Anticipating the Harvest (Palm Sunday, 2015)

Reading One:                         John 3: 31 - 4: 16      Revelation at the well, Sychar @ Samaria

John the Baptizer has just given his testimony about the Son, who was sent to earth by the Heavenly Father. Through Him, God gives the Spirit without limit. Whoever believes in Christ will receive life, while those who reject Him will remain in the wrath of God.

It was not until this year that I realized how the evangelist John has as one major theme: the coming Spirit and the associated world-wide expansion of the Kingdom. No wonder that this Gospel also includes an extensive account of Jesus’ teaching on the Holy Spirit (chapters 14-16).  As we will see in a few examples, John recognizes how Jesus Himself keeps looking beyond the cross to the great harvest from all tribes and nations.

Perhaps John’s choice of words (highlighted in bold print above) at the end of chapter 3 may serve as his introduction to Jesus’ ministry to the Samaritans as recorded in chapter 4.

After a long walk, Jesus sits down at Jacob’s Well in Samaria while his students are going into town to buy some food.  Although Jesus is thirsty and hungry, He is actually more concerned with the spiritual hunger and thirst of the people here, even though they are Samaritans.  (Remember that the Samaritans had been moved into the Jewish land during the exile, and that they were taught from the Torah, the teachings of Moses.  Yet, the Jews hated them for sharing the Promised Land, and had no respect for their limited knowledge and understanding of the Law of God.)

So, when one of the local women comes to the well, Jesus approaches her and asks her for a drink.  He uses this opportunity to share with her and her people the Good News. The Messiah has come, even to Samaria, to bring life.  The promise of the Holy Spirit (the ‘Living Water’) is no longer just for Abraham’s offspring; it is also for Samaritans and other Gentiles!  The times are changing- soon Jerusalem will no longer be the centre of true worship as the Gospel spreads to all the nations!

Reading Two:             John 7: 25-44                        Revelation at the Shelterfest, Jerusalem

Jerusalem:      Already Jesus seems to be “the talk of the town”.  Throughout John’s account, we hear this question, “Who is this man?” While the Samaritans at Sychar had accepted Jesus’ claim that He was the Messiah, the Jews at Jerusalem continue to have discussions and debates on this question.  The religious leaders are trying hard to dismiss the suggestion that Jesus is the Christ (Christ = Messiah), using pressure tactics to prevent the people to follow Him. 

Shelterfest:    It is Sukkot, the festival of shelters. People from all over the map have gathered in Jerusalem, where families are camping for the week in simple shelters made from branches and twigs.  They remember the desert journey, after they had been delivered from Egypt on the way to the Promised Land.  Now, they may have comfortable homes, but during this week they remember that their land is under Roman occupation, and although they have returned from exile, the Kingdom has not yet been restored.  Sukkot is the week-long feast at the end of the harvest season. It is a feast of great joy and high expectations. After the worshipers enter the temple building, they hear the reading of the Hallel (Psalms 113 – 118), and near the end they shake their lulavs (the bundle of green they have brought). 

²⁵ (Hoshannah!) Lord, save us!  Lord, grant us success!

²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.
²⁷ The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession

up to the horns of the altar.

²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise you;
    you are my God, and I will exalt you.

²⁹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

And then, after reciting Solomon’s prayer for the winter rains (to bless next year’s harvest), there is the climax of the feast: the pouring of the living water. Jewish leaders have called this event, “the greatest expression of Jewish’ joy!”  One of the priests will go down to the Pool of Siloam to fetch a pitcher of living water. On the last day he will go around the altar seven times (while the lulavs are being shaken and Hoshannahs are shouted), before pouring the water from the golden pitcher into the silver bowl.  At that time the crowd is silent: all eyes are on the priest to see the pouring of the water!

Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

What is the self-revelation that Jesus is making? 

I think we can discern several aspects:

1          Come to me!  It’s not the temple or the priests, which are the way to God!

            I am the temple; I am the priest, for I came to sacrifice myself as Lamb of God.

Soon it will be done with sacrificing lambs at the temple of Jerusalem, for Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, had come to take away the sins of the world.

2          I have come to lead you back to God!  This is one of the two expectations for Messiah: to be a spiritual leader, bringing spiritual reformation.  Many recognized this and replied: “He is the promised Prophet!”

3          In the context of Psalm 118 (the hope of restoration of the Kingdom of God) and the prayer of Solomon (David’s Son: the Prince of Peace), as well as the constant shouts “Hoshannah” (Lord, set us free!), there must have been a high expectation, for the Messiah would be the promised Son of David, the King who would restore the Kingdom!

4          The Messiah would not just be king over Israel, but king over the nations!  Again, Jesus exclaims that anyone may come to Him to receive the water of life.  Again, we can look towards the harvest, the feast of First Fruits, next year’s Pentecost, for –as John explains- Jesus is referring to the Holy Spirit, who will be poured out on all nations!

Reading Three:          John 12: 12-32          The Hour of Glorification has come

This Sunday is Palm Sunday. Churches over the whole world are remembering how Jesus revealed Himself as the Messiah and the Promised Son of David. Even the disciples did not fully understand the event, but the anticipation of the Messiah and the not so distant revelation at the temple must have triggered a quick response.

Did they not shout “Hoshannah, Save us Lord” when this prophet from Galilee stood up to introduce Himself as Savior?  Meanwhile the rumor had spread that this man could even raise the dead (Lazarus @ Bethany)!

So, when people hear of Jesus riding into town, they take palm branches to give him a royal welcome!  And, by fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy, Jesus shows again that he has indeed come as the Messiah, to be their Savior-King!

And, what happens at the end of the parade? For many followers, it may have been a disappointment. And this disappointment will have gotten worse during the following week, for he was not the conquering hero that they hoped for, but a servant, who willingly went to his horrid death, as a sheep goes to the slaughter!  His kingdom was not of this world, and His followers were not to use the sword.

And yet, John shows us another perspective!

The Pharisees exclaim that, “The whole world has gone after him!”

And John shows how some Greeks now want to meet with Jesus.

The disciples seem to think it inconvenient, but Jesus gets excited.

It helps him to look beyond this week of suffering and focus on the harvest!

It empowers Him to go on with the way of ultimate suffering and humiliation so that the Kingdom may be built.  Yes, He will be the precious grain that must die so that the whole world may bear a mighty harvest to the glory of God!

Today

Thank God, Jesus came to accept ridicule and shame, torture and murder to see God’s Kingdom restored.

Thank God that God used the Son of Abraham to extend his blessings to all nations, even to us, and that He promised his Holy Spirit to all people groups!

Thank God that we may know that Jesus lives, and that –by His Spirit- he wants to live in us to keep us close to Father-God.

May His Spirit work in all of us and our loved ones to bring many to welcome Jesus into their hearts and accept him as their Savior-King!

May we be prepared to follow Jesus, even –if that might please Him- to serve him through suffering and death!

May we be encouraged to look at Christ and the apostles, who were not afraid to suffer and to die, as they looked beyond the suffering to see His Kingdom come and to share in the glory of our Lord.

May we always remember that we are (called to be) temples of God, called to dedicate our lives to His service, to worship Him in the communion of saints, and to be his witnesses of truth and love in the communities in which we live and work.

May we share in the excitement to see people from all kinds of people groups interested to discover their identity as children of God and their purpose of serving Him and living in His blessed company- forever!

Amen