In the sermon 'Responding to the Evidence,' Jason Dohm expounds on John 12:9-19, focusing on the various responses to the miraculous raising of Lazarus. Many believed in Jesus, while the Pharisees plotted further against him, showcasing a stark contrast in reactions to undeniable evidence. The narrative of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey fulfills messianic prophecies from Zechariah and Psalm 118, highlighting Jesus as the King of Israel and the anticipated Messiah. Dohm contrasts Christianity with other religions, emphasizing love and devotion over transactional practices. He warns of the dangers of sinful patterns, using Judas as an example, and highlights the importance of recognizing the eternal value of Jesus. The sermon draws connections between the events of Jesus' time and the ultimate fulfillment of prophecy, urging listeners to reflect on their faith and the significance of Christ's sacrifice.

John chapter 12 verses 9 through 19. We'll start reading in verse 1. Then six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom he had raised from the dead. There they made him a supper, and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray him, said, Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor? And this he said, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the money box, And he used to take what was put in it. But Jesus said, Let her alone, she has kept this for the day of my burial. For the poor you have with you always, but me you do not have always. Now a great many of the Jews knew that he was there, And they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead.

But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus. The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, and cried out, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel. Then Jesus, when he had found a young donkey, sat on it as it is written, fear not, daughter of Zion. Behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt. His disciples did not understand these things at first.

But when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about him and that they had done these things to him. Therefore the people who were with him when he called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead bore witness. For this reason the people also met him because they heard that he had done this sign. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, you see that you are accomplishing nothing look the world has gone after him Lord bless the reading of his word The title of the sermon this morning is responding to the evidence. You have people responding very differently, dramatically differently, to the evidence that was Lazarus being raised from the dead.

Many hear of it and believe, and they testify of what they saw with their own two eyes. And it causes a multitude to come out of Jerusalem to agree to Jesus with praise as he comes into the city at the time leading up to Passover. And yet, the Pharisees are not about to be swayed even by irrefutable evidence. They've sort of passed the point of no return. So not even one rising from the dead will change their minds.

Last week we began chapter 12. Paul Carrington preached a wonderful sermon. In that text, there was a supper given for Jesus. Martha was serving. Sound familiar?

Mary was at the feet of Jesus. Sound familiar? And there was a man sitting at the dinner who used to be dead. Lazarus was at that dinner. What must it have been like?

In all probability, a man known as Simon the leper, of course to be at that dinner he would have to be Simon the former leper, would have to be there. I wonder how that happened. It's just a wonderful scene. I wanted to just pull out my four favorites from last week's sermon. Number one, Paul Carrington said that in other religions they are transactional in nature.

It's a transaction between you and God, a transaction either driven by fear or self-interest or both. But Christianity is not like that. We see that on display with Mary wiping Jesus' feet, anointing His feet with this very costly oil of spikenard, and wiping His feet with her hair. You don't have a frame of reference for that in other religions. They are either trying to keep God from being angry by doing things, or trying to bribe God to get what you want by doing things, or some mixture thereof.

But love in both directions, love from God to man and love from man to God, God really being the ultimate object of your affection is unknown in those religions. I thought that was a great point. Number two, this display of Mary, this great outpouring of affection, where great value is laid out upon Jesus, is the death of dispassionate, heartless religion. Amen! May it be so among us.

Die, dispassionate, heartless religion. Die and never come back to life among us. Let us be People who love the Lord Jesus Christ whose whose hearts burn within us to take everything of value and lay it down at his feet number three Paul said something like this Paul Carrington Not the Apostle Paul Paul Carrington Don't just salute Mary It is wonderful what Mary is doing in that text, but don't just salute her and leave. The big point of the text is not the devotion of Mary, but the value of Jesus. It is really easy to come to these texts and say, isn't Mary wonderful?

Well, yes, she's wonderful. Shouldn't we be more like Mary? Yes, we should be more like Mary. But that's not the big point of the text. If that's all you get, you've missed it.

