Behold
Thy King Cometh
John 12:12 “On the next day much people
that were come to the feast, when they heard that
Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
13
Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet
him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of
Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.
14 And Jesus, when he had found a
young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,
15 Fear not, daughter of Sion:
behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt.
16 These things understood not his
disciples at the first: but when Jesus was
glorified, then remembered they that these things
were written of him, and that they had done these
things unto him.
17 The people
therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus
out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare
record.
18 For this cause the
people also met him, for that they heard that he had
done this miracle.
19 The
Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive
ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone
after him.”
1. The King
2. The Kingdom
3. The
Daughter
4. The World Is Gone After Him.
1. The King
Verse twelve and thirteen: “On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.”
Jesus Christ is PROPHET, PRIEST and KING! HE is only person to ever fulfill … simultaneously … are three offices.
In the book of Acts chapter seven, verse thirty-seven, Jesus Christ is revealed as a PROPHET.
Let us read there: [Acts 7:37] “This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.”
In the book of Hebrews, chapter nine, verse eleven, Jesus Christ is revealed as a PRIEST. [Hebrews 9:11] “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building.”
Thus far, we see Jesus as having fulfilled two of these three offices [prophet, priest and king] … the office of a Prophet and the office of a Priest.
I know of only three other men in the Bible to have this said of them [as having fulfilled two of these three offices].
In Acts chapter two, verse twenty-nine and thirty, David, who was KING of Israel, is identified as being a PROPHET.
“Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne.” [Acts 2:29-30]
David was both a PROPHET and a KING.
The second man to fulfill two of these three offices [prophet, priest and king] was Moses.
In Deuteronomy, chapter thirty-four, verse ten, we see this said of Moses: “And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.” [Deuteronomy 34:10].
Moses was a PROPHET.
Further, we see in Exodus chapter twenty-eight, that Moses was commanded by the LORD to establish Aaron and his sons in the office of a priest. Moses is shown to be a PRIEST himself.
Thus, it can be said that Moses fulfilled the offices of both a PROPHET and of a PRIEST.
[Note: Samuel was the third man.]
The only person to fulfill all three roles [prophet, priest and king] is Jesus Christ.
HE is the only ONE!
Let us go further. The SON of GOD is also identified in the book of Revelation as a KING. [Revelation 19:16] “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Jesus Christ is THE KING!
2. The Kingdom
A King has a Kingdom, and so it is the case, here, in our text.
May I remind you, The Bible is primarily a book about a particular King and a particular Kingdom, even though, the BOOK is replete with instances of kings and of kingdoms?
[Remember, the Bible is the world’s primary account of human history. It is a perfect BOOK that I hold in my hands, [and the BOOK that is in my hands … if you are wondering … is a King James Authorized Version of 1611.]
Let us go back to our text in verse thirteen. In verse thirteen, this particular King [Jesus Christ] has shown on up on this earth [The First Advent] for a set purpose.
Even though they [the Jews] took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, as a KING, crying, “Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord”,
HE came not to reign [at that time] as a KING, [but HE will reign at HIS Second Advent], but HE came [at that time] to minister, and give his life for a ransom for many.
We can see this in [Mark 10:45]. “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Jesus Christ came to this earth the first time [The First Advent] to be the Lamb of God, and to take upon Himself the sins of all humanity [My sins, your sins].
See the LAMB of GOD in John chapter one, verse twenty-nine. Please take a long, long look at HIM.
Are you ready to read the verse? “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” [John 1:29]
When Jesus Christ comes the second time to this earth [The Second Advent], HE will reign as KING over this entire earth.
There is no doubt about it!
Now, here is an opportunity for you.
Turn to the Book of Zechariah, and peer into the future, and see this KING for yourself. Go to chapter eight, and we will read from verse three through six.
“Thus saith the Lord; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.
And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the Lord of hosts.” [Zechariah 8:3-6] It gets better!
Now, turn to chapter fourteen [in Zechariah], and read verses sixteen and seventeen.
Are you ready? “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.” [Zechariah 14:16-17]
Jesus Christ will reign in Jerusalem, and what happened there that day when “took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord” points to it. Jesus Christ is coming again!
Are you ready?
3. The Daughter
Verse fifteen: “Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt.”
Jesus Christ riding on the colt of the foal of an ass is a literal fulfillment of a prophecy given in Zechariah over four hundred years before it would happen.
There is something else, here. In all twenty-nine instances of the phrase: “daughter of Zion” found in the Bible; every one of them are references to Israel as a nation, and none of them refer to the Church. Never confuse Israel with the bride of Christ, or the Church. If you do, you will get messed up very bad understanding the BOOK concerning future things.
Zechariah chapter nine, verse nine is one of these references. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” [Zechariah 9:9]
4. The World Is Gone After Him.
Verse nineteen: “The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.”
Oh, if it were only so, that the entire world had come to Jesus and trusted Him for their salvation.
Oh, if they would come, this world would be a far different world place, would it not?
But we all know different than that, don’t we? It is easy to see this.
For the last two thousand years both men and women “by the droves” [by the millions] have refused to come to Jesus Christ on bended knee.
These Pharisees have exaggerated here. They have exaggerated [lied] because they were afraid of losing their powerbase [their authority, influence and high place over the vast multitude of Jews]. This kind of talk just serves to show the old wicked nature of lost men. Amen!
This kind of crowd [the Pharisees] would rather choose HELL than repentance.
They would rather go with the DEVIL than go to GOD.
They do not realize that it is far better to bend the knee NOW than LATER.
Let me close here with Philippians chapter two,
verse ten and eleven: “That at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven,
and things in earth, and things under the earth; And
that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
[Philippians 2:10-11]