#40 - The Gospel of John

John 12:12-19 (NIV)
Read by: Stacy Rafferty

If you grew up in church, you’re familiar with Palm Sunday--the day when churchgoers, often just the children, march around with palm branches. It’s cute, parents snap photos; it’s something to do with Jesus coming into town on a Donkey and people shouting “Hosanna,” and it marks the Sunday before Easter.

Today’s passage takes us there--to the palm branches, to the donkey. . . but in light of what we’ve seen so far in John’s gospel, there is nothing cute about this scene. Murders are being planned. Revolution is in the air. National security is on the line, and a Messiah unlike what many imagined chooses this moment to officially announce himself as Israel’s Savior.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What word or phrase stood out to you in the passage?

2. The palm branches were a reminder of Israel welcoming the Macabee kings in Jerusalem, about 200 years earlier. They were a sign of military might, and rescue from an oppressive state. And yet, here is Jesus riding not on a strong horse with a shield and a sword, but on a young donkey. What might these two symbols being juxtaposed in this scene tell us about Jesus?

3. The word Hosanna means Save Us! While the people of Israel were longing for a leader to save them from the Roman Empire, we too face modern empires that use similar tactics, abusing power, exploiting the vulnerable. What would it look like for you to cry out Hosanna today? How might this humble king bring you hope?

----------CONNECT----------

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