3.29 [TEACHING] Gospel of John (wk 19) and Palm Sunday - 12:1-30

This episode of South Bend City Church's podcast explores Palm Sunday through the lens of John's Gospel, contrasting Jesus' humble entry into Jerusalem on a donkey with Pontius Pilate's militaristic procession from the opposite direction. The sermon unpacks the crowd's expectations of a conquering king who would overthrow Roman oppression, highlighting how their vision of power was shaped by worldly models of violence and domination. The speaker challenges listeners to examine whether they, too, project their own untransformed ideas of greatness, success, and change onto Jesus—demanding that He fulfill their preconceived notions rather than allowing Him to redefine them. Through reflections on Christian nationalism, personal ambition, and the human tendency to equate power with control, the message calls for a radical reimagining of leadership, sacrifice, and peace. The sermon culminates in a powerful meditation on Mary’s anointing of Jesus as an act of worship rooted in His impending sacrificial death, in contrast to the crowd’s political hopes. The episode closes with a communal Eucharist, inviting all to participate in a meal that reorients the heart toward the self-giving love at the center of God’s kingdom.