John 12

The King They Wanted,
The Christ They Rejected

Worship, unbelief, and the hour of glory

Sermon Study

Ed Rangel | Waupaca, WI
March 27, 2026 | PM
The Hinge Chapter
  • Public ministry reaches its turning point
  • The cross now dominates the horizon
  • Gathers the meaning of Christ’s ministry
  • Presses the issue of response
The Chapter's Burden
John 12 reveals Christ as the anointed King, the willing sacrifice, and the lifted-up Son—and it exposes the human heart in its worship, fear, greed, and unbelief.
Point 1

Costly Worship

Bethany becomes a house of testimony.
Mary’s Costly Devotion
  • She does not calculate efficiency
  • Her action is humble and sacrificial
  • She treats Jesus as worthy of honor
A Worthy Christ
"Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair."
John 12:3
Judas and the Mask
  • False religion often sounds noble
  • He spoke of stewardship to hide greed
  • He loved money more than Christ
The Thief
"Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer."
John 12:6
Burial Is Near
  • The anointing is not random sentiment
  • Bound up with the approaching death
  • A unique moment demanding urgent obedience
Dangerous Evidence
  • Chief priests plot against Lazarus too
  • He is living proof they cannot explain away
  • Unbelief is moral rebellion, not intellectual
Worship that costs nothing usually means Christ is worth little.
Point 2

The King Arrives

The crowd misunderstands the Kingdom.
The Public Cry
  • They cry out from Psalm 118
  • They want an earthly, political king
  • They are not ready for a crucified Redeemer
Hosanna
"They took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, 'Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'"
John 12:13
The Nature of His Kingship
  • He does not arrive as a revolutionary general
  • He comes in meekness and peace
  • He came to conquer sin, death, and the devil
Prophecy Fulfilled
"Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt."
John 12:15
Understanding Comes Later
  • They did not understand at first
  • Revelation is clarified by the resurrection
  • Spiritual understanding grows over time
The Pharisees Panic
  • They complain the world has gone after Him
  • They feel their control slipping
  • They fight God to defend their religion
Public excitement is not the same thing as saving faith.
Point 3

The Hour Has Come

The cross as judgment, victory, and glory.
We Wish to See Jesus
  • The nations appear on the horizon
  • The mission is widening outward
  • This request signals His hour has arrived
The Grain of Wheat
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."
John 12:24
Life Through Death
  • His death is the path to fruitfulness
  • Self-preservation leads to ruin
  • Real life in the Kingdom requires self-denial
The Troubled Soul
"Now My soul has become troubled... But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name."
John 12:27-28
Obedience Through Anguish
  • He feels the horror of the cross
  • He does not retreat from it
  • Submission is not the absence of anguish
Satan's Defeat
  • The cross exposes sin and unbelief
  • The decisive blow is struck against Satan
  • The cross is judgment and victory
The Lifted Son
  • The crucified Christ is the universal appeal
  • Teaches universal scope, not universalism
  • Men are still responsible to believe
Drawing All Men
"And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself."
John 12:32
Men want resurrection fruit without crucifixion obedience.
Point 4

Unbelief Hardens

Rejected light deepens darkness.
Resistance to Evidence
  • Despite many signs, they did not believe
  • The problem was not a scarcity of evidence
  • The problem was a refusal to yield
Judicial Hardening
  • Persistent rejection has consequences
  • Truth refused does not leave a man unchanged
  • Hardness grows; blindness deepens
Public Cowardice
  • Rulers believed but feared the Pharisees
  • They loved the approval of men over God
  • Fear of men had become a rival god
A man may feel the pressure of truth and still refuse to stand with it.
Point 5

Christ's Final Cry

Faith, Light, and Final Accountability.
Obey The King Today
01 Hear
02 Believe
03 Repent
04 Confess
05 Be Baptized for Remission

Live faithfully under the rule
of the enthroned King.

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