The big point of the text is Jesus is worthy of that and worthy of that in all of our hearts and lives. The value of Jesus is what is really on display in that text. And then fourthly, Paul Carrington asked this question relating it to Judas and how Judas said shouldn't this valuable oil have been sold and given to the poor. He didn't care about the poor. He was stealing from the purse.

That's what he cared about. So Paul asked this question in light of that. Are there sinful patterns that you don't think are leading somewhere? That was true of Judas. He thought all along, I'm getting away with it.

Jesus might know a lot, but he doesn't know everything because I keep stealing and he never says anything. Wrong, Wrong, wrong. Jesus always knew. He knew every time He stole. He thought He was getting away with it.

He never was getting away with it. There were sinful patterns in His life that He never thought were leading somewhere. But they were leading to a great final act of betrayal. And it would have been better for him had he never been born. Are there sinful patterns in your life that you don't think are leading anywhere but they are taking you to a place of destruction?

What a great question. As we come to this week's text, let's come praying. Jesus, you are the great king of spiritual Israel. Everything that we see in our text, the adoration of the multitudes, you are worthy of and you will receive for all eternity. Ten thousands of ten thousands will worship unendingly at your throne.

You are worthy of it. I thank you for this little display, this little taste of heaven, a little down payment of what eternity holds. For our eyes to be set upon that and to realize that you are of such eternal value. Let this great truth be pressed upon our hearts today in Jesus' name. Amen.

As almost always, I'd like to subdivide the text beginning with verses 9 through 11. So Hopefully your finger is still in John chapter 12. Follow along as I read verses 9-11. Now, a great many of the Jews knew that He was there, that He was in Bethany. And they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead.

But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus. In these verses we have a plot to destroy the evidence And poor Lazarus is the evidence. So if you're taking notes on the handout and you're filling in the blank, it's destroy. A plot to destroy the evidence. And Lazarus is the evidence.

They want to kill Lazarus because here Bethany is on the doorstep of Jerusalem. He is a short walk away from the gates of the capital city of Israel. And here is this irrefutable testimony that Jesus Christ is a man who is able to call forth corpses from the grave. Now how are you going to get around that kind of evidence? Well they hatch a plot to get around that kind of evidence.

I'd like to point your attention back to chapter 11 verse 57. So this is the last verse of chapter 11, look with me, says, Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where he was, knew where Jesus was, that He should report it, that they might seize Him. So the word has gone out from the chief priests and the Pharisees. If you know where Jesus is, you have to tell us so that we can seize Him. Well, here we are in chapter 12, it's just a few days later, and we read that a great many of the Jews know exactly where Jesus is, and yet either they are not telling the chief priests and the Pharisees, or they are and they are not doing anything about it at this point.

Likely they are not telling him. But anyway, the last verse of chapter 11 is the backdrop. There has been a command given, if you know you tell. And it is being disregarded because many know exactly where Jesus is. And they're not telling the chief priests and the Pharisees, they're taking a walk.

They're taking a short walk to Bethany to see two things. One, Jesus himself, but secondly, the object of their curiosity is Lazarus. Is this really an alive man and are there really witnesses there who say that with their own two eyes they saw Him come up out of the cave. They saw Him come forth from the grave, shuffling in His grave cloths. And Jesus had to say, Unwind this man.

There are people there. You can see the man who they say was dead, and there are lots of eyewitnesses there who say that they saw it with their own two eyes. So many people are availing themselves of the short walk from Jerusalem to Bethany to see for themselves this man who had been raised from the dead. The end of verse 11 makes it clear the problem for the chief priests. A lot of people are coming, a lot of people are seeing for themselves, this is an alive man and there are a bunch of eye witnesses, and they are going away believing in Jesus.

Not only are they not informing on Jesus, they are trusting in Him and His claims about Himself. This is a huge problem with no end in sight. Bethany is on the doorstep of Jerusalem and it's on the main road into Jerusalem. The vast majority of Israel who is coming up to the Passover is going to walk by Bethany on the way into Jerusalem. Did you get what I just said?

