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By this Sunday the church should be aware that you are only
two weeks from the beginning of the season of Lent. The forty days that lead
up to Easter are rushing upon us. That reminder will be helpful as our present
text is found in John’s account of Palm Sunday.
Begin by reading the entire twelfth chapter of John and noting
those areas where John adds to the story or gives new insight to Jesus’
triumphal entry into the holy city. For instance, John indicates that the
raising of Lazarus from the dead has had a direct impact on the crowds. There
is a cause and effect between the miraculous raising of Lazarus and the gathering
of the pilgrims in Jerusalem (12:17,18). This has also created the immediacy
of the need for the Sanhedrin to deal with the crisis of Jesus. The leaders
of the Jews were of a sect called Sadducees. They did not believe in the resurrection
of the dead and taught that there was no resurrection. The raising of Lazarus
had been reported to them and had caused a crisis of leadership. Fearing that
a division in Israel would result in them being diminished in their leadership,
and might raise concerns or action from the Romans, they held a secret meeting
of the Sanhedrin. John 11:45-53 will give you an accurate accounting of their
deliberations. By the time of his arrival in John 12, Jesus has already been
condemned. His death having been decided left nothing for the future except
the opportunity to carry out his execution.
Our text seems to be an interruption to the story. The Greeks
who come seeking Jesus may have been Gentiles, or more likely, may have been
Hebrew cultured Jews. Those who were Jewish, but lived the lifestyle of the
educated Greeks, were called Greeks. This is the same division that will come
in the Book of Acts between Jews of Hebrew and Greek culture. We do not know
which group came to Christ. It is their spirit of seeking that is the subject
of our message. They are wishing to see Jesus. This is the mood of our Epiphany
as we now proceed to the close of the season.
The exciting theme of this message is that Christ is the center
of the church and the mission of God. The Jews who sought Jesus already had
religion and yet they hungered. Jesus is the fulfillment of the longing of
the world as well as of its needs. As the pastor engages this text, it would
be good to be aware of all the festivities going on in the great Temple. During
the Passover season, Jerusalem would swell with pilgrims until it would often
triple its normal population. The Temple of white marble and gold was freshly
scrubbed, and the priests and Levites would have been in their most exciting
robes. This is a time when all the pilgrims came together, singing the songs
of Israel and quoting and claiming the promises of their fathers. In the midst
of all this festivity, which should have captivated their hearts, we find
pilgrims still seeking something more, which they believe they will find in
the simple man from Galilee. This is a time of excited seeking.
(For a complete preaching outline of this sermon, click here)