John 12Jesus’ Final Week

Social Gospel; Attitudes About Christ Jesus; Reclining At The Table; Nard, A Fragrant

Perfume; Compassion On The Poor And The Social Gospel; The Name Of God; The Name

Above Every Name

• Rebecca Kowalsky's photo of a hay harvest in the Land of Israel.

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John 12 Outline

• John 12:1-11, Jesus’ feet anointed• John 12:12-19, Jesus’ triumphal entry• John 12:20-36, Jesus’ public prophecy• John 12:36-50, Jesus’ final line in the sand

John, Believe And Live, Elmer Towns, Mal Couch and Ed

Hindson, Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary Series,

page 118

John 12:1, A Palm Sunday Questiongracethrufaith.com

• Q. In John 12:1 it says:”Then six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany…”, and then verse 12 says, “The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast…” So, according to John 12:1, Jesus was in Bethany 6 days before the 14th of the month, that is He was there on the 8th of the month, and the next day is the 9th of the month, the day when the multitude went out to meet Him and cried out “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel!”, and it was not on the 10th of the month.

John 12:1, A Palm Sunday Questiongracethrufaith.com

• A. We know Jesus entered Jerusalem on Psalm Sunday.  John 12:1 says Jesus had come to Bethany six days before Passover, but it doesn’t say He had a big dinner that same night and left the next morning. Since Palm Sunday was the 10th, the ninth would have been a Saturday, which was the Sabbath, and the 8th, the day Jesus arrived, was a Friday. From sunset Friday to sunset Saturday no work was allowed, and that included travel. Therefore, since the dinner was given on the night before Palm Sunday, it had to have taken place on Saturday after sunset when the Sabbath ended.

Jesus Will Be Praised With Palm Branches In The Future Also

John 12:2, Reclining At The Table

• NAU John 12:2 So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him.

• NAU Mark 14:18 As they were reclining at the table and eating…

• All 4 Gospels record this event. There are 13 uses of “reclining” and all are in the gospels.

John 12:2, Reclining At The Tablecompass.org

• “The famous picture by Leonardo da Vinci of Jesus and His 12 apostles sitting upright while eating at the Last Supper is not scripturally correct. Feasts, banquets, and special dinners were usually served on a table which was only six to twelve inches high. The guests would lie around the outside edges on cushions, leaning on their left elbow and eating with their right hand. This was to remind the Israelites that they didn't have to be ready to leave at a moment's notice—like they did on the first Passover in Egypt. This is why a woman could wash Jesus' feet at dinner (Luke 7) as she wasn't under the table! This also makes sense of the verse (John 13:23) about John leaning on Jesus' breast at dinner. There are some 30 verses referring to this eating style…”

John 12:3 Nard, A Fragrant Perfume

• NAU John 12:3 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.

• wikipedia= “Spikenard, also called nard, nardin, and muskroot, is a class of aromatic amber-colored essential oil derived from Nardostachys jatamansi, a flowering plant of the Valerian family which grows in the Himalayas of Nepal, China, and India. The oil has, since ancient times, been used as a perfume, as a medicine and in religious contexts, across a wide territory from India to Europe…

John 12:3 Nard, A Fragrant Perfume

• Nardostachys jatamansi is a flowering plant of the Valerian family that grows in the Himalayas of Nepal, China, and India. The plant grows to about 1 meter (3 ft) in height and has pink, bell-shaped flowers. It is found in the altitude of about 3,000 to 5,000 m (9,800 to 16,400 ft). Rhizomes (underground stems) can be crushed and distilled into an intensely aromatic amber-colored essential oil, which is very thick in consistency. Nard oil is used as a perfume, an incense, a sedative, and an herbal medicine said to fight insomnia, birth difficulties, and other minor ailments.[1]

John 12:3 Nard, A Fragrant Perfume

• …The ancient Greeks called the lavender herb nardus, after the Syrian city of Naarda (possibly the modern town of Dohuk, Iraq). It was also commonly called nard…”

