Christ Church

Palm Sunday and the Greeks

Joe Harby on

Introduction

In the verses immediately prior to our text, we see the Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The people received Him gladly in the name of the Lord (vv. 12-13). It is common for preachers to expand on the fickleness of crowds by contrasting this reception with the mob yelling “crucify Him” just a few days later, but we really have no reason for thinking that these were the same people.

Jesus entered Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, fulfilling the word of the prophet (vv. 14-15). The disciples did not understand the import of all this until later, until after Christ’s glorification (v. 16). The word about Lazarus was being spread around (v. 17), and the crowd received Him because of this (v. 18). The Pharisees then said, “Look, this is worthless. The world loves this man” (v. 19). This is how John sets up the episode with the Greeks.

The Text

“And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour” (John 12: 20-26).

Summary of the Text

It is possible that these were Jews of the Dispersion, but in this context, it is much more likely that they were Gentile Greeks. They were there to worship at the feast, which was Passover (v. 20). They came to Philip, who was from (John makes a point of telling us here) the town of Bethsaida in Galilee. Galilee was “of” the Gentiles (Matt. 4:15), and Bethsaida meant “House of Fish.” Jesus had promised Peter that the disciples would be fishers of men, and He was not talking about a cane pole and a quiet trout stream. He was talking about bursting nets and a fishing industry. So these men came to Philip and said they wanted to see Jesus (v. 21). Philip tells his brother Andrew about it, and they both tell Jesus (v. 22). We are not explicitly told whether these Greeks ever met Jesus, but Christ’s cryptic answer tells us what the conditions would have been if they did. This seems to hint at a positive response, however stringent the conditions. The hour was approaching for Christ’s glorification (v. 23), and in this regard He was here talking about the cross (vv. 27-28). A grain of seed that does not die “abideth alone,” but if it goes in the ground and dies, it brings forth much fruit (v. 24). This pattern of “much fruit” is generational. It multiplies because the seed corn that is produced will itself die, and be fruitful as well (v. 25). Christ then closes the loop on the request of the Greeks. They wanted to see Him (v. 21), but Jesus slides right into “serve me” (v. 26). He who would serve must follow (v. 26). Follow where? To death and fruitfulness. For, Jesus says, where I am (in the ground and in the heavens), there also will His servant be (v. 26). If a man does this, the Father will honor him as well (v. 26). As Christ rose, so shall we. If we die as Jesus did, we are glorified in the dying. If we die with Him we will also rise with Him (Rom. 6:5). And if we rise with Him, then we are honored as He was—and this is the place where the fruit is harvested.

“Not Dying” or “Not Rising”

Jesus came into the world to confront the world, and to subvert its entire system. Worldliness and godliness therefore represent two different approaches to the questions about life and living. The world is dedicated to a life that is based on not dying. Given our sinfulness and the curse that God laid on the world, this is a futile and vain endeavor, an impossible standard. This is the core of worldliness—don’t let go, don’t give up, don’t surrender, keep whatever you have in that death grip. And that is just what it is—a death grip. Once matured, this worldliness is the beating heart of Hell.

The core of godliness is this—Jesus came so that we might have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). Who would shy away from abundant life? Well, everyone, just as soon as they discover that this abundant life is on the other side of death. As the old Albert King blues song puts it, “everybody wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to die.” As that song also notes, everybody wants to hear the truth, but everybody wants to tell a lie.

Now this is not just worldliness as opposed to godliness on the grand scale—dealing with actual death, for example. It is not just the day before you physically die that the contrast between the two kinds of living is made. Jesus said we were to take up our cross daily (Luke 9:23), which means that these issues are present every day, all day long.

Inexorable Fascination

Once the teaching of Jesus at this point is made clear, it would be easy to believe that throughout the course of human history, we might be able to come up with three Christians tops, if that. But the cross is not the ultimate test that we must pass. It is the ultimate test that the Lord Jesus passed, and because He was glorified in passing it, that glorification draws men inexorably to their fruitful deaths.

“Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die” (John 12:31-32).

We have been contrasting this fruitful death and resurrection with the way of the world. Here it is explicitly. How did Jesus save the world? He did it by judging the world. Now is the judgment of the world, and all its clinging-to-life ways (v. 31). Now the prince of the world was to be cast out—and we are to have a new prince, one who died and rose, not one who clung to everything. And Jesus, lifted up in agony and death, would be glorified, and would draw all men to Him. And this He is in the process of doing, even down to the present hour.

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Freedom From Bondage

Christ Church on

Introduction:
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who are in bondage to their sin and those who have been set free. This morning I would like to talk about this bondage and this setting free.

The Text:
“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham, and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:31-36).

Overview:
This chapter begins with the woman caught in adultery and moves on to Jesus saying that he is the light of the world followed by a discussion with the Pharisees. At the end of the section, verse 30, the text says that as he was saying these, many believed in him (v.31). He tells them that if they will abide in his word, they are truly his disciples (v.31). They will know the truth and the truth would set them free (v.32). The Jews notice this comment about slavery and react to it in typical defensive mode. “We are Abraham’s offspring and have never been enslaved to anyone.” Since this is true, why does Jesus say they need to be set free? (v.33). Jesus responded with, “Truly! Truly! Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (v.34). And the fact is that the slave does not get to stay in the house forever, but the son does (v.35). So, if the son sets you free from your slavery and makes you a son, you will be free indeed and able to live on in the house forever (v.36). From there things go pretty much down hill and in the end the Jews try to stone Jesus for declaring to them that he is God (v. 59).

The Subtlety of Sin:
Most of us can see the problem the Jews who were talking to Jesus had. We can all read how Jesus went on to explain why and how these people were bound in their sin until in the end they tried to stone him. And most of us are not like these guys…but we do need to be set free. So, let’s focus on us for the rest of the message.

The first of the Ten Commandments is to not put any other God in the place of Yahweh. We call this particular sin idolatry, and though there are lots and lots of sins that fall under the umbrella of idolatry (see Col. 3:5) let’s talk about idolatry for a minute.

In Deuteronomy 7 God commanded the people, as they were about to enter the promised land, to kill everyone in their path; men, women, and children. If they did allow anyone to live, the end result would be idolatry. As you read through the Old Testament, you see that Israel pretty much ignored God and did exactly what he said not to do. But put yourself in their shoes for a minute.

The Nuts and Bolts:
When you realize you are in bondage to an idol, the first thing you should do is fall on your knees and cry out to God for forgiveness and repent of the sin. You need to know that the message is that Jesus came to set the captives free. He said in our text that if you will abide in his word you will be set free from your idols and thus from your bondage and when Jesus sets you free, you will be free indeed.

There are two passages of Scripture you need to hear at this point:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

2 Peter 1:3-4 says “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”

The Body of Christ:
Besides the Scripture being given to us as God’s living word and setting us free, God has left Jesus’ body here on earth in the form of the church. What this means is that in your journey to getting rid of the bondage you’ve been in for so long, you have help. All of the elders and deacons standing up in the front, serving you the Lord’s Supper want nothing for you but your freedom in Christ. All the pastors of both our churches want to help you overcome and to help you take advantage of all Christ has as you search the Scriptures and serve him with your whole heart.

You should know that because of the nature of idolatry, you will undoubtedly need help in overcoming many habits you’ve acquired over the years to either participate in your idolatry or in covering up for your idolatry. You need to know that Jesus loves you and wants to set you free and so does the leadership of our two churches.

Conclusion:
Many of you are tired of struggling to walk with God. You look around in Church on Sundays and instead of being lifted up by the saints, you are depressed by all the seemingly perfect people. You see smiling faces everywhere you look and you think there’s something wrong with you. Jesus said “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Lk. 4:18). Are you a captive? Are you broken hearted? Are you overcome by temptation and sin? Look to Jesus, go to Jesus, live with and in and around Jesus. He is the only one who can set you free and if he sets you free, you will be free indeed.

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