Palm Sunday, 2016 Unless John 12:12-26
A Misunderstood Procession
Lazarus- A Miracle or a Sign?
A King Like David
Pursued by the whole world
Unless
Unless a seed dies It wont bear fruit
Unless you hate your life you will lose it for good
Unless you follow me you cant be with me
As we move from Lent to Easter, the hour has come
We move from avoiding suffering to embracing it
We move from complacency to action
We move from empty words to knowing devotion
Questions for Reflection
1. The point was made that Jesus identity as the Messiah was misunderstood. In what ways
have you mistook God?
2. Which, in your mind, would be better: Everyone proclaiming to love and follow Jesus or a
small number seeing Him for who he is and following Him?
3. The word Unless is full of condition and potential. Jesus uses this word to invite us into
suffering. In your day to day life, do you use the word unless to avoid suffering or to enter
into it? More directly, would you say, Unless a happens instead of b, then Ill be
miserable or would you say, Unless Im willing to enter into b, I may miss what God is
doing?
4. Practically, what does it look like to choose eternal life over life on earth?
5. What similarities do we have to the Palm Sunday crowd? How do we need to change our
perspective in order to see Jesus for who He is (glorify Him) and worship Him rightly?
For the Christian death is not so much about death as it is about life, and life is not so much
about life as it is about death. -Evan Welcher
Wheat could never grow unless it first died.
And other seeds as well, in the same manner,
That are laid in furrowed earth, lost as it might appear.
And through the great grace of God, from grain dead in earth,
At last it springs up whereby we all live.
Piers Plowman, Langland
The cross says the way up is down. The way to get real power is to give your power away and
serve. The way to get real riches is to give away your money radically and generously. The way
to get tremendous self-esteem, assurance of your beauty and your worth, is to admit youre
such a terribly lost sinner … The way to power is to give power away. The way to real riches is to
give your money away. The way to real influence is not to seek influence. Tim Keller