Hosanna in the Highest!
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Today is the day that we like to call, “Palm Sunday.” It is the first day of Holy Week and throughout the week we will continue to worship in many different ways.
What today represents is Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Let’s read over this story as it is written in
1 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” 4 This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
5 “Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
This is the Word of God, for the people of God!
Today’s Scripture sets us up at the Mount of Olives in a place called Bethphage. This small mountain town sat nearly 3,000 feet above sea level and looked over the city of Jerusalem.
Jesus and his disciples are joined by a crowd of Galilean pilgrims who are on their way to Passover. As they overlook Jerusalem, Jesus instructs two of his disciples. He wants them to go ahead and grab a tied up donkey and the colt and bring them back to him.
The two disciples go and do as Jesus instructed them, bringing back a donkey and her colt. Then, the disciples put their cloaks on the donkey and colt. Jesus hops onto the unruly, unbroken colt and proceeds to process into Jerusalem.
Crowds of people went on before him and laid down their coats. They grabbed palm branches and laid them out as well. People swelled all around Jesus and were shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Matthew then tells us that when they entered into Jerusalem the entire city was in turmoil and they began to ask, “Who is this?” The crowds excitedly respond, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
To begin Holy Week we have this story. The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.
If this is your first time hearing about this you may be wondering to yourself, “so what? Why is this important?”
Well, in this story alone we see so much. We see Old Testament prophesies being fulfilled, Jesus presenting Himself officially as the Messiah, a great stirring happening in a great city, and so much more!
One of my favorite aspects about the Palm Sunday story is how Jesus continues to break expectations, intentionally. He wasn’t accidently going against the grain, he did it with a purpose!
At this time in history we have a Roman occupied Jerusalem. The Jewish people have continued finding themselves in captivity at the hands of someone else and they are absolutely ready to be out of captivity and to be on their own.
Many of the Jewish people had hopes that a Messiah would come, that the Old Testament prophesies would be fulfilled. But, they had some expectations that Jesus was about to break.
They expected the Messiah to come into the gates of Jerusalem and conquer their Roman foes. They had this idea in their minds that the Messiah would be this mighty warrior, toting great weaponry, and that he would vanquish all who opposed them. They were looking for a mighty warrior, a protector, a provider.
Many of them were excited about Jesus. They had heard rumblings about the miracles that he had been performing and were filled to the brim with excitement when they heard about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. If anyone was the Messiah, the mighty warrior who would vanquish the Roman foes, it certainly had to be Jesus of Nazareth!
Well, they didn’t get what they bargained for.
I used to love watching shows like American Idol and America’s Got Talent. I remember seeing all sorts of people come on the stage and perform, to try and impress the crowds and judges. This one episode featured a young man who came on the set. His backstory was that he was a classically trained singer, had many years of experience, and was ready to go solo. As you can imagine, everyone expected him to be fantastic!
He wasn’t. He was awful. Needless to say, he broke our expectations.
As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, he broke some expectations.
What they expected was lordly pomp and circumstance. They expected the Messiah to enter Jerusalem like a Roman conqueror on a charger. They wanted him to enter and say, “It is I, the Messiah! Romans, prepare to die!”
However, his ride into Jerusalem fulfilled a prophesy from . It spoke of humility. It says,
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Jesus came into Jerusalem not as a mighty warrior, but as a humble Prince of Peace.
Those who were with him, and some from Jerusalem, laid down their outer garments and palm branches. They created for him a sort of red carpet experience. As best as they could they were honoring the king.
It was normal practice to throw down flowers and branches and even spread carpets and garments as a sign of respect for a conqueror or great prince. It was supposed to show honor and respect. We do something like this today. At most weddings you will find a flower girl. They come before the bride and scatter flower petals everywhere. It shows the crowd that who is coming is powerful, or famous. It’s someone to be honored.
Well as he made this triumphal entrance the crowds were roaring.
Between the people you could hear murmurs. They wondered who this man was, why was he there?
“Who is that?”
We had so many people who were excited about this moment, so many that were disappointed by their broken expectations, and so many that were angry.
He proclaims that he is the king, the Messiah.
Whatever emotion was felt nothing could change the fact that Jesus, the Messiah, had come.
“What has he done?”
“This is no ki
As I was reading over this Scripture, I couldn’t help but notice what happens next.
Jesus makes this triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It’s filled with people, for the most part, singing his praises. Elated at his presence. People giving him a “king’s” entry.
Do you know what Jesus does next according to Matthew? He breaks more expectations.
His first act in Jerusalem at this moment, after such a victorious entrance, was not an attack on the Romans like the Jews would have wanted, but an attack on the religious leaders and those in the temple.
12 How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath.”
12 Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.
Matthew 12:12
The Prince of Peace is here flipping tables and scattering money. People were shocked.
As I read over this Scripture I began remembering all of the stories I have heard where Jesus has caused some shock in my life. Those moments where Jesus walked in with this grand entrance and then immediately began turning my world upside down.
This is how Holy Week goes for many of the people in Jesus’ time. And it’s something that happens to me even today.
Most of us have had moments where we have allowed Jesus to enter into our cities. We’ve scattered our garments and palm branches before him. We’ve shouted “Hosanna in the Highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” We’ve helped him off of the colt, even though we know he should have been on a horse, and we even eagerly embraced him.
But, then he goes through our lives and demands change.
He demands that we quit corrupting the Father’s house, the Father’s name. He demands that we love each other, show each other grace, correct and reprove each other, hold each other accountable. He demands that everything we do and everything we say be an honoring act toward God.
This can be draining.
It can be incredibly frustrating.
It is most certainly confusing.
He breaks the people’s expectations.
And as I said last week, “that’s life as a Christian.”
When we welcome Jesus into our cities, into our lives, we have to know that change is demanded.
Today you will often hear, “Well Jesus loves me for how I am.” Yes, Jesus does love you. The Father does love you. But they still expect change.
When Christ enters into our lives our entire character is influenced by the work of the Holy Spirit. It begins to change us to the core, if and only if we allow it.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem and he tried to make a change, they didn’t allow it. They responded by placing false accusations against him, having him arrested, beaten, and killed
When Jesus welcomes us into his church, into a relationship and covenant with him and the Father, we are expected to live lives that proclaim the glory of God. We are expected to listen to what Christ has said and what He currently says to us.
We cannot
Being a Christian is more than coming to church. It’s more than reading our Bibles. It’s more than praying every day. It’s more than sitting in the same pew every week. It’s more than trying to build a mega-church with great attendance. It’s more than all of that.
Being a Christian is a change of life. It’s a change of character, of being. It’s doing these two things...
37 For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39 and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man.
37 He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
Matthew 24:37
Matthew 22:37-
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
And
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem can either be celebrated as the day where we wave palm branches in church, or it can be the day where we all look at our lives and think “am I doing what Jesus has told me to do? Am I allowing Him to work a change in me?”
We all expect our relationships with God to go one way or the other, and often He works into our lives in ways that we couldn’t even imagine.
But, I want us all to leave today asking ourselves this very question...
Holy Week is my favorite week of the year. It’s my favorite week because it’s the time of the year where I ask myself so many questions.
I ask myself:
“Am I the person shouting “Hosanna in the highest!” or am I the person whispering, “We need this man dead.””
Let us pray.
Am I living a life worthy of God?
Am I speaking in a way that honors God?
Am I living the Gospel truth each and everyday and in every moment?
I look back at the events of Good Friday, of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem, and I think about how radically different my life is ever since Jesus rode into my life on the back of a colt.
I look at my life and say to myself, “I tell people that Jesus changed my life. How much of that change has stuck?