Revolution: John 12
rev-o-lu-tion (rev-e-loo-shen) n. 1. The overthrow and replacement of a government or political system by those governed. 2. An extensive or drastic change in a condition, method, idea, etc.
Revolutions have taken place throughout the world ever since Adam and Eve took a bite out of life and overthrew the throneroom of their hearts. Revolutions take different forms, have various motivations behind them, and produce vastly different outcomes. Regardless of the outcome--revolutions begin because people desire change.
This past week I’ve been reading about revolutions and revolutionaries like Spartacus who led 70,000 slaves in revolt against the Romans from 73-71 B.C. before they were defeated by the Roman General Marcus Licinius Crassus near Naples, Italy. Only 6,000 of Spartacus’ soldiers survived the final battle. They were captured and crucified by the Romans all along the Appian Way.
Eighteen hundred years later, Toussaint Louverture, who became known as the “Black Spartacus” led a revolt of 4,000 slaves against the French to turn the French colony of Saint-Domingue into the freed state of Haiti in 1803.
History is filled with the story of revolutions and revolutionaries. You come from countries where revolutions have taken place in your homeland. My friend, Eddie Safari, has often told me how the revolution that took place in Iran, in 1979, wiped out the freedoms he knew as a child. The Shah was replaced by the Ayatollah Khomeini and Iran has never been the same since. There have been several revolutions that have taken place in China, from the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 to the rise of the revolutionary leader Mao Zedong in the 1930s and 1940s, to the Chinese Cultural Revolution in the 60s and 70s.
The French Revolution, the Arab Spring, the Russian Revolution led by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks, and then there is the revolution that we have all benefitted from–the American Revolution which began with the “shot heard ‘round the world” at the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775.
Revolutions are powerful. Revolutions bring about change. Revolutions are started by revolutionaries whose minds are set on a completely different course than the status quo of the day. Revolutionaries are those who rise up against the power brokers at the podium who pledge allegiance to the masses while holding them captive and using them for their own benefit.
There was a revolution which began almost two thousand years ago which is still underway today. This morning I want to paint a picture before your eyes of a true revolution. I’m not thinking about the American Revolution, the Mexican Revolution, Chinese Revolution, or the Haitian Revolution, but I’m thinking about the Righteous Revolution of our Savior which started in a little village in an ancient world. The revolution has grown; throne rooms around the world and around this sanctuary have been overturned as individuals and groups of people have surrendered their lives and wills to the King of all kings!
For the next few minutes I want us to take a stroll with Jesus through the last week of His life so that we might better understand this revolution began by our Lord and Savior. We'll begin on Sunday, Palm Sunday, the day our Lord made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. In John 12:12-19 we read,
12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! " "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the king of Israel!" 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: 15 "Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt." 16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. 17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!" (John 12:12-19 NIV)
"The whole world has gone after him!" Revolution! Before we jump too quickly into picturing before our eyes an armed revolution like those which have happened around the world throughout history, we need to recognize that the revolution begun by Jesus was a revolution of another kind. Jesus came to overthrow hearts and not governments. Jesus didn't come to preach a political gospel, a social gospel, or an economic gospel, He came to preach the Good News that the shackles holding the human heart in sin could be broken and God's people could be freed.
The Pharisees were afraid of what was happening because they knew the Jewish Bible. In Zechariah 9:9 we read of God's anointed King who would come one day to begin the revolutionary change for the Kingdom of God. This is the same Scripture John referred to in the Scripture we just read.
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. (Zechariah 9:9-10 NIV)
Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah, but the Pharisees knew good and well that Jesus didn't fulfill their expectations of what Messiah would look like. The Messiah, in the minds of the Pharisees, would begin a revolution, but he would do it by overthrowing the oppressive Roman government and the Jews would rule their own land, just like David had ruled all of Israel. Jesus didn't look like the Messiah they anticipated, He didn't talk like the Messiah they hoped for, and He didn't act like the Messiah who would conquer His enemies with the sword, yet when He rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey He proclaimed to the world that He was the long awaited Messiah.
The gospel of power which the Pharisees were looking for and which is so prevalent in our world today, stands in total contradiction to the power of the cross. Jesus never sought to dominate society by practicing ethnic cleansing or disposing of His antagonists. His ultimate triumph depended not on brute strength which would crush the oppressors and stand up in the face of challengers, but in the ability to stoop low and offer His life for those whom others would not give two cents. In the end, the triumph became symbolized by a tub of water and a towel, and not a rod of iron or a show of force.