• Illustration of Nardostachys grandiflora, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nardostachys_jatamansi#/media/File:Nardostachys_grandiflora.jpg

John 12:3, Ambergris fragranceTODAY'S CREATION MOMENT

• As long is really are talking about exotic ancient perfumes, I thought I could squeeze in this article. Because the LORD has provided a perfume enhancer;

John 12:3, Ambergris fragranceTODAY'S CREATION MOMENT

• “As one perfume expert puts it, "It's beyond comprehension how beautiful it is. It's transformative. Its like an olfactory gemstone.” The perfumer was describing ambergris, a waxy excretion found in the intestines of sperm whales. Since most countries have made it illegal to slaughter sperm whales, ambergris is very hard to come by. In fact, it is almost worth its weight in gold. As one beachcomber observed, "There aren’t too many professions where you could go to work and stumble upon $30,000 one morning.” Bloomberg Business writes, "To outsiders, it may seem like easy money – ambergris can wash ashore anywhere there are sperm whales." Ironically, many ambergris hunters don’t even know which whale orifice it comes from. As neuroscientist Chris Kemp said, "Despite what most people think, it is not vomit. That's one of the biggest misnomers about ambergris. Unfortunately, it

John 12:3, Ambergris fragranceTODAY'S CREATION MOMENT

• comes out the other end.” Sure enough, ambergris smells like perfumed cow dung. What makes ambergris so special is that it amplifies the other fragrances found in perfumes. As one perfumer noted, "It alters the quality of the existing notes and makes them bigger, deeper and more expansive than they can ever be on their own.” Unlike fragrant perfumes, sinful man has nothing within himself that smells good before a holy God. And if you amplify our natural scent, we only smell worse. But when Christ enters our lives, we give off the sweet-smelling aroma of Christ to others. Best of all, we smell good to God, too!

• Ambergris, photographed by Peter Kaminski

Social Gospel, The Poor

• NAU John 12:8 "For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.“

• NAU Luke 6:20 And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Friends Of Israel

John 12:8, Compassion On The Poor

• Psalm 72:13 He [God],will have compassion on the poor and needy, And the lives of the needy he will save.

• NAU Psalm 109:31 For He [the LORD] stands at the right hand of the needy, To save him from those who judge his soul.

• Proverbs 10:15 The rich man's wealth is his fortress, The ruin of the poor is their poverty.

• We do need to reach out to the needy, but not like this…

John 12:8, Compassion On The Poor

John 12:8, Social Gospel“you always have the poor”

The Berean Call • “Called "Father of the Social Gospel," Walter Rauschenbusch (1861-1918),

grew up in a German Lutheran immigrant family… he wrote books such as "Christianizing the Social Order" and "A Theology for the Social Gospel."[4] Steeped in "higher criticism”…he taught what many considered a more relevant and compassionate gospel. As a result, he "changed both the emphases and the direction of American Protestantism.”[1]… introduced Jesus "not as one who would come to save sinners from their sins but as one who had a 'social passion' for society."[2] He and his comrades established the "Brotherhood of the Kingdom," ….It called for political reform, ecumenical unity, "Social Justice" and global peace…"The gospel is not about... pie-in-the-sky when they die... It is imperative that the up and coming generation recognize that the biblical Jesus was committed to the realization of a new social order in this world.... Becoming a Christian, therefore, is a call to social action…”

• http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/006/conspiracy2.htm

John 12:11, Believing

• NAU John 12:11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus.

• NAU John 20:27+31 but 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.

• “Believing Christ died, that’s history. Believing Christ died for me, that’s salvation.” (Unknown”

John 12 Has At Least 6 Groups

• Very much like any church, some have to attend, some to see signs and wonders, some antagonists, and some worshipers;

• 12:9, A crowd= Roman soldiers were there• 12:9, Large crowd of the Jews to see Lazarus• 12:18, The people because of the sign• 12:19, The Pharisees said the world has gone after

Him• 12:20, Greeks going up to worship, “to see Jesus”• 12:42, Secret believing rulers

John 12:13Where Does The Name Come From?