The vast majority of the people are going to walk by Bethany on their way into into Israel. Now you know how news travels. If there ever were a grapevine, the grapevine is going wild. The news is traveling like wildfire. You can tell from the text that the news is traveling like wildfire.

All these people are going to be walking by Bethany on their way to the Passover right by the place where this irrefutable evidence and alive Lazarus is. So the chief priests have a huge problem with no end in sight, so they create an end in sight. We'll destroy the evidence. We'll kill Lazarus. Now how can something so insane be decided on?

Don't you think that when you read this? This is madness on top of madness. This is madness beyond madness. Could anything like this even really happen? It's in the Bible so we know that it happened, but it's almost unbelievable.

Isn't it that you would arrive at a plan to kill the man whose great crime had been to be raised from the dead. He had the audacity to come forth out of the tomb when Jesus commanded him to come out. That's all he's done. And yet he must die. How can something so insane be decided upon?

Here's how. They've crossed the Rubicon. They have crossed the Rubicon. Now what in the world does that mean? It's a phrase, it's not used very much, but I want to put it into your consciousness, because it has application for us.

In 49 BC, about 50 years before Jesus was born, Julius Caesar, before he was Caesar, and when he was just Julius, he was a governor, growing in power and influence. He had an army, and the senate, the Roman senate, was concerned about his growing influence, and so they recalled him to Rome and they commanded him to disband his army before he would cross the Rubicon, which was just a river, between him and Rome. Disband your army and come back to Rome. You're not to cross the Rubicon with your army. If he crossed the Rubicon with his army, they knew that his intentions were treasonous intentions.

The intentions of waging war and conquering Rome. So that's how they would know Julius' intentions. Supposedly, when he crossed the Rubicon with his army, he said, now the die is cast. In other words, there's no turning back now. The Rubicon was a geographical point beyond which it was the point of no return.

He was fully committed to war and trying to become Caesar, which of course he did conquer Rome and become Caesar. These men have crossed the Rubicon. They decided in chapter 11 that there was only one way out for the nation and for their positions in the nation and that way was to kill Jesus. And once they decided that, nothing else had to make sense. Once they decided that it was expedient that one man should die for the nation, that it was very practical, very convenient that only one man should die rather than Rome come down on Jerusalem and they lose their spots.

Once they had decided that that was a very practical thing to do, to give up Jesus to death so that their places would be preserved. Nothing else had to make sense. Once they had crossed that river of insanity, don't expect to see anything rational coming from these men. These were men who had crossed the Rubicon. The application for us is clear.

Be very careful. Be very careful in serving expedience. Because once you cross that Rubicon, You'll drift further and further away from sanity and you will have lost the sensitivity to even feel it and see it. This has clearly happened to these men in our text. If it was okay to part with the principles of scripture and to murder one man to save the nation in their own position, what is one more man?

What is Lazarus? They have passed the point of no return. Now, moving on to the next section. Verses 12-16. This is known as the triumphal entry.

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, and cried out, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel. Then Jesus, when he had found a donkey, sat on it, as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Zion, behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt." His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about him and that they had done these things to him. In these verses the king comes for the Passover. The people who had gathered to be purified before the Passover had asked the question towards the end of chapter 11, do you think that he will not come up to the feast? And this is the answer.

He is coming up to the feast. This is his Passover when he is going to offer himself as the Passover lamb for the people. The king comes for the Passover. King fills in the blank if you are taking notes in that way. It's six days before the Passover.

The population of Jerusalem is swelling. Josephus says that at this time around 200, 000 people were the normal inhabitants of Jerusalem. During the feast, and especially Passover, Passover was really the high watermark of the population of Jerusalem, The population of Jerusalem would swell to around 3 million. So most of the year, 200, 000 people living there, but during the Passover as many as 3 million people could be in Jerusalem. This is the days leading up to the Passover where day by day by day by day The population of Jerusalem is swelling and swelling and swelling.

