The Passover Feast has begun, Jesus’s earthly ministry is drawing to a close, and His hour of glory on the cross approaches. He enters Jerusalem, mounted on a donkey to fulfill prophecy and communicate a message of the work He has come to do, and the kind of King that enters the city of David. Despite the fact that there was an expectation, a hope among the Jews that their Messiah would one day come, the people do not see Jesus properly. Whether it was because of the blind eyes and habitually fallen state of man, because of the misguided and hypocritical teaching of the day, or most likely, some combination of the two, the people see and seek the physical. They are not prepared, their eyes are not looking to anything beyond the world, to earthly power, to a kingdom that will shake off the Roman oppression, and place God’s people as the global power. Jesus tells the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:23,

“but the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”

But this isn’t something that will be fully realized by many until after Jesus has been raised from the dead. We see examples of those who are starting to get it, even though it doesn’t quite click. In Matthew 16:17–19, after Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus tells him,

“… Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

What Peter has said is pivotal in a Christian’s understanding. Jesus’s identity as the Christ, His deity, is the foundation of our faith. If you read this passage and stop there, Peter seems like he’s checking all the right boxes, like he really gets it – but if we go ahead just two more verses, we’ll see in Matthew 16:21–23,

“From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.’”

We saw a similar contradiction during the account of the resurrection of Lazarus. Before they depart for Bethany, Thomas says to his fellow disciples, “let us also go,” and you think, “oh good, he gets it. He’s loyally following after Jesus,” and then he finishes with, “that we may die with him.” Okay, so he doesn’t quite get it. The sentiment is beautiful, the loyalty admirable, but their picture of who Jesus is, and what He’s really here to do isn’t quite clear. Mary and Marth love Jesus, and send word to Him that Lazarus is ill, placing their faith in Him that their sick brother will me made well. But after Lazarus dies, after he’s been dead for four days, their faith diminishes somewhat. Both sisters greet Jesus with the same, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died,” and while Martha show faith in Jesus, and in Lazarus rising in a vague, future resurrection, neither sister grasps Jesus’s power or authority until they see their brother emerge from the tomb. It is sad, yet understandable that so many Jews, who Jesus came for first, would both see and fail to see Him for who He truly was. There was the initial guidance of the spirit, yet there was also, in many cases, a stumbling caused by the distractions of the world. What we see in today’s passage is another affirmation of Jesus’s power and greatness going beyond anyone’s expectation, and what He offers to those who seek Him without the encouragement or guidance of the Law.

The Offer of the Shepherd-King

Part of what Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey allows us to appreciate is how diverse what He offers us truly is. He comes humbly, mounted on a donkey, fulfilling Zechariah 9:9. He is the Prince of peace, God made flesh, offering Himself up, loving the world to such and extent that He will die in the most brutal, tragic way possible, and overcome death. He is the Son of Man, and also the Son of God, who is one with the Father. In being one with the Father, He holds the authority of the Ancient of Days, and the Lord of Hosts. We see Him come in glory and power, riding on a white horse to victory in Revelation 19. In Jesus we are given the perfection of the peaceful qualities that were dimly foreshadowed by Solomon, but also the shepherd-king, equipped for war, fully and completely desiring of the Father’s will, that was foreshadowed by David. Jesus said in John 10:16, after declaring, “I am the door,” and “I am the Good Shepherd,”

“And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

While it wasn’t realized at the time, this was a call forward to a hope that would be extended beyond the Jewish people – true salvation offered up to the entire world.

1.      Jesus Offers Salvation to the World

“Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida 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…’”

