The Arrival of the Good Shepherd
by Rev. Kirby Williams
A richly symbolic look at the Triumphal Entry.
Text: John 12:12-19
Date: 09/16/2018, the Traditional service.
Series: "John: Encountering Love" Part 105
Description:
The Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the Sunday before His Crucifixion is one of the best known stories of the Gospels. In fact, it is one of the few events that is reported by all four Gospel writers. It is also one of the most richly symbolic events in Jesus' life and ties together multiple metaphors that stretch throughout both the Old and New Testaments. But these metaphors have a common purpose: to highlight the preeminent place that Jesus the Christ fulfills in redemptive history. In other words-- it's all about Jesus! John, as you might expect has his own emphasis and ties this event together with the resurrection of Lazarus, the anointing of Mary and the arrival of the Greeks, to form a living parable of the mission and purpose of the church. We will take this symbolism one step further and find in this story the very embodiment of the Good Shepherd motif Jesus developed so fully in the 10th chapter. And ultimately, when the text is carefully considered, we will recognize both the triumph and the tragedy of the arrival of the Good Shepherd.
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I. Introduction, Zech. 9:9,16, John 10:14-18.
II. Exposition of the text, John 12:12-19.
A. Context, John 11:25-26.
B. A unique handling of the Triumphal Entry.
1. The anatomy of the crowd, vs. 12.
a. The reason for the crowd.
b. A political tinder box.
c. The talk of the town.
2. A misguided welcome, vs. 13-15.
a. Celebration and victory, vs. 13a.
i. A symbol of joy, Rev. 7:9.
ii. A symbol of victory.
iii. A tragic image.
b. The cry of Hosanna, vs. 13b, Psa. 118:25-26.
c. Fulfilling Zechariah's prophecy, vs. 14-15, Zech. 9:9.
i. Scant details.
ii. A different kind of Messiah.
iii. Missing the meaning, Luke 19:41-42.
3. Even the disciples misunderstand, vs. 16.
a. Swept away by the excitement, Mark 15:34.
b. Missing the perspective of the context, John 10:17.
4. A chaotic scene, vs. 17-18.
a. Forming a mental image.
b. Bearing witness to the truth, vs. 17, Luke 19:40.
c. A sobering detail, vs. 18, John 12:37.
5. Prophetic Pharisees, vs. 19.
a. Into the wolf's lair.
i. A nefarious resolve.
ii. A renewed resolve, John 11:49.
iii. A common resolve.
b. The prophetic inclusion of "the world", John 1:9, 3:16-17.
III. Application, Zech. 9:16.
IV. Conclusion