The word is out that Jesus is coming to the feast. Remember that Bethany is on the main road leading into Jerusalem. So information about Jesus is probably, is clearly from the implications of the text available to the people. They know that He's coming and they know when He's coming and they come out as a great multitude to meet him as he comes into Jerusalem. And they bring palm branches.

There were an abundance of date palms in Israel and Jerusalem then, and there still are an abundance of date palms in Jerusalem to this day. Google it. Google it when you get home. Date palms. It's palm trees as you're used to seeing, but when I googled it, date palms, because I want to see what it looked like, it was just loaded with fruit.

Were Americans, would you know a date if you saw one? Well Anyway, when you Google date palms, you'll see these palm trees that are just loaded down during their season for fruit with these dates. There was an abundance of them in Israel then and now. For a couple of centuries before the triumphal entry, palm branches were a nationalistic symbol of victory and prosperity. Everyone there in the multitude knows exactly what they are doing when they bring palm branches.

It is a nationalistic symbol tied to Israel of victory and prosperity. They would be used on nationalistic occasions of victory or prosperity to signify that. Listen to Psalm 92.12. Psalm 92.12. The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree.

That's the idea. It's a symbol of Israel flourishing. Palm branches signify Israel Having victory or prosperity. Flourishing. The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree.

That's it. By the way, this is where we get Palm Sunday. So in churches that do more official celebrations around Easter than we typically do. You'll have Palm Sunday before and then Good Friday the day that Jesus was crucified and then Easter Sunday. So I grew up in a tradition like that so I'm very familiar with Palm Sunday.

That's what it's about. It's the day of the triumphal entry. The multitude gathers, they have palm branches, and they cry out quoting a Psalm. Let's go to that Psalm. Psalm 118.

So they cry out quoting Psalm 118 verse 26, but I want to look at the context. The first thing that you should know is that Psalm 118 is the closing psalm of the Hallel. So the Hallel is a grouping of Psalms, Psalm 113 through 118 that would be recited and sung at feasts but it is particularly associated with the Passover. So we're right on the doorstep of Passover week, where they would have been reciting and singing Psalm 113 through Psalm 118, and they're crying out a quote from Psalm 118. This would have been on their lips every year that they came to Jerusalem anyway.

They are quoting from this Psalm. I want to back up to verse 19. I want to read Psalm 118, verse 19 through 29. Now I'm getting ready to say a bunch of things that I don't think were on the consciousness of the people who were crying out, but I want to encourage us to look back at Psalm 118 through New Testament lenses. Meaning we've got all the advantages on this multitude.

Let's use them. Use the advantages of the New Testament filter, the New Testament lenses, and now look back at this and see Jesus everywhere in Psalm 118, not just the verse that they quote. Let me read Psalm 118, 19-29. The Psalmist writes, Open to me the gates of righteousness. I will go through them and I will praise the Lord.

This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous shall enter. I will praise you for you have answered me and have become my salvation." The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Save now I pray, O Lord. O Lord I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. That's exactly what the people are crying out. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Psalm 118, 26. We have blessed you from the house of the Lord. God is the Lord and He has given us light. Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. You are my God and I will praise you.

You are my God. I will exalt you. O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his mercy endures forever." Beginning with verses 19 and 20 here, now think back John 10, John 10 verse 9, Jesus says, I am the door, if anyone enters by me, he will be saved. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved.

Now look at 19 and 20 again. Open to me the gates of righteousness. I will go through them and I will praise the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous shall enter. Jesus is the door.

All who enter through Him will be saved. He is here in Psalm 118, 19, and 20. If you have the New Testament lenses through which to look. Verses 22 and 23 has the stone that is rejected becoming the chief cornerstone. Rejected by men, rejected especially in our text by the chief priests and the Pharisees, but made everything by God.