• NAU John 12:13 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."

• Q. What is the meaning of Yahweh or where does it come from?

• A. It was against the law for the Jews to speak or write the Lord’s name except for one day each year when they spoke it 7 times in a Temple ceremony called Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. When they wrote His name they used 4 initials to represent it. They were translated into English as JHVH. The King James

John 12:13Where Does The Name Come From?

• translators put LORD, all in caps, where the initials appeared in the Hebrew text. Somewhere along the way vowels from Elohim, which means God, and Adonai, which means Lord, were added to the initials forming Jehovah. Later it was determined that since in the Hebrew language the four initials are pronounced Yodh, He, Waw, and He, Yahweh is a more accurate pronunciation of God’s name.

• But the truth is no one alive today knows God’s actual name. After the Temple was destroyed the Yom Kippur ceremony changed and they no longer spoke it. Scholars estimate it was eventually lost to the memory of man in about 300 AD. Today Jesus is the name above all names (Phil. 2:9-11).

John 12:13, The Name Above All!Is Not Jehovah (Sorry JW’s)

• NAU Philippians 2:9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

• NAU Colossians 3:17 …do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

• NAU Acts 4:12 "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

• Acts 3:16, 5:41, 10:43, 15:14, 22:16, John 20:31

THE END

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John 12:8, Social Gospel“you always have the poor”

The Berean Call • Called "Father of the Social Gospel," Walter Rauschenbusch (1861-1918), grew up in a German Lutheran immigrant

family in New York. He studied theology at the University of Rochester, one of hundreds of educational and "Christian" institutions funded by John D. Rockefeller. After pastoring a Baptist Church among poor immigrants in New York City for a few years, he joined the faculty at Rochester Theological Seminary - also funded by Rockefeller. In 1902 he became its Professor of Church History.

• From this prominent platform, he wrote books such as "Christianizing the Social Order" and "A Theology for the Social Gospel."[4] Steeped in "higher criticism" and socialist ideology, he taught what many considered a more relevant and compassionate gospel. As a result, he "changed both the emphases and the direction of American Protestantism."[1]

• Rauschenbusch introduced Jesus "not as one who would come to save sinners from their sins but as one who had a 'social passion' for society."[2] He and his comrades established the "Brotherhood of the Kingdom," which unified like-minded church leaders under a common socialist quest for an earthly "Kingdom of God."

• Their plan would have fit our times! It called for political reform, ecumenical unity, "Social Justice" and global peace. To justify its place in "Christian" theology, words like redemption and regeneration were redefined to fit their socialist ideals.[3]

• Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Popular church leaders use the same strategy today! Pastor Brian McLaren's recent book, The Secret Message of Jesus, twists God's Word into an endorsement of an earthly, interfaith Kingdom.[4] Likewise, Tony Campolo's hope of earthly perfection mocks the Biblical promise of eternal life:

• "The gospel is not about... pie-in-the-sky when they die.... It is imperative that the up and coming generation recognize that the biblical Jesus was committed to the realization of a new social order in this world.... Becoming a Christian, therefore, is a call to social action."[5]

• In 1907, Rauschenbusch met with the leaders of Fabian socialism in England, Sidney Webb and Beatrice Potter Webb. Unlike impatient Marxist revolutionaries, the methodical Fabians emphasized peaceful transformation through propaganda and infiltration of universities, seminaries and churches.

• Through the years, this socialist movement grew to include Bertrand Russell, • H. G. Wells (who wrote Open Conspiracy), playwright George Bernard Shaw, Sinclair Lewis, Theosophical leader Annie

Besant, and the Communist leader Harry Dexter White who worked with Alger Hiss to establish the United Nations.[6] It spread through Western nations - thanks, in part, to liberal churches that preached its message as if backed by the authority of God.

