ULTERIOR MOTIVE

I was Just Thinking About – ULTERIOR MOTIVE.

Palm Sunday is a day of great celebration in the Christian Church, It includes emphasis on Palm Branches and genuine believers and followers of Jesus Christ chanting (John 12:12-19): “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” In the contemporary twenty-first century Church enthusiastically sings: “All Hail King Jesus! All hail Immanuel! King of kings; Lord of lords; Bright Morning Star! And throughout eternity I’ll sing Your praises; and forevermore, I will reign with You.” The acts and words capture the significance of that moment in the life of Jesus Christ as He proceeds to Jerusalem. 

John records the significance of the event, but he also shares a sub-plot of what is going on with some of the observers of the procession. Why had the Jews and Chief Priests come to this event? What was in their heart and mind as they came and observed? The overall context includes the great event of John 11 and the raising of Lazarus from among the dead. In the midst of a crowd that was mourning his death, Jesus summoned Lazarus to emerge from among the dead – and – Lazarus came forth.

John 12:9-11 records: the ulterior motive of some of the observers. John indicates: The large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus and Lazarus would both be present at the celebratory procession. The text states: “They came to see Lazarus who Jesus had raised from the dead.” What was the plan of the Chief Priests? Despite the enthusiasm and chants of the crowd, the “chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well as Jesus.” Why? Because of this event, “many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.” This was bad for the religious groups over which the chief priests exercised their authority. The way to continue in their religious control was to kill anything and anyone who disrupted their false emphases and impacted  their religious traditions. In their mind and heart, both Jesus and Lazarus would need to be killed. This intent is mentioned once again in verses 18-19, “The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. So the Pharisees said to one another: You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

The Chief Priests and Jewish leaders would manipulate events to the point that within a very few hours and days the Hosannas would be drowned out with the demand to Crucify Him. John 19:1-7 states the changed narrative about Jesus. Pilate flogged Jesus. The soldiers put a crown of thorns on his head and draped a purple robe on Him. Then the mockingly chanted: “Hail, King of the Jews!” They struck Him with their hands. Pilate kept asserting and affirming: “I find no fault in Him…Behold, the man.” The hostile crowd was becoming frenzied and cared little about justice. “When the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out – Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate then said to them one last time: “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him for I find no fault in Him.” The Jews argue their rationale: “We have a law and according to that law He ought to die because He made Himself the Son of God.” They erred in their rationale when they asserted “He made Himself the Son of God.” The fact was and is: He IS The Son of God who takes away the sin of the world.

How should the genuine Christian identify with Jesus Christ. Paul expressed it clearly in Galatians 2:20 where he stated: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Prayerfully – consider these things with me!