Four days after Jesus rode into Jerusalem, triumphant and proclaiming Himself to be the Messiah, He gathered with His disciples in an upper room to share the Feast of Passover. When they arrived at the designated place they needed someone to wash their feet since they had been walking on the dry and dusty road. Normally this task was reserved for the lowest servant in the house, but when they arrived there was no servant waiting. Jesus took a towel and a basin of water and began to wash His disciples’ feet to teach them a very important lesson.
You and I need to understand just how undesirable a task this was for those in the first century in Palestine. The rabbis or teachers in the first century were served by their disciples in many ways, but one strict limitation was that they were not to stoop so low as to wash the feet or untie the sandals of their teachers. The job of washing feet was so menial that only the lowliest servant was assigned the job.
John the Baptist understood the greatness of Jesus when he said in John 1:27, "He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie." John knew he was not worthy to even untie Jesus’ sandals. Yet, Jesus, the long awaited Messiah, sent from God, was willing to stoop to serve His disciples by washing their feet. We read in John 13:2-17,
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" 7 Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." 8 "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." 9 "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" 10 Jesus answered, "Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. 12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13 "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. (John 13:2-17 NIV)
The day before Jesus was scourged, beaten, and nailed to a tree we find the God of all creation down on His knees scrubbing between the toes of the likes of Peter, James, John, and Matthew. Jesus knew that lasting revolutions never come about because you put on a power tie, bully your way into the throne room, or annihilate those who oppose you. If you want the uprising to last you've got to get on your knees.
I love Simon Peter's discussion with Jesus. I can just see the look on Peter's face as Jesus wrapped a towel around Himself and poured water into the basin so that he could wash the dirt from the disciples' feet. As Jesus made His way to the feet of Bartholomew, Peter's mouth dropped open in utter amazement. "What is Bartholomew thinking? Who does he think he is letting Jesus wash his feet?” Peter didn't say a word, no one said a word, they all just looked on, aghast and astonished. Jesus scooted on over to the feet of Thomas, who would doubt His resurrection in just a few short days. Jesus handled Thomas’ feet as though they had been enshrined in the Smithsonian as He gently washed and cleaned Thomas' feet. Then it happened, the air hung with stillness in the room as Jesus made His way to the feet of Peter. Peter jumped up and said, "No way! No way, will you, the Lord of all creation, the true Rabbi, ever wash my nasty, dirty feet!" Jesus looked up and must have known that Peter would respond like he did. Jesus said to Peter, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” Peter, being the most impulsive, if not committed of all the disciples, turned to Jesus and cried out, “Then, Lord, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” (John 13:9 NIV)
Jesus finished His lesson by washing smelly, stinking feet which no good Jew would have ever gotten near, to show His disciples the way to the revolution. After He finished, Jesus said to the disciples,
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13 "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. (John 13:12-15 NIV)
The revolution that you and I are a part of today started long long ago when Jesus declared His mission statement, in Mark 10:45, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Evidence of the uprising of the King and His Kingdom was seen from the beginning of His ministry as Jesus called the most unlikely men of society to be His closest companions and share every facet of His life on the road to His ultimate act of service--the cross. It was seen as He took time to give living water to a cast-off four time loser of a woman from Samaria who knew Jews was “too good" to even talk with her, yet for some reason He chose to quench her thirst. It was seen as Jesus took time to reach out and touch the outcast lepers who were used to announcing to the world they were “unclean.” Jesus not only healed them, but He reached out and touched those everyone else avoided. I became most aware of His revolution when Jesus reached down from His throne in glory and lifted me from the sea of despair and hopelessness. He has filled me with hope, with purpose for this life, and confidence and anticipation for life everlasting!
The revolution rolls on today. There are countries around the world who are in the midst of revolutionary changes as we sit in this sanctuary this morning. Change is constant. If you have been around for more than a few years then you know that there are always groups of people in society who are calling for change. Those great British theologians, the Beatles, are much better known for their music than their theology, but John, Paul, Ringo, and George once said, "Say you want a revolution? We all want to change the world." We all want the world to change. People are constantly crying out for change. That’s why the politicians are always campaigning on changing the status quo. We keep looking for leaders to make the changes we all want and need so we can finally enjoy our lives while living in utopia, but the truth is there is no government on this planet that can provide for you what you need to live in peace, with purpose, and satisfaction. So, I guess we will all continue to cry out for change, to point our fingers at those we think are the problem.
Do you want to know the secret of the revolution begun by our Lord and Savior? I am so glad you asked. Jesus didn't come to overthrow governments, He came to overthrow the human heart. By overthrowing the Roman government Jesus would have accomplished much for a little while, but how many governments have since occupied the nations once ruled by the Roman Empire? No earthly kingdom is eternal. Jesus recognized that within the government of each individual person there can be but only one ruler. At the time of our birth we climb onto the throne and declare ourselves King or Queen of our domain. You can see that in the lives of all of our sweet babies the Lord has blessed this church family with in the past few years. Precious though they are, each and every one of those babies has let every one of us know that he or she is the ruler and not the subject. If he is hungry, he demands that his needs are met no matter what time of the day or night the urge strikes him. If she doesn't like what is going on, she demands that the activity cease immediately and nobody will enjoy peace and quiet until her frustration subsides. If he is bored with the sermon, he will scream out and let me know it’s time to wrap things up. All of these self-governing babies are simply small models of you and me. We seek to rule our own little world, but Jesus challenges us to hand over the reigns of our life and surrender to the revolution of God's Kingdom.
The real revolution, the only lasting revolution, is the revolution of the heart. Jesus said, "Seek first God's Kingdom..." He told Nicodemus, "You must be born again." Jesus demanded the revolution of the heart and the denouncement of our own will if we would be His followers. In Matthew 10:37-39, Jesus said,.
37 "Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:37-39 NIV)
And literally almost losing her life is what happened to the most well-known female atheist in the world just a few years ago. Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born into a Muslim family in Mogadishu, Somalia in 1969. In 1992, Ayaan was married off by her father to a distant cousin who lived in Canada. In order to escape the marriage, Ayaan fled to the Netherlands where she was given asylum and later became a citizen. She studied Dutch, earned a Masters degree in political science, and eventually was elected to serve in the Dutch parliament from 2003-2006.
Ayaan began to notice the glaring differences between the way women in the western countries were treated in comparison to the women in Muslim countries. In 2004, Ayaan and Theo van Gogh made a film called, “Submission,” about the oppression of women living under Islam. Van Gogh was assassinated by a radical Muslim who left a death threat saying Ayaan would be next, stabbed into the chest of her friend. The threat only made Ayaan more bold.
In 2006, Ayaan wrote “Infidel,” which is a memoir of her journey in life from Somalia, becoming an activist in the Netherlands, rejecting Islam, and becoming an atheist. Ayaan, if you are unfamiliar with her, is a brilliant woman. She became friends with Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett, the four horsemen of the New Atheists. She would travel with them and lecture on the wonders of atheism as well as debate Christians. Ayaan said the more time she spent with her friends the more confident she felt that she had made the right choice in becoming an atheist. That is, until the depression and anxiety arrived.
Ayaan said she suffered prolonged depression which led her to the point of suicide. She said she once again turned to the material world, to the best therapists she could find. She said no amount of scientific-based reasoning or psychological treatment was able to help her. None of them did her any good, until one day a therapist told her she was looking in the wrong place. She said, “Ayaan, I don’t think your problem is mental or physical. I think you are spiritually bankrupt. Why don’t you pray?” Ayaan said she would literally get on her knees and pray. She continued to pray. Things began to change in her mind, in her heart, in her soul. On November 11, 2023, Ayaan wrote a piece, “Why I am Now a Christian.” In her piece, she writes,
I would not be truthful if I attributed my embrace of Christianity solely to the realisation that atheism is too weak and divisive a doctrine to fortify us against our menacing foes. I have also turned to Christianity because I ultimately found life without any spiritual solace unendurable — indeed very nearly self-destructive. Atheism failed to answer a simple question: what is the meaning and purpose of life. (Ali, Ayaan Hirsi. Why I am Now a Christian. 11.11. 2023)
Ayaan, once a vocal advocate of atheism, experienced a revolution when she surrendered her life to Jesus. She was baptized as a follower of Jesus on September 1, 2024 and today she is unashamed to share with the world that she has found in Jesus what she could find no place else.
It's time for a personal revolution. Let the world-wide revolutions continue if they must, but if you miss the opportunity for a personal revolution then you've missed it all. I came here this morning to tell you that you need a personal revolution. You need a personal revolution for two reasons: One, that you might find eternal life and release from the shackles of sin which entangle each and every one of us. Secondly, you need a personal revolution so that you might share that revolutionary change that is found in Jesus with someone else. The way we do that is to take up the towel passed on by our Lord and serve those whom no one else is willing to serve. Take Him by the hand and let Him revolutionize your life by coming in and taking a seat on the throne of your heart!
Mike Hays
Britton Christian Church
April 13, 2025