• 1. Dr. A.W. Beaven, former president of the Federal Council of Churches. Quoted by Edgar C Bundy, page 99. Reference below:

• 2. Edgar C Bundy, Collectivism in the Churches: A documented account of the political activities of the Federal, National, and World Councils of Churches (Wheaton, Illinois: Church League of America, 1957), page 97.

• 3. Ibid.• 4. www.crossroad.to/articles2/006/kingdom-world.htm• 5. Tony Campolo, "Reflections on Youth Ministry in a Global Context," National Council of Churches, "Poverty March

2002." www.ncccusa.org/poverty/sermon-campolo.html• 6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabian_Society• http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/006/conspiracy2.htm

John Believe And Live, Elmer Towns, Mal Couch and Ed Hindson, Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary Series,

page

John 12:12-12:19• We Would Like to See Jesus, by Larry East• John 12:12-19 (NIV)• 12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.• 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of

the Lord!” “Blessed is the King of Israel!”• 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written,• 15 “Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”• 16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had

been written about him and that they had done these things to him.• 17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to

spread the word.• 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him.• 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

• Imagine yourself in Jerusalem over 2000 years ago. There was a great crowd there that day that had come to celebrate the Feast of the Passover. I can imagine it was something like what we see in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.

• Josephus, the notable Jewish historian, estimated that over two million people were involved in the great Passover Feast. It is known that 256,500 lambs were slain at one Passover and that each lamb represented at least ten worshippers. Teeming thousands from all over the world were flooding into the city to observe the Passover. The mass of people and the necessary housing and food arrangements to handle such a mass of people can hardly be imagined.

• An excitable carnival-like atmosphere was bound to prevail over such a mob of people. Lots of people jamming the streets of the city, getting ready to celebrate. But as they prepared to observe one of the most important feasts that the Jewish people celebrated all year, word came that Jesus was on his way into the city.

• It is a rare thing that all four gospels record the same event in Jesus’ life. Sometimes one or two gospels record an event; some events in Jesus’ life are recorded in three gospel accounts. But what happens on this day in Jerusalem is recorded by all four of the gospel writers. For that reason alone, we should consider what happened here to be important.

• The crowd gathers as Jesus rides into the city on the colt of a donkey and they begin to wave palm branches and shout their welcome to Jesus. But who were the faces in that crowd that day? If you were there, who would you see? And what were they thinking?

• I believe that as we examine the crowd that was present that particular day, we may find ourselves and some of those around us.

• First, the Roman soldiers were there.

• As the crowd begins to honor Jesus, I’m sure it gets the attention of the Roman soldiers. There were probably a large number of soldiers who gathered to see what was going on, for they were charged with keeping the Jewish people under control. After all, the Romans were the ones in control of this country.

• What did this demonstration mean to the Romans? Nothing is recorded about the Roman viewpoint, but it is certain that they kept a close watch that day. During the annual Passover feast, it was not uncommon for some of the Jewish zealots to try to arouse the people to fight back against the Roman occupation of their city and their country. Maybe they thought this parade was that kind of an event. Maybe they were expecting to have to quell a riot.

• But then here comes Jesus, riding on a donkey’s colt. I imagine that some of the Roman soldiers must have smiled at the “Triumphal Entry,” because it was nothing like their own triumphal celebrations back in Rome. I’m sure the Roman soldiers who were there were smiling and laughing a little. They’d probably seen this type of tribute before.

• Whenever a Roman general was victorious on foreign soil, killing at least 5,000 of the enemy, and gaining new territory, he was given a “Roman triumph” celebration when he returned to the city. It was the Roman equivalent of the American “ticker-tape parade,” only with much more splendor.

• The general would ride into the city in a gold-covered chariot with white stallions pulling it, a symbol of a warrior. The general would display the trophies he had won. The enemy leaders he had captured would be paraded in chains down the street behind the general. The parade ended at the arena where some of the captives entertained the people by fighting wild beasts.

