“The Gospel According To The
Pharisees” John
Intro.: The
children’s song “This Little Gospel Light of Mine,” while encouraging good
behavior and a proper response to the Gospel, at the same time underestimates
the power of the Gospel. It presumes
that the Gospel can be hidden “under a bushel.”
In this year’s Lenten journey we have witnessed, however, that the
Gospel is of such moment and magnitude that it cannot and will not be hidden
even in the darkest of circumstances.
This truth is demonstrated very well at Jesus’
triumphal entry into
I.
The Words Uttered By The Pharisees Were, By No Means, Intended To
Glorify Jesus.
A. The Pharisees and other religious leaders
recognized that the multitudes were turning away from their false religion and
seeking salvation in Jesus. For so long
they had the people just where they wanted them, terror stricken, beaten down,
and held in bondage to them and their new and improved version of the law. The religious leaders had managed to elevate
themselves with boasts of self-righteousness, while at the same time leaving
others with the impression that salvation was absolutely unattainable for them.
Then came Jesus,
revealing to the people God’s grace and truth and exposing to them the very
heart of God. He taught them about a
love so great that God sent His Son into the world to save them. Jesus offered them forgiveness, life and
salvation that was truly attainable because it was a free gift. No matter how lowly and sinful they were, He
promised them citizenship in the kingdom of heaven and a place in the family of
God.
So they turned away from the false
teachers of
Waving their palm branches which were a
symbol of victory and salvation, the people made their confession and offered
their praise: “Hosanna, to the Son of
David! Blessed is He who comes in the
name of the Lord!” With these words the
people were declaring to leaders of the false religion of Judaism, we are done
with you! We don’t need your traditions
and your empty sacrifices! The Holy One
of God has come to us! We have witnessed
the sign of His power over death and the grave.
Look, Lazarus, the one He raised from the tomb is with Him! We deserved a King to come and punish us for
our wickedness and unbelief, but this King has come with grace and salvation,
not to be feared and dreaded but to be loved, trusted, and joyfully followed!
B. In no way were the words of the Pharisees
intended to give credit or praise to Jesus.
When they “said to one another, "See, this is getting us
nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!" it was an expression of frustration and jealousy. Jesus
was a threat to them. He was a threat to
the power they had claimed over others, and to the lies upon which they had
built their lives. They hated Him and
feared Him. The darkness of their hearts
is what makes the whole spectacle of Jesus entrance even more dramatic, because
even though He knew about their murderous hate, and evil plans, He still came
and stayed the course that would lead to the cross.
While we may not want to admit it the
reaction of the Pharisees to Jesus can be found in all of us. We struggle with frustration and jealousy
when we discover that Jesus has plans for us that do not fit in with the plans
we have made for ourselves. We resent it
when He threatens our power and the lies upon which we have built our
lives. Why do we try so desperately to
silence the sound of His praises in us?
Why do we refuse to give Him the place of our greatest trust and absolute
authority as Savior and King? And what
explanation is there for the unholy thoughts and ungodly actions in our lives,
than that deep down there is still a part of us that hates and fears
Jesus. Now as then, it is in the midst
of the darkness of our hearts that Jesus entrance into our lives becomes most
dramatic, because the Gospel cannot be hidden or the Lord’s praises
silenced. Jesus’ perfect love overcomes
our hatred and fear.
The events of Palm Sunday show us that even
out of hatred and fear the enemies of Jesus still speak words of truth.
II. The Words Of The Pharisees
Reveal the Weakness Of Our
Efforts.
A. The first reaction of the Pharisees to the
spectacle of Palm Sunday was to confess: “See,
this is getting us nowhere.” It seems
that the Pharisees had been divided into two parties. The more unscrupulous faction had been siding
with the radical Sadducees, and wanted to get rid of Jesus. The other group was more lenient and
hesitated to propose violent measures to solve their problem. For all their maneuvering, for all their
plotting and challenges and arguments with Jesus, it was getting them
nowhere. Nothing they did seemed to make
any difference. Now, the more radical among
them thought it was time to kill that trouble-making Nazarene. But as we know even that got them nowhere!
Sure they managed to silence the shouts of
the disciples for a few days. The
disciples shamefully surrendered in silence to the powers of evil, just as we
often do, but on Easter their songs of praise were renewed and soon many more
voices were added.
B. Like those Pharisees we confess that our works
are getting us nowhere. Whether our
efforts are aimed at putting Jesus out of our lives or exalting ourselves because
of the things we do, in the end it amounts to nothing.
Any
of you who have been living life by your own rules, who have refused to give
Christ Lordship, and who have argued against the idea that Christ will someday return
to judge, it is time to confess that all of this is getting you
nowhere. All the ways you have attempted
to rid yourself of Jesus, all your activities, all the wealth you have
accumulated, all the efforts you have made to put off illness and death, and everything
you have put in the Lord’s place, will come to nothing, just as it did for the
Pharisees. Because on the last day,
every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord.
All of you who, like the Pharisees, have
fallen victim to the notion that the things you do, whether the decisions you
make or the works you perform, have set you above others and earned you a place
in heaven, it is time to confess that all of this is getting you nowhere. There is nothing you can do to get yourself
saved – no great sacrifice you can make and no higher spiritual law you can
keep. The Bible teaches that, “by works of the law no human being will be
justified in [God’s] sight” (Rom.
C. Instead, we come to greet our Savior and cry
with the people, “Hosanna, which means, Lord,
Save Us Now!”
We come to Jesus as people who know that our sin has made salvation
impossible for us to attain for ourselves.
Our only hope is in God’s mercy!
And that hope does not disappoint us, because God has sent His Son to be
the sacrifice for our sins. He paraded
into the city on Palm Sunday carried on a beast of burden to shouts of joyful
crowds, and paraded out of again on Good Friday carrying the burden of our sin
and punishment in the shape of a cross to the shouts of angry mobs. He was the One who came in the name of the
Lord, the Long awaited Son of David who would give us
victory over sin, death and the power of the devil. So we come here today, with only one
plea: “Hosanna! Lord, Save us now!”
Praise God that the words of the Pharisees
do not only reveal the weakness of our efforts, they also…
III. The Words Of The
Pharisees Reveal The Power Of The Gospel.
A. When the Pharisees uttered
those words, “Look, how the whole world
has gone after him!” they were unconsciously
uttering words of prophecy, because soon thousands upon thousands would be
turned to faith, the Gospel would be preached throughout the world, and people
everywhere would begin to go after Jesus.
B. Jesus, Himself, had made
the promise that after He was lifted up on the cross, like the bronze snake in
the wilderness, He would gather all people to Himself, so that all who looked
to Him in faith would live. This week we
look up to that cross upon which our Savior, the One who came in the name of
the Lord, died for us. We hear the
blessed words of love and forgiveness He spoke to us. We eat and drink the very body and blood
that was broken and shed on that cross for us.
Today/tonight He draws us to Himself, to see Him lifted up for us, and
by the calling of the Holy Spirit we have gone after Him!
C. With the whole world we have gone after Him,
and through faith have received salvation.
We know that the works of the Pharisees, and
our own sinful acts have come to nothing!
The Gospel is of such moment and magnitude that it cannot and will not
be hidden. Jesus died on that cross, but
He also rose again in victory! With the
people on that first Palm Sunday we welcome Him into our city and into our
lives! With them we sing our Gospel
song: “Hosanna! Lord, Save
us now! Hosanna, to the Son of
David! Blessed is He who comes in the
name of the Lord! Hosanna in the
highest!”