07-01-2018 – God’s Son Presents Himself to Israel

This is the insert from the morning bulletin:

07-01-2018

God’s Son Presents Himself to Israel

John 12:12-16

Read John 12:12-15... On “Palm Sunday” Jesus rode into Jerusalem; as a crowd of people wave palm branches shouting, "Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel."
The people were following an ancient practice (cf 2Kings 9:12-13) of expressing homage to a new king; they are recognizing Jesus as Messiah, King of the Jews. Psalm 118:25-26, “O LORD, do save, we beseech You; O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD.”
Jesus [Greek], Yeshua [Hebrew] ”God's salvation,” the people are shouting, “God’s Salvation, Please, Save Us!"
Read again John 12:14-15... Jesus rides a young donkey into town, fulfilling 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.”
See Matthew 21:1-7... Jesus sent two disciples into Bethphage to find a donkey and her young colt and bring them to Him; after which they laid coats on them both.
Matthew 21:8 says the people are throwing down their outer garments and palm branches, expression their hope and desire for their Messiah-King to liberate them.
Matthew 21:9, “The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!"
The Disciples have witnessed many wonderful things over the past 3+ years: Jesus changing water into wine in Cana; Jesus healing a royal official’s son who was 20 miles away; Jesus healing an invalid for 38 years; Jesus feeding 5,000 men, with one boy’s lunch; Jesus walking on water; Jesus forgives a woman caught in adultery; Jesus healing a man born blind; Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.
See John 12:16... The disciples don’t understand God’s purpose in Christ until after He is glorified.
John 7:39, “[Jesus] spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
Jesus tells them (John 14:26), "the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 16:13), “when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” John 17:1-5, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”
Israel didn’t receive Jesus as Messiah because He didn’t ride in on a white stallion and conquer the Romans; but that was never God’s intention.
Mark 10:45, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” John 1:11, “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”
The Jews didn’t understand that Jesus came to free them from the penalty of sin; and that, one day He would return as KING of Kings and LORD of Lords, riding on a White Stallion (cf. Revelation 19:11-16).
John 20:31, “these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”
1John 5:11-13, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”