• Yes, I bet some of these soldiers probably laughed at the antics of the Jerusalem crowd that day, and at the sight of this so-called King. What real king would ride on a dumb donkey? What powerful leader would stoop so low? They probably found it amusing. Compared to a “Roman triumph,” our Lord’s entry into Jerusalem was nothing.

• Isn’t that how some people treat Jesus today? They are amused by the stories about Him. They laugh at Him and at people who worship Him. How could sophisticated people be so ignorant they say? After all, what educated person would believe some of the things that people say He did? Make the blind to see. The lame to walk. The deaf to hear. Walk on water. Calm storms with a word. Feed 5000 people with 5 loaves of bread and two fish! Who in their right mind would believe such things? So they just laugh at Christians who have faith in this Jesus of Nazareth.

• There were probably some of those in the crowd that day.

• And then there was probably another group of people there that day. If we go back to some earlier verses in John 12, we see those people.

• John 12:9 (NIV)• 9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see

Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.

• Before Jesus had come to Jerusalem, he spent some time with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in Bethany. And we see another large crowd there. But John says they were there, not just to see Jesus, but to see this man Lazarus who, as the story goes, had been raised from the dead.

• This crowd wanted to see what was going on there. These people were there to see the show, not to see the Master. They wanted to know what was going on, they weren’t really interested in why Jesus was there. These are people who were half-sincere seekers. They see the crowd gathering at the dinner Jesus was attending, and they wanted to be a part of the party.

• The crowd came to see the spectacular, that is, to see Lazarus, the man rumored to have been raised from the dead. They were anxious to see one who had experienced such a phenomenal event and to see if a resurrected man was any different.

• And the crowd came to a social occasion, a festive atmosphere. They came to the banquet. Wherever Jesus was there was action and things were happening. It was where everyone was gathering. They wanted to join the party.

• Isn’t that why some people come to church today, to see the show and join the party? They don’t come to worship the King, but they come to see who’s singing. They come because their friends are there. They come to socialize. They come, maybe, to see if they, like Lazarus, can get in on the good stuff. And look out if there’s food. Don’t get in the way or you might get knocked down if there’s a meal. They’re there to get what they can, not to worship the King. They’re there to see the miracles, not to see the King.

• John 12:18 (NIV)• 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him.

• You know, I think, sadly, that’s why some churches are becoming megachurches. There drawing the crowds, yes. Lot’s of people are attending. But people are coming because of the great concerts that are available. They’re there because of the orchestra. They come for the sing-along. They come for the show. They come so they can say they go to that big church that always has its name in the paper because of some event that’s taking place. They come because they are easily influenced. They come for the events and the exciting atmosphere. And if that’s missing, or if there’s something they don’t like, they don’t show up.

• How many sitting in the presence of the Lord and His church today are only half-sincere? How many come to church just because it is the thing to do, the place to be, the place where everyone else is? How many seek the spectacular signs only?

• John 6:30 (NIV)• 30 So they asked him, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?

• That’s the attitude of some. What will you do for me Jesus? What will you give me?

• Mark 7:6 (NIV)• 6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with

their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

• Matthew 23:28 (NIV)• 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and

wickedness.

• How many want the miracles, but miss the Master. There were probably some of those in the crowd that day.

• And then there was another group of people there that day. The religious leaders were there.

• John 12:19 (NIV)• 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

• Wherever the power was, that was where you’d find these Pharisees. Wherever the prestige was, you could be sure they would be there. They wanted the praise. They wanted the glory. They wanted to be looked up to and they wanted to be the ones who had all the influence. They were fine as long as they were the center of attention, but look out if someone else received the praise.

• People were beginning to come to Jesus and follow Him. And the Pharisees knew that this meant their powerful political positions were in jeopardy.

• How tragic it is…• •that religious positions sometimes become political.• •that men reject Christ for the things of this world.• •that men swap eternity for social and political gain.