Made the stone that The whole building will be built upon the chief foundation stone by God. It was God's doing and it's marvelous in our eyes. Jesus quotes that of himself. He lays claim to being the fulfillment of that in Matthew 21 and Peter doubles down on it in 1 Peter chapter 2 when he talks about this holy temple of living stones being built upon the chief cornerstone and that being Jesus. We have what is quoted by the multitude in verses 25 and 26.

Look at 25, It says, Save now I pray, O Lord. The save now there is Hosanna. You don't get the translation, You get a transliteration. In other words, Hosanna is not particularly meaningful as an English word. It is a transliteration brought over.

But when you translate it and ascribe to an English meeting, here's what you get, save now. This is what the people are doing. They are crying out, verse 25 here, when they say save now, they're saying in their language, Hosanna. I pray, O Lord, O Lord, I pray. Send now prosperity.

Here are the olive branches. You save. You bring prosperity to Israel. And then they say what is in verse 26, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. They are blessing Jesus.

They are acknowledging that Jesus comes from God, that He has the authority of God. And then they add this. We don't find this actually in Psalm 118. They say the King of Israel. They connect the dots from what is said in Psalm 118 and they draw the right conclusion.

This is the King. This is our King. They are taking Him as King. Verse 27, God gives light and God gives a sacrifice. Jesus has said, I am the light of the world.

Jesus is coming into Jerusalem as the Passover lamb. He is everywhere in Psalm 118. If you have the New Testament lenses through which to look. Now how much of that did the crowd understand? Well listen to this.

This is Matthew's account of the triumphal entry and this is after the triumphal entry. Matthew 21, 10 and 11. And when Jesus had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved saying, who is this? So the multitude said, This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee. What does that mean?

Well that means what we've seen throughout other Gospel accounts is that there is not clarity and unanimity on who Jesus is. Were some people there in the multitude recognizing Jesus as Messiah and claiming him as Messiah undoubtedly? Was that clear and unanimous among the people? No way. It has not been all along in the Gospel accounts.

They've said he's this or that or the other. And that continues even at the triumphal entry. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. So that is a fulfillment of a prophecy about the Messiah. Turn to Zechariah 9.

Zechariah is not a chapter we make it to a lot. So it is right before the New Testament, right before Malachi. Is there anything between Zechariah and Malachi? No. So right before the New Testament is Malachi, right before Malachi is Zechariah.

Turn to Zechariah 9. I'll be reading 9-11. Now, the context of Zechariah. Zechariah is prophet that is mentioned in Ezra 5. When we were in Ezra 5, Zerubbabel had been put at liberty by the king of Babylon to come back to Jerusalem with any Jews who wanted to come.

50, 000 came with him. So Zerubbabel and Jeshua led back 50, 000 captives to Jerusalem and they began rebuilding. But ultimately they were then frustrated in their rebuilding of the temple by the surrounding peoples and so it stopped because the surrounding peoples wouldn't let them continue with rebuilding the temple. And there was a period of time where there was no rebuilding, and God raised up Zechariah and Haggai to prophesy to the people, start building again. That is the context.

And so Zechariah has been raised up by God to prophesy so that the people would be encouraged to re-engage in the work. And in Zechariah 9 they are being told to look forward to their greatest king. In other words, people of God, God is telling you that your greatest king is not in the rear view mirror, he is through the windshield. What do I mean? He is not in your history.

Israel's glory days are not behind them. Israel's glory days are in front of them. Their greatest king is not in their history, their greatest King is ahead. This is what Zechariah chapter 9 means. Verses 9-11.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Zion is Jerusalem, and Jerusalem is Zion. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your King is coming to you.

He is just and having salvation. Lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem." Now when you first read that you would say, oh that's bad. They're not going to have any chariots to defend themselves, or horses to defend themselves. The whole point is they won't need them.