Roughly 330 years before Jesus was born, Alexander the Great conquered a massive swath of what was the known world at the time. His empire spanned approximately 2 million square miles, stretching from southeastern Europe, into northern Africa, and western Asia. Alexander was born in Macedonia, but was tutored in his youth by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. This seems to have been a massive influence on his future reign, as he made a concerted effort to spread the Hellenistic, or Greek culture throughout his empire. After his death, this cultural influence remained prevalent throughout the territories of his former kingdom. Because of this, Koine Greek became the common language of the age. It is what the New Testament was originally written in, and wherever you see footnotes in your Bible that mention the “Septuagint,” this is referring to the Koine Greek translation of the Old Testament. This is relevant to today’s passage because when it says that some of those attending the feast were “Greek,” this doesn’t necessarily mean that they were from Greece, but that they were of the Hellenist culture that made up the majority of the world – and it tells us that they were specifically not Jews. The idea that there would be non-Jews in Jerusalem makes sense, as despite its cultural and religious background, the city rests in the midst of the Roman empire. What’s interesting is that these are Gentiles who are making the journey to Jerusalem specifically to worship God in observation of the Passover feast. Jesus tells us in John 10 that He has “sheep not of this fold,” pointing to the future inclusion of the Gentiles into God’s people. We can actually see Jesus making provision for these people, those who are not under the Law, yet seek to honor God, as early as John 2, when Jesus cleanses the temple at an earlier Passover. Yes, the actions of the salesmen and moneychangers cast shame on the temple in its entirety, but the specific area that they’ve set up shop is in the Court of the Gentiles. This shows us the wickedness of the religious rulers, that they would permit such activities in the outer court, considering the space lesser. While this could have impacted anyone coming to the temple to worship, it would have had the greatest effect on the Gentiles, who were literally losing their worship space to salesmen. The idea of Gentiles worshiping God prior to the death and resurrection of Jesus may seem odd, however there’s a precedent set for this in the Old Testament. It’s important to remember that prior to Abraham there was no covenant of circumcision, and that prior to Moses and the Exodus from Egypt, there was no Law, and yet people were still able to worship God. The account of Job (which admittedly is up for debate as to exactly when it falls in the Biblical timeline), seems to at the very least take place before the Law was given, yet Job 1:1 says,

“There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.”

This isn’t that Job was righteous on his own, but by his devotion to God, and his story seems to indicate that he had no affiliation or tie to God’s people through Israel (as the evidence supports that they didn’t exist yet). We’re even given an example of a pagan convert in the story of Naaman, the commander of Syria’s army. After he has been healed of his leprosy, 2 Kings 5:15–19 says,

“Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him. And he said, ‘Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.’ But he said, ‘As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none.’ And he urged him to take it, but he refused. Then Naaman said, ‘If not, please let there be given to your servant two mule loads of earth, for from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the LORD. In this matter may the LORD pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon your servant in this matter.’ He said to him, “Go in peace…”

We see Naaman, healed of his disease and glorifying God, first attempt to present a gift to Elisha as God’s prophet. When Elisha refuses to accept this, we see Naaman request dirt, presumably to take back to his homeland, and construct an altar to God upon. What we don’t seen is Naaman circumcised, entering under the Law and formally converting to Judaism. And yet when he asks Elisha that the Lord pardon him when he enters the house of the pagan god Rimmon, and bows down with his master, the king of Syria, the prophet’s response is only, “go in peace.” Naaman’s words suggest that while his king may worship the idol, his bowing will not be an act of worship, but of simply going through the motions. As he says, he will make no further offering or sacrifice to any but the one true God, and it seems by Elisha’s response that this is accepted. This shows us that Gentile worship, while perhaps not the same as the worship of the Jews, was not disregarded or worthless before God. While the Jews were not known as an evangelical people, and seemed on the whole to be content with keeping themselves separated as God’s people, rather than sharing His glory with other cultures, Jesus reminds us that He has come to save the world. 1 Timothy 2:1–4 shows us God’s desire for the world,

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

And Hebrews 2:9 shows that Christ’s death offers up atonement for everyone,

“But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”

The fact that there are some Gentiles at the Passover feast, there to worship God, and seeking out Jesus, and that Jesus’s response is to acknowledge, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified,” shows us the arc of God’s plan. It is time for the inclusion of the God-fearing gentiles into the kingdom – it is time for the Good Shepherd to call and unify the flock, Jew and Gentile brought to the Father through the Son.

2.      Jesus Offers Hope in Death

“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.”

Jesus’s ministry has reached such a scope of attention and influence that even Gentiles are seeking Him out. His hour has come, and here he gives an analogy that shows what is about to happen to Him, yet also paints a picture for the hope and purpose He gives to our own lives. Jesus embodies the single grain of wheat, His earthly ministry being life changing for so many, yet also isolated in a sense. He came first for the Jews, to fulfill the promises of God made to His people. But in His death and resurrection, Jesus calls the second flock into the same fold, and gives life to the promise outlined in Romans 1:16,

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

In His death, He gave us life, in His resurrection He took the sting from the physical death that awaits us all, and gave us freedom from the second death that is the judgement for those who have lived in died in their rebellion against God. The second matter, which applies more directly to us – the statement that, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life,” has a wealth of scripture to support it. Jesus says in Matthew 6:19–21,

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

He says in Matthew 6:31–33,

“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

In an often twisted and misused passage, Luke 14:25–33 says,

“Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, “This man began to build and was not able to finish.” Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”