• These preachers and teachers, these church leaders, were only interested in themselves. They were only interested in the prestige of their positions. And they were going to oppose anyone and anything that threatened their power.

• God isn’t pleased with that kind of leadership.

• Ezekiel 34:2-3 (NIV)• 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?• 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the

flock.

• There are many in the church today who want the visible positions. They want the power. They want to be the movers and shakers. And to gain a following, they’ll say anything that is popular and that makes them popular. They’ll preach the prosperity gospel. Come to Jesus and all your cares and troubles will be over. Come to Jesus and he’ll give you all that you want.

• They’ll say anything to gain a following. They’ll preach what the crowd wants to hear, not what the Bible says. Rather than pointing men and women to Jesus, they point to themselves. They want people to follow them, and not God. They want to say they were the ones who produced the big churches. They were responsible for the big crowds. They point to themselves, not to Jesus.

• Isaiah 56:11 (NIV)• 11 They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all

turn to their own way, each seeks his own gain.

• Yes, there were some of these bad shepherds in the crowd that day. And they even went so far as to plot to do away with Jesus.

• These were the people in the crowd that day.• •The ones who were amused and laughed at Jesus.• •The ones who wanted to join the party and get what was in it for themselves.• •And there were the ones who wanted the power and the prestige.

• Oh yes. I almost forgot one. You see, there was one more group there that day.

• John 12:20-21 (NIV)• 20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast.• 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.”

• “We would like to see Jesus.”

• Oh that we would all say that. Oh that we would all come into His presence to glorify and honor Him. Oh what a difference it would make in our lives if we would say, “We would like to see Jesus.”

• For when we see Jesus and worship His Holy Name, God is glorified. When we recognize that this Jesus represents the love that God has for us, a love that would send Him to the cross to die for us, we can be changed. When we come to the realization that God gave His only Son to die for you and for me that we might not perish but have everlasting life, it changes our perspective. When we see and believe this glorious truth; then we really begin to worship Him. We begin to bow down and surrender our whole beings to God. We begin to follow and obey His will, to honor and praise Him for all He has done and is doing for us. Yes, when we really seek Jesus, that’s when the name of God is glorified. That’s when real worship occurs.

• Those people in the crowd that day were shouting something that was far more significant than they realized.

• Hosanna, they shouted. Hosanna.

• This Hebrew word means “he who saves.” They were welcoming their King.

• But this was not a king that would reign over Israel. No, this King was far more important, far more powerful than any king on earth.

• For although they didn’t realize it, they were honoring the King of heaven. They were honoring the King of kings and Lord of lords. They were honoring the King that would triumph over death. They were singing praises to the Lamb of God, who would take away the sins of the world.

• Shouldn’t we be doing the same thing today?

"What is Palm Sunday?” GotQuestions.org

• Question: "What is Palm Sunday?” http://www.gotquestions.org/Printer/qotw-PF.html• • Answer: Palm Sunday is the day we celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, exactly one week before His

resurrection (Matthew 21:1–11). As Jesus entered the holy city, He neared the culmination of a long journey toward Golgotha. He had come to save the lost (Luke 19:10), and now was the time—this was the place—to secure that salvation. Palm Sunday marked the start of what is often called “Passion Week,” the final seven days of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Palm Sunday was the “beginning of the end” of Jesus’ work on earth.

• Palm Sunday began with Jesus and His disciples traveling over the Mount of Olives. The Lord sent two disciples ahead into the village of Bethphage to find an animal to ride. They found the unbroken colt of a donkey, just as Jesus had said they would (Luke 19:29–30). When they untied the colt, the owners began to question them. The disciples responded with the answer Jesus had provided: “The Lord needs it” (Luke 19:31–34). Amazingly, the owners were satisfied with that answer and let the disciples go. “They brought [the donkey] to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it” (Luke 19:35).

