“I AM the Messiah” (John 12:12-19) - The God We Can Know VI -

“I AM the Messiah” (John 12:12-19)

- The God We Can Know VI -

Why the Triumphal Entry?

Today’s text is well known as “Jesus’ Triumphal Entry.” This story is recorded in all four Gospels (cf. Matt 21: 1–11; Mark 11: 1– 11; Luke 19: 29– 38). It shows the importance of this event. In the ancient world “triumphal entries” were fairly common. When a king wins the battle, he would return to his city, bringing the spoils of his battles and stories of conquest. So when John says that the crowd “went out to meet Jesus (v.13),” this is a common expression used for cities meeting their triumphant, returning king. Then, you may ask, “Is the triumphal entry necessary for Jesus?” The answer is “YES!” It is necessary for Jesus to declare his kingship. He intentionally declares his kingship by this triumphal entry, riding on a donkey. Zechariah 9:9 says, “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Jesus has chosen to fulfill this prophecy by entering Jerusalem, riding on a donkey. Here he is saying with his action: “Yes, I am the Messiah.” He is saying, “I am lowly and gentle. I am not, in my first coming, on a white war-horse with a sword. I am not coming to condemn you. I am coming to save you this time. Today is the day of salvation!” And in today’s passage the people take palm branches as a sign of honor for a victorious person and go out to meet Jesus. They shout, “Hosanna,” which means, “Save us now!” They give Jesus their praises. The people seem to recognize their King, their Savior. But the Bible says there are two different kinds of people, two different kinds of Hosannas.

The Crowd’s Hosanna (12:12-19)

The first kind of Hosanna is the crowd’s Hosanna. Many scholars believe that the regular population of Jerusalem in Jesus’ time was about 50,000 and that during Passover it grew to perhaps 100,000 to 120,000. A first-century Historian Josephus even describes one Passover 2,700,000 people took part in the city. Imagine that tens of thousands of people would gather and shout, “Hosanna!” That would be such a marvelous sight. It is natural for the Pharisees to say, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!” (v.19) Such praise for Jesus is perfectly appropriate. He is worthy to be praised. We ought to give Jesus all our praises just as the crowd did in the text. Luke 19:40 reminds us that if we do not do this, nature itself will cry out! The crowd did the right thing in the right place at the right time. However, their hearts were not right before God. Their motivation to worship was to achieve their visions. The people were looking for someone who would set them free from political oppression by the Roman Regime. They were looking for someone who would liberate them from religious rules and regulations. They were looking for someone who would stop a vicious economic cycle. Then they found Jesus. They saw his “power” to raise Lazarus from the dead. In verse 17 John says, “Now the crowd that was with Jesus when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word.” Those people continue to follow Jesus from Bethany, spread the word, and today many people join and shout out loud, “Hosanna! You are the Savior!” However, one week later the very same crowd turns into a mob, crying out, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” (John 19:6). Why? Because Jesus fails to satisfy their immediate needs. Jesus is worthy of our praise all the time. But too often we only look at Jesus through our own needs and our own issues. When he satisfies our needs, we praise him. But when he fails to satisfy them, we turn our back on him and even deny him.

Mary’s Hosanna (12:1-8)

Today’s text says there is another kind of Hosanna. It is Mary’s Hosanna. The day before the triumphal entry, Jesus spends time with Lazarus and his siblings. While they are having a dinner, Mary comes in with a jar of very expensive perfume, that is worth a year’s wages (Minimum wage of ME is now $7.25 per hour, and per capita income in this area/ in a 5-mile radius is about $20,000). So Mary now anoints Jesus’ feet with the perfume worth $20,000, wiping his feet with her hair. “What a waste!” That was the people’s response in the room (cf. Matt 26:8). They didn’t understand. For them, it was too much. It was a lavish waste. But for Mary, it was just such a joy and privilege to honor Jesus in this extravagant way. She had been waiting for this moment for a long time, probably for life. She was ready to give up everything, even her life for Christ without reserve. Why is then Mary’s devotion so extravagant and special from others? It is because she experienced the extravagant love of Christ in a very special way. Mary always listened to Jesus’ words attentively. She sat at Jesus’ feet, hanging on every word he said (Luke 10:39). And she saw how Jesus healed the sick and forgave sins. Mary herself was also forgiven and set free from guilt, sin and shame. For the first time she was finally able to find rest for her soul. But there comes a time when she personally experiences Christ’s love the most: “the death of her brother Lazarus.” She lost the pillar of the family. She lost all hope and doesn’t know what to do from now on. And Jesus comes and comforts her and raises Lazarus from the dead. Now she does know that Jesus is indeed the Savior of the world. And she remembers Jesus’ words that he would suffer many things and must be killed, because he said this before at least three times (cf. Matt 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:17-19). She knows intuitively there isn’t much time left. When Jesus visits her hometown, she gives her best to Jesus. Pouring a $20,000 perfume upon his feet is the least Mary can do for Jesus who loves her so unconditionally. That is Mary’s Hosanna.

