Jesus, the King: At the Triumphal Entry, Jesus, riding the colt of a donkey, was welcomed into Jerusalem as a king by people waving palm branches and praising God. This fulfilled numerous prophecies about the promised King of the Kingdom of God. But if Jesus is the true King — then he not only deserves our total allegiance but he changes the way we understand and use any sort of power or authority. Recorded on Jan 7, 2024, on John 12:12-19 by Pastor David Parks.

Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.

Sermon Transcript

Well, today, we’re continuing to work through The Gospel According to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. We’ll be in John chapter 11 12, considering the triumphal entry of Jesus when he was welcomed as a king into the city of Jerusalem. Most Christians would be quick to say Jesus is our Lord and Savior. But what does it mean for Jesus to be our King? This question is really at the heart of the Christian life. So if you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 12:12. We’ll read through it first and then we’ll go back and unpack it.

John 12:12–19 (NIV), “12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival 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 on it, as it is written: 15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter 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 these things had been done 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 performed this 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!” This is God’s word. The Apostle John starts this passage by saying it took place “the next day.” The next day after what? Well, last week, we saw the interaction between Jesus and Mary of Bethany at a dinner held in Jesus’ honor for raising Mary’s brother, Lazarus, from the dead. And Mary demonstrated extravagant honor by anointing Jesus with a very costly perfume. Jesus was really touched by what she had done. But we also saw that chapter 12 marks the start of the week leading up to the cross. Again, time slows way down for John as we get closer to the cross. The first half of John’s gospel covers about 2.5 years of time, while the second half only covers about a week. But if this is all true, then this week would be the most important week in human history. So here, the next day, six days before the cross, on Sunday morning, the great crowd that had come for the Passover festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. Let’s look at that again (v. 12).

John 12:12–13 (NIV), “12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival 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 on it, as it is written: 15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see,