Lord, Help Me to Remember
12. On the next day many 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 comes in the Name of the Lord.”
14. And Jesus when He had found a young donkey, sat thereon as it is written,
15. Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold your King comes, sitting on a donkey’s colt.
16. These things understood not His Disciples at the first: but when Jesus was Glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things unto Him.
John 12:12-16
They Should Have Known Better
When there is a delay in understanding, a person can find themselves going through the motions of a thing without grasping the impact. A classic example of this is driving. There have been times, for some of us, when we have gotten into our vehicles, started the engine, and proceeded to drive before realizing we didn’t remember or didn’t know where we were going. You might be tempted to excuse it to having a lot on your mind. In any event, the conclusion is the same. People go through the performance of something and don’t always understand what they are doing.
For months, Jesus had warned His followers that He was going to Jerusalem and certain events would take place. Rather than paying close attention to these warnings, the Disciples did not grasp what Jesus was saying to them. The Scripture also states that they did not ask Jesus to clarify His warnings because they were afraid of what it meant. Nevertheless, Jesus gave them the information and they should have known the events that would transpire. Somehow the Disciples just didn’t get it.
Before we rush to pass judgment on the original Disciples, we should consider our own failure to remember. How many times have we been prompted by the Holy Spirit to guard certain areas of our life and we did not heed? How many times have we been confronted by the Scripture about our attitude or intentions, and we simply let it pass as a fading thought? How many times has our own conscious convicted us and we paid no attention? Wouldn’t that make us guilty of failing to remember the Lord and how He wants to move in our lives? We assume that the Disciples should have known better, but we too are guilty of failure to heed God’s instructions. We must pay attention to God moving around us and in us.
One of the culprits behind the lack of attention is due to the downplaying of God’s Person and God’s Power. We tend to relate to God as if He is ordinary, even though we give Him worship. God is Almighty and He is Omnipotent. That means that not only is God more powerful than any other being, but all other beings must also depend on God for their strength. God is Eternal and He is Omniscient. That means that God will always exist, and His ways will never grow old. God was, God is, and God will always be God. No one appointed Him so they can’t remove Him. No one elected Him so no one will ever be able to vote Him out of Power. God is the One and Only Self-Existing One. He is so high; you can’t go over Him. He is so low; you can’t go under Him. He is so wide that you can’t go around Him. The Disciples had downplayed the Deity of Jesus because they thought that because He was in the flesh that He was flesh only. They did not realize that He was God.
The lack of attention can also come from the forgetfulness of man. The Disciples forgot that Jesus had walked on water. The feeding of the five thousand had become a fading thought. The fact that He had done so many miracles, they should have realized that the One riding on a donkey into Jerusalem was the Son of the Living God. They forgot that a short time had passed since Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. And only a few days ago Jesus gave sight to a man that was born blind. But like us, they did not connect the dots until later. Later, when Jesus was Glorified, it came rushing back to them that Jesus was the Messiah, the King of Glory. These things understood not His Disciples at the first: but when Jesus was Glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things unto Him. Later is not the best, but later is better than never. Sadly, many have seen the wonders of God, but they never get it. They breathe His air every day. They receive miracle after miracle and never look up to thank God. If they get blessed, they call it good luck. If they hear a warning, they chalk it up to “something told me.” The Bible says, when they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were they thankful, but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart turned to darkness. Romans 1:21. For that reason, God did not classify them with the forgetful. God did not accuse them of downplaying His goodness. No, no. God called them fools. Only the fool would say in his heart that there is no God. Psalm 14:1.
Getting Past the Misunderstanding
Whenever there is a misunderstanding in any relationship, the relationship suffers. The key to getting past the misunderstanding is to listen closely, follow wisely, and commit to doing what is right. Here is the point, if the Disciples did not understand what Jesus was doing neither did the crowd. If the Disciples who walked with Jesus had not grasped the full meaning of The Christ entering into Jerusalem, then the crowd certainly had not comprehended this event. The proof is in the fact that within a few days, the tide of public opinion had turned. Some of the same folk that shouted, “Hosanna in the Highest” joined the crowd that shouted, “crucify Him.”