The point here is that the days of needing Chariots and horses will be behind you because I'm ushering in a time of peace Listen the battle bow shall be cut off He shall speak peace to the nations his dominion shall be from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth. As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit." What is the waterless pit? If there ever was a description of hell, the waterless pit is it. Think of the man who was in torment and he was begging that one drop of water would be put on his tongue. But it could not be.

This is Jesus as Savior. Now There is much in here that would be easily misunderstood by a people waiting for a political and military salvation from oppressors. I am not denying that. I am not denying that this would be easily understood by this multitude. But here you have the King, the greatest King for Israel coming, not in pride, but in humility, riding on a donkey and bringing salvation with him.

He isn't riding on a horse on a mission of military conquest. That's how the conquering king would ride in. He would ride in on a horse. He is riding on a donkey cult on a mission of peace and salvation. It's so symbolic, Jesus coming into Jerusalem on a donkey and not on a war horse.

He is coming on a mission of peace and salvation. That is directly in the text in Zechariah 9.9. Peace is there explicitly, salvation is there explicitly. This is Jesus' Mission at the triumphal entry. Peace between God and man.

Salvation to sinners. Listen to Matthew 21. Again, this is Matthew's account of the triumphal entry. Verses 4 and 5. This is after great detail about the acquiring of the donkey and the foal or the cult of the donkey.

So we get none of this in John. John is actually the abbreviated account of the triumphal entry. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, space is given to how they acquired this donkey. It's supernatural, but it's not in our text, so I won't spend time here. Listen to Matthew 21 verses 4 and 5.

All this was done, all this activity to acquire the donkeys was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet saying, Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold your king is coming to you lowly, and on a donkey a colt." The foal of a donkey. All this acquiring of the donkeys was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken in Zechariah 9. Jesus proactively went out of his way to get these donkeys. It wasn't happenstance that he rode in on a donkey. He didn't have a donkey.

He acquired the donkey so that this prophecy would be fulfilled. He is laying claim to being fulfillment of this Messianic prophecy. By the way, I meant to say this about Psalm 118. I know I'm going back 10 minutes. Forgive me.

But I should say this. Psalm 118 was widely acknowledged as a Messianic Psalm. As a Psalm with things about the Messiah in it. If you look at the Jewish commentaries, we have our commentaries, we love our Matthew Henry. The Jews too, they have their Matthew Henrys.

They love their rabbis. The commentators on Psalm 118 attributed these things to the Messiah. So that was the expectation. The things in Psalm 118 were things about the coming Savior. Same with Zechariah 9.

This was known to be about the Messiah. And Jesus is very consciously laying claim to being the fulfillment of this. Our text in John chapter 12 makes it clear that at the moment the disciples didn't understand that Messianic prophecy was being fulfilled all around them. It's being fulfilled with what the multitudes are crying out from Psalm 118. It's being fulfilled in Jesus, how he is coming into Jerusalem riding on the colt of a donkey.

They didn't understand that messianic prophecy was being fulfilled all around them. But sometime after the resurrection they got it. Our text doesn't tell us when or how. You can imagine one of the disciples reading Psalm 118. We knew this was from the halal when they said, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

But guys, guys, come see what's all around it. Come see what's all around it. A disciple reading Zechariah 9. This is just like what happened to him that day. Jesus fulfilled it.

Back to John 12. Feeling like I haven't got my transitions. It's been very abrupt at the end of every section. Anyway, sue me. John chapter 12, the last section verses 17 through 19.

Therefore the people who were with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead bore witness. For this reason the people also met him because they had heard that he had done this sign. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, you see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after him. In these verses we have the testimony of eye witnesses and the reaction of the Pharisees.

So if you're filling in blanks, if you're taking notes that way, it's testimony, reaction. The testimony of eyewitnesses, those who were there, saw with their own two eyes this Dead body, not dead, shuffling out of the grave, and the reaction of the Pharisees to the multitudes crying out. In verses 17 and 18 we learn that the testimony of the eyewitnesses was a key reason that the multitude had gathered. How was it that such a multitude came out to praise Jesus waving their palm branches? How was it?

