Following Jesus: “Hosanna Jesus!”

Bible Text: John 12:12-16 | Preacher: Pastor Mark Verbruggen | Series: Palm Sunday | The Palm Sunday narrative is all about the Christ who comes and bring healing, restoration, and
wholeness to the universe. Jesus didn’t come to just save lost human souls, he came to make all
things new. The crowd in our reading is shallow in their understanding of God’s Word and they
are sentimental in their view of Jesus. This is a dangerous combination. They are all stirred up
with enthusiasm for all the wrong reasons! This will account for what happens in just a few days
from the parade we now read about, to the cross we remember on Friday. However, none of
this is arbitrary. In the Palm Sunday story Jesus knew what he was doing. He is revealing himself
as King, but he is not the kind of king the crowd wanted or expected. They are holding a
political rally; Jesus is leading them on the path that leads to the glory of his Kingdom.
This path is not by way of the powers and politics of this world. It is not by way of amusing
ourselves with the trinkets and treasures of this world. The path to glory is by way of denying
yourself, taking up your cross, and following Jesus. The One who lived the perfect life we
cannot live, who died the death we deserved, and who has now risen and ascended to be Lord
of the universe, has opened up the way for us. In Christ we enter New Life in a New Creation.
To be a follower of Jesus you need to know the Word of God, the Gospel, which reveals Jesus
Christ: crucified, risen, and Lord.