On February 8th of 2023 a revival broke out at Asbury University and lasted for 16 days. It started with a simple chapel service where a message was given that led students to seek God. This revival led to thousands and thousands of people descending on the small town to experience the revival. The news of it spread across the globe. Evangelical leaders attempted to come and take the stage, but the students refused, they didn’t want any figure head or big name leader, just the Holy Spirit in control.
It was unexpected, and overpowering, and wonderful, and it reminds me of a bit of the event we’ll be discussing today. A genuine move of God among an unsuspecting populace. And it reminds me of the event we’re going to discuss today.
People from all over the Roman empire were gathering at Jerusalem in preparation for the Passover festival, the most important festival of the year. It’s estimated that possibly over one million people were gathered in Jerusalem at this moment.
At the same time, the news about the raising of Lazarus from the dead, was sweeping through the city like wildfire.
Jesus was at last headed to Jerusalem, the nation’s capital, to complete the mission he had begun the day he was born.
Huge crowds were assembling near the entrance to the city, and the crowds began to gather palm branches, to celebrate the coming of their great king to the city.
Last week, we focused in on the amazing event in which Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave. We saw it from a perspective of personal resurrection in our lives, seeking God, and His help, to see our energy, our faith, and our excitement revived personally.
Now, as we examine the triumphal entry of Jesus, we’re going to consider what it looks like for God to revive us together, as a family of believers.
We’ll be in John 12:12-19.
John 12:12 says this: “The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.”
As we discussed, a great gathering was taking place in Jerusalem at this moment, the Passover festival. The celebration reenacted certain portions of their exodus from Egypt, like the offering of a Passover lamb, the eating of bitter herbs, and unleavened bread. Jews had gathered from across the nation and throughout the Roman empire to the city.
So the news was spreading fast, as the people gathered for the festival, about Jesus. I’m sure news was swirling around everywhere, of how he’d fed the five thousand, healed lepers and the blind, how he’d taught crowds of thousands, and how most recently, he’d raised a man from the dead.
Next, verse 13: “They took palm branches and went out to meet him…”
Can you imagine the crowds of thousands, waving palm branches as Jesus and his disciples approached the city?
And together the people shouted out to Jesus: “Hosanna!”
What does that word mean? It comes from the Hebrew word Hoshi’a na (ho-san-nah’) and it means… “”save, I pray,” “save now,” or “please deliver us”. But it also simply means, we worship you.
Many in the crowd I’m sure must’ve thought Jesus was there to overthrow the Romans, and re-establish the nation, but that was not Jesus’ purpose in coming.
I’m sure many in the crowd as they chanted “Hosanna!” Save us! Were in their hearts thinking, “save us from the Romans.” But Jesus had come to save them from their own sins. He came to save them from themselves.
It’s often the last thing we want to look at that God comes to deal with. They thought their problem was the Romans. They thought their problem was oppression and high taxes.
Today we often think our problem is the economy, or the sinfulness of the world, or the things people do to us, or how our family is acting or our household problems, or politicians, or health problems, but, Jesus pushes past all that, and says look into your own heart, and find the problem there, that I wish to solve.
The crowd also chanted, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
By the miracle that Jesus did, the people finally understood who he was.
Yet soon after coming into the city, Jesus would mourn over the city, in Matthew 23:37-39, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
So the people at the time of his triumphal entry cried out “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”, but this was not generally representative of the majority of the city, but it came from a holy remnant that had embraced Jesus as the messiah. But, in general, the governmental and religious leaders had rejected Jesus, and in fact would crucify him, so the city would, as Jesus prophesied, be left desolate.
Until that time, we wait for Jesus patiently. We long for his second coming to this Earth. And in the meantime, we long for God to do a new thing among the body of Christ, the church. We long for revival. We long for God to revive our church, right here, and do a new thing among us.
The crowds also cried out to Jesus, “Blessed is the king of Israel!”
Jesus is the Hosanna, the one who saves us. Jesus is the Son of God, the representative of the Father on Earth. And Jesus is also the King of the human race.
He is the king of Israel, but not just that, he’s the King of the United States. He’s the king of Brazil. He’s the king of Kenya. He’s the king of Italy. He’s the king of Pakistan. He’s the king of India. He’s the king of China. He’s the king of Japan. He’s the king of the whole Earth, every tribe, every nation, he is the king.
But scope it down for a minute. He is the king of Our world. But he’s also the king of this congregation.
And what does a king, a leader desire among the people who follow Him? He wants them to be united in Spirit, in lockstep with one another.
God desires unity among us. He desires us to stand as one. To pray, and to seek Him together, as one church, as the bride, waiting for the groom’s arrival. The crowds united here, as one and cried out to Jesus, proclaiming who he was. And there’s power in that equation.
We can accomplish great things if we’ll stand together, even in our little congregation. Are our best days behind us? No, our best days are in front of us, if we’ll unite together in the Spirit.
So the crowds made three declarations:
1. Hosanna, Jesus is our savior for our sins
2. He comes in the name of the Lord, he’s the Son of God
3. And He is the King, Jesus is the rightful ruler of the Earth.
Those three things unite us as Christians. We believe those things, and they link us together in shared belief. And in shared beliefs, comes a power and purpose and energy that sparks amazing shifts and changes in the world around us.
As we look to Jesus as savior, Lord, and King, all three, we experience unity as the body.
This moment fulfilled yet another prophecy about the coming messiah, from Zechariah 9:9, that the messiah would ride into the Jerusalem on a donkey.
Many felt that Jesus would fight the Romans, and indeed if Jesus were coming as a warrior, he would like other warriors of the time, be riding a horse. The Roman army often utilized horses, and conquering Roman generals and Caesars would ride horses. But Jesus in sharp contrast, rode a donkey, symbolizing to everyone at the time, that he was a humble king, a servant king, a king whose purpose was to save through suffering and death.