Well, one great reason for this was the testimony of the eyewitnesses that had seen Jesus call forth the corpse. In verse 19 we see that this is the Pharisees worst nightmare. Can you imagine a worst nightmare for the Pharisees? They've given the order, if you know where he is, you tell us so we can apprehend him. And not only have people not obeyed that, they are coming out and receiving him as king, and just kind of as one, waving these nationalistic symbols, the palm branches of victory and prosperity in saying, the King of Israel.

Can you imagine? A nightmare worse than that for the Pharisees. It's worse even than John relates. Listen to Luke, Luke 19, 39-40. In Luke 19, 39-40, we find that the Pharisees didn't stay quiet in the face of this.

They confronted Jesus about what was happening and the praises being heaped on him. Listen to this, and some of the Pharisees called to him from the crowd, Teacher, rebuke your disciples. But he answered and said to them, I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out. Not only did he not rebuke his disciples as if he were not worthy of the praise, he says, if I did, the stones would rise up in their place to cry out praises to me. And They are left with no recourse.

The multitudes are taking him as king. I never would have thought of this. I forget which commentator put me onto it. But what that commentator said made me think of this as the Pharisees Haman moment. You remember Haman?

Back when we were studying Esther, Haman hates Mordecai. Haman loves himself. He wants the praises to be heaped on himself. So when the king says, what shall be done for the man that the king desires to honor? Oh, have him paraded in front of the people.

Thus shall it be done for the man that the king delights. Oh, put him on the king's horse, and the horse should have the crest so that everyone can know that the king is ours. Okay, do that for Mordecai. This is the Pharisees Haman moment. They hate Jesus.

They intend to kill Jesus. They have resolved and plotted to kill Jesus. They want the honor for themselves. They would rather kill him and preserve their own position of honor. Oh, and here he comes into the city.

Even though he's humble in himself, The crowds are claiming him as king. They are receiving him as king. They are saying, Hosanna, salvation is in your hand to give or to withhold. You are the king. Blessed are you who God has sent to save.

You can detect their exasperation in the second half of verse 19. They say, you see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after him. We've given our orders that people should tell us where he is, and out they come with their palm branches. We are accomplishing nothing.

The whole world has gone after him. Here is the conclusion of the whole text. What has happened here? What has happened in our text? Well, first, a lot of prophecy has been fulfilled.

Jesus didn't pop up out of nowhere. God said exactly that He would be sending, who He would be sending, and how you would know when he had been sent. This is just more of the same. But it's a heap. You know what, if you heaped it all up, if you put it back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back of all the prophecies that Jesus had fulfilled, You would have a mountain.

Friends, this should give us such joy and confidence. This should give us such joy and confidence that the crowds, uninstructed by Jesus, should come out and cry out Psalm 118, which is so obviously about the Messiah in hindsight. It should give us such joy and confidence. That Jesus would seek out and ride in at this occasion on the colt of the donkey to give us such joy and confidence. Secondly, maybe even more importantly, what am I going to say Now, what could be more important than Jesus fulfilling these prophecies?

Maybe more importantly, things have been set up for the most public offering of atonement imaginable. It's never stated anywhere in the text, but just think about what's happening. Jerusalem is the center. Passover is the center. Jerusalem is the center of Israel.

So God has a special people, but the special people have a special place. It's Jerusalem. Israel is the center of the earth, but Jerusalem is the center of Israel. There's a calendar. Passover is the center of the calendar.

More people are in Jerusalem at Passover than any other time of the year. The population goes from 200, 000 to 3 million. There will be 3 million people in Jerusalem when the Lord Jesus lays down His life. When Jesus is hanging on the cross, there will be something like three million people in Jerusalem. God made the time so that it would be the most public event imaginable.

This is swelling to a crescendo. A crescendo is a musical term where the volume increases and increases. The triumphal entry is the crescendo into the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. So that Paul, when he is on trial, can appeal. You know these things.