While I was meditating on Mary’s Hosanna during the week, one person came to my mind. That was Ruby Kendrick, who was a missionary to Korea. She was born in Texas in 1883. At an early age, she experienced the extravagant love of Christ and decided to be a missionary. At the age of 24 she arrived in Korea all alone. In Korea, she just started to learn Korean language, at the same time she taught Sunday School. Less than a year later, Ruby Kendrick died of appendicitis in Korea. At her request she was buried in Korea. Her last words home were, “If I had a thousand lives, Korea should have them all.” What a waste! What made Ruby Kendrick give up her life for Korean people she had never seen before? She loved Korea for Christ. She served Korea for Christ. In the letter she wrote just before passing away, she wrote following words:

“Dad, mom! This land, Korea, is truly a beautiful land. They all resemble God. I see their good heart and zeal for the gospel, and I believe that in few years it will be a land overflowing with the love of Christ...

But the persecution is getting stronger. Two days ago, three or four of those who have accepted Christ less than a week have been dragged away and were martyred. Missionary Thomas and James were also martyred… Tonight, I have strong desire to return home.

I remember you mom who resisted to the last moment of me leaving the port because of the stories of the hate of foreigners and opposition to the gospel.

Dad, Mom! Perhaps, this may be the last letter I will be writing…

I will bury my heart in this land. I realized that this passion for Korea that I have is not mine but God’s passion toward Korea. Mom, Dad! I love you.”

I am grateful for Ruby Kendrick and those who said YES to partner with God’s heart and gave their lives to others. Their fruit is now seen all over the world. I am one of many beneficiaries. Before I came to the US in 2006, I visited the Foreign Missionary Cemetery and expressed my respect to Ruby Kendrick and many other missionaries. Ruby Kendrick passed away more than a hundred years ago, but her devotion is still remembered up to this day and her fragrance fills Korea and all over the world.

Our Hosanna

Missionary C.T. Studd said, “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him.” I think Mary would say exactly the same. As we are moving forward to the Resurrection Celebration, I exhort all of us to prepare our extravagant perfume for Christ. Here are three specific things that we can do: First, come to Easter Services! I think one of the most precious gifts that we can offer to Christ would be ourselves, our presence with a grateful heart. So I encourage you to make every effort to attend the Easter services to honor and praise our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This week the church offers several services: Maundy Thursday (6 pm, Hodgdon UMC), Good Friday (6 pm, Houlton UMC), and Easer Sunday (9:00 am, Hodgdon/10:15 am, Houlton). Second, invite your friends! One of my favorite hymns is “Because He Lives.” A refrain of this song is as follows: “Because he lives, I can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone. Because I know, he holds the future. And life is worth living, just because he lives!” Yes indeed! Because of Easter our past is forgiven, our life is worth living and we have a future in heaven! Hallelujah! Why don’t we share this good news to our neighbor and friends? I encourage you to invite them to the Easter services. Third, prepare your personal gifts to Christ! I encourage all of us to give our best for our King, Jesus Christ, just as Mary did. There is a time for everything (Ecc 3:1). There is a time for devotion. To die for Christ is a glorious thing. But to live for Christ is an equally or even more glorious thing. As we are moving forward to this precious time of the Holy Week, let us ask ourselves this question: “How can I live for Christ?” “How can I show my devotion to Christ?”