If the truth be told, many of us would be tempted to join that crowd of condemnation if we are not careful. It is imperative that believers get past their misunderstanding of God. For starters, God is not your Divine Butler, nor is He your Genie in a Bible. That is a misunderstanding on your part if you think that.
God does not owe you anything although He is willing to give you everything if you ask according to His Will. When we pray, there is no verse in the Bible that says God must give us exactly what we want, when we want it, and where we want it. Your Grandma knew better than that. Your Grandma had some good theology behind her phrases. “God may not come when you want Him – but He is always on time.” The fact that we can’t or won’t wait on the Lord is a misconception on our part. But when you start realizing that there is a blessing in waiting, you will stop complaining. Please admit that the misunderstanding is on your part and not on God’s part. Again, you must always remember that God will always love you even when He does not give you exactly what you pray for. Just learn to trust God instead of “telling God.”
The great news is that the Disciples got past their misunderstanding, but they needed some help. They needed a Guide and a Comforter to help them get to the place where they understood it better. The dawning of their new understanding came when Jesus was Glorified. This raises the question as to when was Jesus Glorified?
When Was Jesus Glorified?
Until we bear witness to the Glorified Christ, we will never understand the Power of God. So, when was Jesus Glorified? Was He Glorified as He taught in the Temple? No, even though Jesus taught that He was the Living Bread and the Living Water, He was not yet Glorified?
Was Jesus Glorified when they arrested Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. No, that was a very troubling time when Judas betrayed his Lord, and all of the other Disciples fled in fear. It was not the time when Jesus was Glorified.
When was Jesus Glorified? Was it when they whipped Him and spat upon Him and mocked Him? No, that was the time when the Scripture was fulfilled that “He was led from judgment hall to judgment hall where He was oppressed and afflicted, but as a Lamb before His shearers, He did not open His mouth.” Isaiah 53:7-8. That is the time where stripes were laid upon His back so that with those same stripes we were healed. It was a necessary time, but it was not the time when Jesus was Glorified.
Some would argue that it was surely the time when they led Jesus away to the Hill called Calvary and there they nailed Him to the cross. That time had to come, but that was the time when He became sin for us so that we would become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21. That was the time that Jesus took our place in order to take our punishment. But Jesus was not Glorified at that time.
Jesus was not Glorified when He said from the cross, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” Nor was Jesus Glorified when He said to one of the condemned thieves, “today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Jesus was not Glorified when He said His final words, “It is finished.” His work on earth was done, and God’s plan of Redemption was purchased in full, but it was not the time when Jesus was Glorified. The time when Jesus would be Glorified would come after He was placed into the tomb.
On that third day, before the sun would rise, The Son did rise. There was a call from Heaven according to Psalm 24:7. “Lift up your heads O ye Gates, even lift them up, you Eternal Doors, that the King of Glory may come in.” The question that many asked, “Who is this King of Glory?” The response came, “The Lord Strong and Mighty, the Lord, Mighty in battle.” So, the command was issued again, Lift up your heads O ye Gates, even lift them up, you Eternal Doors, that the King of Glory may come in.” The question came the second time so that everyone would know and recognize for all time, that this was not just any person, nor would this command be issued for any other person. This was the time for Jesus to be Glorified. He had finished His Father’s assignment and was about to be seated in Glory. “Who is this King of Glory?” The final answer is, “The Lord Almighty – He is the King of Glory.”
I see Him now. I see Him exalted. No, I can’t see all the way to Heaven, but I can see the gates of my own heart. Not only is the King of Glory seated at the Right Hand of the Father, but He is also seated on the throne of my heart. He is the King of Glory. But when Jesus was Glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things unto Him.