Please note: This post builds on earlier posts written on 04/18/2011 and 04/19/2011
Scripture Reading: Luke 19:28-40; John 12:1-50; Zechariah 9:9-17
Review and Explanation: The nation of Israel understood on that first Palm Sunday that Jesus was presenting Himself as King, the One promised by the prophets as the Restorer of the nation, the One through Whom the glory of Solomon's rule would return. However, they quickly turned away from Jesus once they realized what lay in store for them the rest of the way on the path to Kingdom glory.
So what did Jesus indicate lay in store the rest of the way on the path to Kingdom glory? First, there would be death. The people thought they would go right from the glory of the parade to the full-blown glory of the Kingdom prophesied in places like Zechariah 9:10-17. This excitement for the promised glory is illustrated by the Greeks attending the feast, who saw what happened and who expressed interest in meeting with Jesus, by implication so they could join in honoring Him (see John 12:20-21). However, Jesus ignored their request and redirected everyone to His approaching death. He told them: "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified" (John 12:23), which He goes on to explain in terms of "a grain of wheat" bearing fruit only if it "falls into the earth and dies" (John 12:24). To press the point even further, Jesus tells everyone: "Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him" (John 12:25-26). In other words, not only does the path to Kingdom glory involve death for Me, it involves death for everyone who wants to follow Me into Kingdom glory.
This was bad news for people without heart-deep faith in Jesus. To add insult to injury, Jesus began to speak of the kind of death that He was about to die, referring to Himself all the while as "the Son of Man" (see John 12:27-33). By then, most of the people had heard enough. Their rhetorical questions going back to Jesus indicate they did not believe Jesus was who He claimed to be, so they were not about to follow Him to death.
There is a "rest of the path to Kingdom glory" for all of us as well. It still involves following Jesus in death to self and to the values of life apart from His Kingdom. It still involves trusting Jesus; that He knows what He is talking about; that He knows perfectly what the rest of the path looks like; that He knows how to bring us through "the valley of the shadow of death"; and that He has the power to take us all the way to end, to the amazing glory of His Kingdom.
Reflection Questions:
1. How do you respond to the proposition that the rest of the path to Kingdom glory for you requires you to hate life apart from Christ's Kingdom and to die to self? How are your responses similar to the crowd after Palm Sunday? How are they different?
2. Select some issue of life you are wrestling with currently. What does "falling down and dying" with Christ look like in regard to that issue? What does "standing and prevailing", standing and preserving your life look like? Which do you choose?
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