• As Jesus ascended toward Jerusalem, a large multitude gathered around Him. This crowd understood that Jesus was the Messiah; what they did not understand was that it wasn’t time to set up the kingdom yet—although Jesus had tried to tell them so (Luke 19:11–12). The crowd’s actions along the road give rise to the name “Palm Sunday”: “A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road” (Matthew 21:8). In strewing their cloaks on the road, the people were giving Jesus the royal treatment—King Jehu was given similar honor at his coronation (2 Kings 9:13). John records the detail that the branches they cut were from palm trees (John 12:13).

• On that first Palm Sunday, the people also honored Jesus verbally: “The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ / ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ / ‘Hosanna in the highest heaven!’” (Matthew 21:9). In their praise of Jesus, the Jewish crowds were quoting Psalm 118:25–26, an acknowledged prophecy of the Christ. The allusion to a Messianic psalm drew resentment from the religious leaders present: “Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples!’” (Luke 19:39). However, Jesus saw no need to rebuke those who told the truth. He replied, “I tell you . . . if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40).

• Some 450 to 500 years prior to Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem, the prophet Zechariah had prophesied the event we now call Palm Sunday: “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! / Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! / See, your king comes to you, / righteous and victorious, / lowly and riding on a donkey, / on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). The prophecy was fulfilled in every particular, and it was indeed a time of rejoicing, as Jerusalem welcomed their King. Unfortunately, the celebration was not to last. The crowds looked for a Messiah who would rescue them politically and free them nationally, but Jesus had come to save them spiritually. First things first, and mankind’s primary need is spiritual, not political, cultural, or national salvation.

• Even as the coatless multitudes waved the palm branches and shouted for joy, they missed the true reason for Jesus’ presence. They could neither see nor understand the cross. That’s why, “as [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies . . . will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you” (Luke 19:41–47). It is a tragic thing to see the Savior but not recognize Him for who He is. The crowds who were crying out “Hosanna!” on Palm Sunday were crying out “Crucify Him!” five days later (Matthew 27:22–23).

• There is coming a day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10–11). The worship will be real then. Also, John records a scene in heaven that features the eternal celebration of the risen Lord: “There before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands” (Revelation 7:9, emphasis added). These palm-bearing saints will shout, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (verse 10), and who can measure sum of their joy?

• Question: "What is Passion Week / Holy Week?"

• Answer: Passion Week (also known as Holy Week) is the time from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday (Resurrection Sunday). Also included within Passion Week are Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Passion Week is so named because of the passion with which Jesus willingly went to the cross in order to pay for the sins of His people. Passion Week is described in Matthew chapters 21-27; Mark chapters 11-15; Luke chapters 19-23; and John chapters 12-19. Passion Week begins with the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday on the back of a colt as prophesied in Zechariah 9:9.

• Passion Week contained several memorable events. Jesus cleansed the Temple for the second time (Luke 19:45-46), then disputed with the Pharisees regarding His authority. Then He gave His Olivet Discourse on the end times and taught many things, including the signs of His second coming. Jesus ate His Last Supper with His disciples in the upper room (Luke 22:7-38), then went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray as He waited for His hour to come. It was here that Jesus, having been betrayed by Judas, was arrested and taken to several sham trials before the chief priests, Pontius Pilate, and Herod (Luke 22:54-23:25).

• Following the trials, Jesus was scourged at the hands of the Roman soldiers, then was forced to carry His own instrument of execution (the Cross) through the streets of Jerusalem along what is known as the Via Dolorosa (way of sorrows). Jesus was then crucified at Golgotha on the day before the Sabbath, was buried and remained in the tomb until Sunday, the day after the Sabbath, and then gloriously resurrected.

• It is referred to as Passion Week because in that time, Jesus Christ truly revealed His passion for us in the suffering He willingly went through on our behalf. What should our attitude be during Passion Week? We should be passionate in our worship of Jesus and in our proclamation of His Gospel! As He suffered for us, so should we be willing to suffer for the cause of following Him and proclaiming the message of His death and resurrection.

• Recommended Resources: The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary Habermas and Logos Bible Software.