Hosanna!
The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[Psalm 118:25,26] “Blessed is the king of Israel!”
“Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming; seated on a donkey’s colt.”
[Zechariah 9:9]
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.
– John 12:12-16
“Hosanna! Save us, Lord!” This is the cry of the people as Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The words come directly from Psalm 118. This phrase of the people comes from the Psalms of ascent. They are the words and songs that pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration sang to one another. They had a particularly poignant meaning when used as a greeting for Jesus entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The people had been looking for a Messiah for over 400 years. Many of them hoped that Jesus would fulfill those prophecies. The fact that he rode in on a donkey fulfilled the words of the prophet Zechariah.
The events of Holy Week take us through a wide range of emotions. We begin with celebration and hope as Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem. Very quickly that hope changes to uncertainty and fear. People do not understand Jesus’ words and actions as He turns over the tables of the money lenders in the Temple. Jesus acts in strange ways by humbling himself and washing the disciples’ feet. He speaks in strange ways as he breaks bread at the Last Supper and tells them to eat his body and drink his blood. At his arrest, his closest disciples all flee, leaving Jesus to face the sanhedrin and Pilate alone. We experience grief and despair as Jesus suffers at the hands of the Roman soldiers and watch his brutal crucifixion.
John expressed the confusion of the disciples with his comment, “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.” -John 12:16 We have the blessed benefit of seeing the events of Holy Week on the other side of Easter. It is my prayer that we allow ourselves to experience the full range of emotions God shares with us in our humanity this Holy Week. Please join us in worship as we journey to the cross and the empty tomb.
Holy Week Services:
March 24 Palm Sunday
March 28 Maundy Thursday service at 7pm
March 29 Good Friday service at 7pm
March 31 Easter Sunday
Lord, your way is not always glorious, not always cheering crowds, not always a parade of victory. Forgive us for walking our own way and ignoring your path. Lead us, Lord, to know your way, and to walk with you on any road you travel. Amen.