Similarly, God desires from us, as a faith community, to not only be united, but also, to be radically humble. Jesus set the example for us in this. And the quickest way for a faith community to splinter and divide is when pride gets in the way, when we want our way, and we press for our agenda, but, when we’re humble, we’ll all be in alignment not with our own agenda, but with the agenda of the Holy Spirit within us.
Pride sidelines us in the spiritual battleground of this city. We get stuck on internal strife and problems. But humility will keep us united, so we can be focused on the city out there, and how to reach them for Jesus.
But I like how it says in verse 15: “Do not be afraid.” The picture in my mind of Jesus riding on a donkey into the city of God, to save us from ourselves, is powerful. Jesus comes for us, to help us. He calls out to those who long for his coming and says “Do not be afraid! I’m here to help you.”
The prime ministers and presidents of this world, they wouldn’t often come to save us, but our king, Jesus is riding toward his death, he is riding toward the cross he knows is coming, yet he rides in anyway, “Do not be afraid.” Jesus loves you. He’s riding toward you. To help you.
So we must also not be afraid, as a community. So much is happening in our world, strange illnesses, economic turmoil, wars and rumors of wars, our own city is rapidly changing, and we often look at the commands of God in scripture and we get a little afraid, overwhelmed, but Jesus quickly reminds us, do not be afraid, I’m here to rescue you. He is with us and he won’t leave us.
Next, verse 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 these things had been done to him.”
What’s fascinating is at the moment, the twelve disciples, as they walked behind Jesus on the donkey, didn’t fully understand what was happening. They must’ve thought well this is pretty cool, the crowds are cheering, but they didn’t understand that this event proved Jesus was the messiah.
They were caught up in the moment, caught up in the excitement as the crowds chanted hosanna. And it’s often the same for us as a faith community. We don’t fully understand in the moment what God is doing among us. But, when we look back, we’re able to see how he placed the puzzle pieces together one by one.
Remember that as we grow and develop as a faith community here. You may not fully understand what God is doing in the moment, but, you may understand more in the future.
It says in the scriptures, once Jesus was glorified, meaning once he died, rose, and ascended, sending the Holy Spirit to fill all believers, then they understood. Often, we do something by the leading of the Holy Spirit, not fully understanding it until later. Jesus helps us understand. But understanding is not a pre-requisite for obedience, I’ve learned time and time again in my walk with God, Jesus is not obligated to explain it to me, he wants me to trust Him.
So we too as a faith community are called to trust Jesus, even when we don’t understand what is happening. Can you truly trust Him through the ups and downs we experience here?
Next, verse 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.”
Notice it was the people who were literally at the event and saw it happen, who spread the news everywhere. When we see something that amazes us first hand, we can’t help but tell others. That is our testimony.
I had a gentlemen come on my personal YouTube channel to comment on one of my testimonies saying that I needed to provide verifiable evidence for my testimony, otherwise it was worthless as a form of evidence. Which is of course simply not true. In a court of law, eye witness testimony is considered a valuable form of evidence.
It’s the same with our testimonies of what Jesus did in our lives. Those testimonies are powerful. We saw ourselves go from one way to an entirely different way within.
Now, if someone is seeking scientific or historical evidence, there is plenty of that too, but a testimony is also valuable evidence, that God is really real and active in the world today.
So, as a faith community, this is hugely important, we must be actively sharing our testimonies of what Jesus did for us. If we do, this church will grow, if we don’t, it will dwindle. Spread the word.
Next, verse 18 “Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him.”
The people gathering in Jerusalem heard the testimonies about the raising of Lazarus, and they were so persuaded, they went out to meet Jesus.
Similarly, when we as a faith community share our testimonies, share the gospel, people in our community are drawn in, and they want to learn more about this Jesus is who changed our lives.
And as a result, the body of Christ grows. And more people begin their journeys toward heaven. Hallelujah, Hosanna to the Son of David!
Lastly, verse 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”
The religious leaders kept trying to question Jesus, accuse Jesus, provoke him, anything to get the people to stop following him. And they had failed.
Similarly, the enemy fights our little church. He tries to disrupt us, bring division, cause problems, but in the end he will fail if we stand together. The enemy has been trying very hard, there has been so much spiritual warfare around our church in the last year. But the enemy is failing.
And I believe many in our city are going to turn to Jesus in the coming years. Not because of us, but because of Jesus among us.
In conclusion today, you might say that the triumphal entry was a bit like a revival that took place in Jerusalem long ago, as Jesus entered the city, and the people cried out, “Hosanna!”
If Jesus came here, to our little church in Traverse City, and poured out revival fire upon us, what would we do?
I hope we would cry out, “Hosanna! Praise to the King of Kings!”
Would we allow the revival to flow freely? Or would we shut it down? Remember the Asbury revival, how God’s presence filled the sanctuary. And people stayed there worshiping around the clock. I had a friend who went to school there, and she heard that something was happening in the chapel on campus, which shocked her because chapel had always been considered “boring” by most students. So her and her friends went and walked into the sanctuary. The presence of God was so strong she fell to her knees and began to weep. But after 16 days, they shut down the 24/7 service, and it just.. stopped.
If we as a faith body do truly long for revival, long for awakening, long for resurrection as a group, not just as individuals, we have to make a simple choice today.
We can grow together in unity, or we can fade away separately. We’ve got to allow the Holy Spirit to bind us together, in the unity of Jesus Christ, the kind of unity that came when Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey. And the crowds cried out, “Hosanna, to the Son of David, Hosanna to the King of Israel. Hosanna, to the Lord who saves us!”
Come Lord Jesus, and revive us again!