These things were not done in a corner. No, they were done in the most public place at the most public time. God did that. God meant to do that. The atoning sacrifice didn't take place off in secret.

It took place in the most public place at the most public time. Applications. I have four. Number one, don't trust the praise of man. Don't seek or put confidence in the praise of man from Hosanna to crucify him six days.

By the way, Jesus wasn't fooled for a second. In Luke 19, Luke's account of the triumphal entry, all these things that are in John happen and then Jesus comes into Jerusalem weeping. If only you had known the day of your visitation. Jesus didn't soak in the praise of man as if he were fooled about the hearts of the people. He knew.

He knew it all. He came into Jerusalem weeping. Number two. So, Number one, don't trust the praise of man. It's so fickle.

If the people's disposition towards Jesus could go from Hosanna to crucify him in six days. You cannot stand upon the praise of man. It's not something to be sought. I suppose if you have it, enjoy it while it lasts. That's the most that can be said.

Number two, most of the time we have no idea what God is doing. That's the disciples. They probably had a sense that God was doing something, but they didn't really have a sense that this was the fulfillment of Psalm 118 and Zechariah 9. God is often working in, through, and around us in ways that we don't see until later. The conclusion to draw from that, the wrong conclusion to draw from that is, God's not doing anything.

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Believe that God is working. Even if you don't understand it at the time, you'll understand it later. Move forward in life believing that God is working in and through and around you every moment of every day. That is truth.

God is sovereign. He cares about even the little things that are happening and He's arranged them. Number three, a scene from Revelation. Listen to this. Revelation 7, 9, and 10.

Revelation chapter 7 verses 9 and 10. After these things I looked and behold a great multitude which no one could number of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the lamb clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands." Just let me pause there for a minute. These are all tongues, tribes, and nations gathered before the Lamb and the throne and they are clothed with white robes and they have palm branches in their hands and crying out with a loud voice saying, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. The first time it didn't last. The second time it will last forever and ever and ever.

The first time it's just a little down payment on heaven. It's just a little glimpse into heaven where the multitudes are waving the signs of victory and prosperity and in eternity we will wave those branches either literally or figuratively I don't know and I don't care forever and ever praising God. We will be ascribing victory and prosperity to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb who sits on the throne forever and ever and ever and ever and ever. That's what's happening. Just a little down payment on that is happening as the multitudes gather.

Number four, finally, a final scene from Revelation. Revelation 19, 11-16. Listen to this. Revelation 19, 11-16. Now I saw heaven open and behold, a white horse.

And he who sat on him was called faithful and true. And in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God.

And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should strike the nations and he himself will rule them with an iron rod. He himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and the wrath of Almighty God and he has on his robe and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The first time the Lord Jesus Christ comes into his city, it's the city of the great King, Psalm 48, the city of the great king, on a donkey, on a mission of peace and salvation. The next time he comes on a war horse on a mission of judgment, flee the wrath to come.

If you have not placed your trust and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Let today be today. You're a fool if you wait another day. He can come back at any time. He's coming on a war horse with a sword coming from his mouth, with his face shining like the sun.

He will judge the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He is coming again. Flee the wrath to come. Pity your own soul.

If you do not pity your soul, who will pity it? If you do not have compassion on your eternal soul, who will have compassion upon it? Repent, believe the gospel. God, God, we are your gathered people, We believe that you are coming again. All of your promises are yes and amen in your son.

You have promised to come again. You will come again to judge the nations. I pray that your spirit would be present to bear down on any unregenerate heart who is listening now that they would see that moment in their minds eye, your return, There being no more time to repent and turn. And those who have not repented and believe the Gospel will wish that the mountains could fall upon them to hide them from your gaze. God, I pray that these things that are fairy tales to so many people in the world would be such a clear reality in our own minds.

Thank you for your word. I pray that you would bless it to our hearing in Jesus name amen. Amen over to you.