Jesus Is All That and More

Jesus is All That and More

John 12:12-19 April 17, 2011

We read in the book of Revelation these words:

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

The Apostle John, the man who wrote these words in the book of Revelation, was there that day. He was with Jesus as he entered the city of Jerusalem on the day we call Palm Sunday.

It was as if the whole world had come out to see him. His fame had spread through the crowd and everyone wanted to see this man who had healed the lame and the sick, the man who reached out to those who had been forsaken, the man who even had the power to raise the dead.

There is no doubt in my mind that the image of Jesus entering the city of Jerusalem that day was in John’s mind years later, as he wrote these words in his book of Revelation. For he knew Jesus was all that and more.

When my girls were little we used to watch the Nickoledian channel on television all the time. I got to know a lot of the characters like Keenan and Kel, Drake and Josh, Amanda Bynes, iCarly and all the others. When I asked my daughter Rebecca what she was watching, she would simply say “All that!”

I’d say, “No, what is the name of the show?

She’d say “All That.”

If you heard us talking you would have thought we were doing an Abbot and Costello routine. But that was the name of the show. It was like Saturday Night Live for kids. From 1994 -2005 the show featured a series of live action comedy sketches performed by kids. I think it was called “All That” because it had a little bit of everything, and everything you needed.

In that vision of John, Jesus said I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, on that Palm Sunday, Jesus knew who he was and he began something that would end with the salvation of all creation. He was all that and more.

The crowds in Jerusalem swelled to several hundred thousand. Pilgrims descended upon the city to celebrate the Feast of Passover. They came to relive the providence of God that saved them from the bondage of slavery and the oppression of the Egyptians.

The prayer in Jesus’ day was, of course, that God would free the Jews from the oppression of Rome. And here comes Jesus riding into the city like a conquering king.

It seemed as if history was ready to repeat itself. It was Passover and they were reminded of God’s help in the past. Languishing in prison were several insurrectionists, those who had attempted to overthrow the rule of Rome in Jerusalem, Judea, and the surrounding regions. One of them was named Barabbas.

But Barabbas was by no means the only insurrectionist in Judea. Thoughts of freedom and memories of the Maccabbean Revolt about 150 years earlier were still in the hearts and minds faithful Jews.

Just like we look back to The Revolutionary War, and still hold onto those images, like the Boston Tea Party, and the Sons of Freedom, first century Jews kept alive the hope of freedom.

So when Jesus comes riding into Jerusalem on the first day of Passover week, the crowds were looking for someone to rally around, someone to carry the banner of freedom and liberation for the Jewish people. But Jesus was not traveling the road to revolution; he was traveling the road to Calvary.

Of course, not even the disciples understood that Jesus is heading toward his death by the end of the week.Every time Jesus mentions the possibility that he will be mistreated, the disciples protest that he is even speaking of such a thing.

So as Jesus rides into Jerusalem that Sunday morning, the disciples are joyous, the crowd is energized, and shouts of “Hosanna” ring out as he rides slowly and carefully through the crowds.

These are the crowds longing for freedom. They despise the presence of Roman centurions in their city, the City of David. So, as Jesus rides into Jerusalem that morning, the crowds that sing and shout and follow him are admirers.They like that Jesus stands up to their own corrupt political leaders and religious figures.They like that Jesus seems to be a man of the people, that he eats with sinners and talks with prostitutes. It is like the fulfillment of a prophesy. They quote Zechariah and claim it that day. But it isn’t Zechariah he is answering to, it is Isaiah.

They have been looking for a hero, and Jesus is the flavor of the day.But the problem with admirers is that they see what they want to see in their hero of the day. What the crowds saw in Jesus was the son of Joseph, not the Son of God.

They saw him as a revolutionary, not as suffering servant and Redeemer. They wanted another Maccabee, not a new Messiah.

Jesus was all that and more!

It’s not any wonder that by the end of the week, those who admired Jesus on Sunday were shouting “Crucify him!” on Friday.

In what was an otherwise jubilant scene of singing and shouting and celebration, the Pharisees hear all the commotion. Rushing toward the sounds of joy and laughter, they quickly size up the situation:Jesus’ followers are proclaiming him king!

So, it is no surprise that Jesus picks up opposition on the road to Calvary, even as the crowds are admiring him. They try to squelch it, but to no avail. The crowd was just too large. There have always been, and will always be, those who oppose the work of God, who reject the love of God, and who ridicule the Son of God.

But knowing all of that, Jesus kept going. John 3:16 tells us –
“For God so loved the world that He sent his only Son…”

At this point, the life of Jesus isn’t very different from the lives of other charismatic leaders.Some people follow him for the wrong reasons, others oppose everything he’s doing, even when it helps others.But there is a twist to this story that is unlike any other story of charismatic leaders, Jewish or otherwise.

This unique event isn’t even reflected in the passage we read today.For in reading the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem we can forget the reason for his coming to Jerusalem in the first place.

Jesus did not come to Jerusalem to hear the crowds shout “Hosanna.” Nor did he come unaware of the opposition to his ministry. Jesus came to Jerusalem not for the first part of the week, not for Palm Sunday. No, Jesus came to Jerusalem for Good Friday.

But, you might say, “Today is a day of celebration.Let’s leave the gory details of his crucifixion to Holy Week.”And we could do that. We could gather next Sunday and have two Sundays of celebration in a row.

On one Sunday, today, we would celebrate Jesus’ triumphant ride into the city. And on next Sunday, we will celebrate the victory over sin, death and the grave.

But let’s not forget that the road Jesus traveled led not just to Jerusalem, but through its streets where he was mocked and jeered. The road that Jesus walked was a road that did not end in the city. It continued out the other side, through the city gates, to a hill called Golgotha, Calvary, the Place of the Skull.

And it is on this road that Jesus picks up the cross. We usually phrase it in the passive voice grammatically by saying “Jesus was crucified.” And that is certainly true. The Passover crowd demanded it, Pilate confirmed it, and the Roman centurions did it. They nailed Jesus to the cross.

But if we say, “Jesus was crucified” or “They crucified Jesus” we miss the great significance of this week. Jesus picked up the cross willingly, sacrificially, and obediently.

Paul says, “He became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.”

Jesus said, “I lay down my life, and no one takes it from me.”

And even though he struggled, and even though he wept tears of sorrow like great drops of blood, Jesus picked up the cross.

The road to Jerusalem was not the highway of Hosannas. The road into the city was not the concourse of cheers.The road to Jerusalem was the road to Calvary.Jesus knew it, the disciples didn’t. Jesus walked it, the disciples followed. Jesus embraced it, his followers fled.

And all of that was for our forgiveness, our salvation, our life. It was so that one day there could be a new Jerusalem where God could dwell with his people. Yes, a evolution was beginning but not the way the people envisioned it. Jesus was the alpha and omega, the beginning and ending. He was all that and more on that Palm Sunday.

It is because Jesus picked up the cross and gave his life, that we can live and have eternal hope. It is because Jesus picked up the cross that this world was forever changed, that lives were forever made whole, that sin lost its death-grip on humankind.

So, if we want to celebrate this morning, we celebrate the transforming power of Jesus’ life and death. The eternal difference made in our lives and the lives of others because on the road to Calvary, Jesus picked up the cross. When he did, he ushered in God’s eternal plan and became all that and more!

So let’s gather the palm branches. He was the alpha and omega. Let’s shout the victory and proclaim him Lord of Lords and King of kings.