To clarify, Jesus is not instructing anyone to meet their own family with hatred, but that in our personal hierarchies, as our priorities are laid out in life, God is above all. Honoring your mother and father, your husband or wife, loving and protecting your children are all Biblical instructions, and right before God – but none of them takes precedence over God. Our love and devotion to Him comes before and rises above all. Another complete example of this matter of losing or keeping ones life is in Matthew 19:16–30,

“And behold, a man came up to him, saying, ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’ And he said to him, ‘Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.’ He said to him, ‘Which ones?’ And Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The young man said to him, ‘All these I have kept. What do I still lack?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.’ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, ‘Who then can be saved?’ But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’ Then Peter said in reply, ‘See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

The message is clear, given in scripture again and again. Jesus tells us in John 16:33 that in the world we will have tribulation, but to, “… take heart; I have overcome the world.” Our eyes are not meant to be set on worldly things, fleeting pleasures, and gratification of our flesh – we were made for and are called to far more glorious things. In Philippians 3:17–21 Paul reminds us,

“Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

In this we are given a choice, a decision as to where we will set our eyes and place our hearts. There’s a life that is indulgent to the flesh in both thought and deed, which manifests in emptiness and leads to death, and there’s a life that is poured out for Christ, submissive before God, and quenched in the Spirit – a life that endures to eternity.

3.      Jesus Offers Purpose in Eternity

“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 honor him.’”

There’s an entire genre of books devoted to improving your life, bettering your standing in the world, being more effective in your roles within your job, family, and society, and just general self-help. It stands to reason that there are so many of them because people keep buying them, yet the fact that they keep being written seem to suggest that no one has cracked the code – or simply haven’t offered up a path that the world is willing to follow. Two books I’ve read that would fall under this genre (one for work, one for pleasure), are “Extreme Ownership,” by Navy SEALs Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, and “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos,” by clinical psychologist and professor Jordan Peterson. What’s interesting is that both books affirm lessons that were already laid out by the Bible. “Extreme Ownership,” does a fair job relaying principles that would be most heavily condensed in Proverbs, and “12 Rules,” openly draws parallels from Biblical teachings to the counseling it gives in facing down the challenges of life. A common theme between the two books, the ideals that their writers espouse, and it seems many other books lumped into this genre, is that you need a purpose in life. We are designed to serve – and if you back up and think about it, it is impossible to live out your life without being in the service of something. You can serve your employer, your family, your community. You can devote yourself to hedonism, insisting that you serve no one, and follow no ideal – and yet you’ve given yourself over to the service of your own desires, one of the darkest pits a person can find themselves in. What we must realize is that we were made by design to be in fellowship with and service to God, and that when Jesus offers us a hope that triumphs over death and leads to life, He is offering us the opportunity to take up the mantle of our true purpose for eternity. If we look back to Genesis, God creates the earth and all that inhabit it, before creating man in His image, and breathing the breath of life directly into Adam. God gives Adam dominion over the creatures of the earth and in Genesis 2:15 we see,

“The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”

This wasn’t just a simple matter of working the land, or God devising and idle task to keep His creation occupied – this work was service to the Lord, an instruction in keeping with His plan and design for us. The plan wasn’t even for them to remain in the garden forever, as Genesis 1:28 shows God instructing Adam and Eve,

“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Part of God’s design for us was to prosper and fill the earth, glorifying our creator in our obedience. But we rebelled, choosing sin and self, and spurning the righteous purpose God had given us. What Jesus shows us in this passage is that in giving us life, He is giving us a path out of the sinful oppression of the world and back to the Father. Matthew 16:24–28 says,

“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.’”

When we’re given examples of angelic activity in the Bible, what we see is obedience before God, and glory given to Him. Ezekiel 1 shows four angelic “living creatures,” and as a key theme of their description, it says that as they moved across the earth, “And each went straight forward. Wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went.” Their obedience and service are entirely to the Spirit of God. In Revelation 4 we see another example of four angelic “living creatures,” seeming to be the same seraphim seen in Isaiah 6. Revelation 4:8 says of them,

“And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’”

Again, their devotion and service and purpose are entirely to God. This same passage also gives us a picture of the activity of people in heaven in the form of the twenty four elders, with Revelation 4:9–11 saying, 

“And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.’”

Revelation 7:9–17 also shows us another, broader picture of the response of the redeemed in the presence of our Savior,

“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 worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.’ Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

What we see through these examples is that in forsaking the flesh and being made new in the Spirit, in being redeemed and sanctified through following and serving Christ, we are delivered into eternity where our true purpose is realized and lived out. We are brought into the loving embrace of our Father, freed from the pain and oppression of life in the flesh, and blessed to praise and serve Him, as we were designed to do from the beginning. 

Pastor Chris’s sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuPiuLsjyFE