The next day the
large crowd that had come to the feast heard
that Jesus was coming
to Jerusalem.
So they took branches
of palm trees and went out to meet him,
crying out, “Hosanna!
Blessed is he who
comes in the name of the Lord,
even the King of Israel!” John 12:12-13
This coming Sunday is not Palm
Sunday, but we will come to John’s account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. This event takes place one week before He goes
to His death on Calvary. In our churches
this story is retold and celebrated with palm branches and songs of praise,
recalling a spontaneous celebration when pilgrims in town for the Passover,
many of whom had seen Jesus or heard of his wonderful works, lined the road to
Jerusalem welcoming Him into the city and proclaiming him their king and
deliverer. Shouting out the words of
Psalm 118 the people declared, “Hosanna” (meaning “save” or “salvation has
come”), “blessed be the King of Israel”.
Jesus did not quiet the crowd or
deny He was their rightful king. In fact
Luke tells us that when the Pharisees demanded Jesus quiet the crowds He
answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
(Lk 19:40)
The people
who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem on this day were quoting a familiar Psalm
that was often used in their worship and celebration. The word hosanna is derived from a Hebrew
word that literally means "save now". Both this plea and "Blessed is He who
conies in the name of the LORD" are found in the Hallel, a series of Psalms
(Psalm 113 through Psalm 118) that were sung every morning at the Feast of
Tabernacles. (R. C. Sproul. John - St. Andrew's Expositional Commentary)
The
portion of Ps 118 they were quoting declares:
Open to me the gates
of righteousness,
that I may enter
through them and give thanks to the LORD.
This is the gate of
the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it.
I thank you that you
have answered me
and have become my
salvation.
The stone that the
builders rejected
has become the
cornerstone.
This is the LORD's
doing;
it is marvelous in
our eyes.
This is the day that
the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be
glad in it.
Save us, we pray, O
LORD!
O LORD, we pray, give
us success!
Blessed is he who
comes in the name of the LORD!
We bless you from the
house of the LORD.
(Psalm 118:19-26)
But picture has a dark side as
well. The people wanted a deliverer to
ride into town on a mighty warhorse and drive the Romans out. But Jesus was God's Messiah, the rightful King
of Israel who came on a donkey symbolizing lowliness, meekness, and humility. King Jesus came to save, but it was not
political salvation. He came to deliver
people from bondage, not by wielding a sword, but by His own death on the
cross. So the same people who cheered
Jesus saying, ‘here is our salvation” would cry out for His death a few days
later when He failed to give them what they expected in the way they
wanted.
Political
deliverance through military means was what the people had celebrated many years
before as they rejoiced after the victory of Jewish insurrectionists over the
Seleucids who had occupied Jerusalem and had desecrated the Temple. (St. Andrew's Expositional
Commentary – Kindle p. 2978) This same kind of deliverance is what they
were looking for from Jesus. So the same
people who cheered Jesus saying, “Hosanna” - ‘here is our salvation” would cry
out for His death a few days later when He failed to give them what they
expected in the way they wanted.
How fickle
our praise can be! As you prepare to
gather with God’s people for worship this week, ask yourself:
How shallow
is our praise when Jesus has in some way failed to meet our expectations?
How
infrequent or brief are our prayer when He does not come through for us as we
would want?
How often
have we attached the name of Jesus to our political desires and preferences?
When Jesus
came into the city, He did not deny that He was the people's rightful
King. But by riding a donkey colt, He was
informing the people that He was coming as King in accordance God’s Word and
God’s design, not the King that would solve their political and economic
problems.
This
Sunday we will sing “Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest!” That song/prayer of praise will not be a
wishful plea asking God to provide a way of salvation. It will be a declaration, a confident
announcement that the King of kings and Lord of lords has come and has saved us
from guilt, fear and bondage to sin.
This He has done by His own suffering, death and resurrection.
That week
before His death King Jesus humbly came into town riding on a donkey. This is how He will come next time
Then I saw heaven
opened, and behold, a white horse!
The one sitting on it is called Faithful and
True,
and in righteousness
He judges and makes war.
His eyes are like a
flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems,
and He has a name
written that no one knows but Himself.
He is clothed in a
robe dipped in blood,
and the name by which
He is called is The Word of God.
And the armies of
heaven, arrayed in fine linen,
white and pure, were following Him on white
horses.
From His mouth comes
a sharp sword with which
to strike down the nations, and He will rule
them
with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress
of the fury of the
wrath of God the Almighty.
On His robe and on
His thigh He has a name written,
King of kings and
Lord of lords. (Revelation 19:11-16)
This is
the King we worship this Sunday.
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