Old School 5: We Believe in The Savior

Palm Sunday: The Beginning of The Passion

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father. All things were made through Him and for Him. He is true God and true man.

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and was born of the virgin Mary. He suffered, died, was buried, and on the third day He rose from the dead.

He ascended to the right hand of the Father, and He will return to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will have no end.

We believe that salvation is by grace through faith in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross; and that He died in our place. The believer’s sins are forgiven by the shedding of His blood.

John 12:12–19 NKJV

12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel!” 14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt.” 16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him. 17 Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. 18 For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!”

The Background of Palm Sunday

Let us review the background to the story. In the spring of the final year of his life, Jesus traveled to Jerusalem for the festival of Passover. Given the huge numbers of pilgrims in town, Jesus could not afford to rent a room inside the city and had to resort to staying with friends in Bethany. This is the modest village of Beth-Ania, (“the house of the poor”), located about 2 miles east of Jerusalem on the backside of the Mount of Olives. According to John, the first thing Jesus does is raise Lazarus from the dead, an act which made him very unpopular among the authorities. For this reason Jesus became worried and fled to “a town called Ephraim in the region near the wilderness” (John 11:54). After a few weeks, Jesus returned to Bethany where he was anointed by Mary, and from here, proceeded to enter Jerusalem in royal fashion.

PHOTO: The eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, featuring the village of El-Eizariya = biblical Bethany. The slender spire at the top of the hill is the Russian Orthodox Church of the Ascension, from which pilgrims could see the baptismal site of Jesus in the Jordan River.

Because the entry into Jerusalem is such a significant event, it is not surprising that it is one of the few scenes that appears in all four Gospels (Mt 21:1-11; Mk 11:1-1-10; Lk 19:28-40; Jn 12:12-19). Surprisingly, John is the only evangelist who explicitly mentions the waving of palm fronds. This scene is often referred to by scholars as the “triumphal entry.” The word “triumph” refers to a Roman military procession (triumphus) welcoming a victorious general back to Rome following an important battle abroad. The Gospel authors do not use this word, but they employ some of the imagery that was common in these parades in order to depict Jesus as a victorious for the Roman readers. [Was Palm Sunday actually Sukkot? (israelbiblicalstudies.com)]

The word “Gospel” is triumphant word.

The word for “gospel” is the word euangelion. It has that prefix eu-, which comes into English in a variety of words. We talk about euphonics or euphonious music, which refers to something that sounds good. We talk about a eulogy, which is a good word pronounced about someone at his funeral service. The prefix eu- refers to something good or pleasant. The word angelos or angelion is the word for “message.” Angels are messengers, and an angelos is one who delivers a message.

This word euangelion, which means “good message” or “good news,” has a rich background in the Old Testament. There, the basic meaning of the term gospel was simply an announcement of a good message. If a doctor came to examine a sick person and afterward declared that the problem was nothing serious, that was gospel or good news. In ancient days when soldiers went out to battle, people waited breathlessly for a report from the battlefield about the outcome. Once the outcome was known, marathon runners dashed back to give the report. That is why Isaiah wrote, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news” (Isa. 52:7). The watchman in the watchtower would look as far as the eye could see into the distance. Finally, he would see the dust moving as the runner sped back to the city to give the report of the battle. The watchmen were trained to tell by the way the runner’s legs were churning whether the news was good or bad. If the runner was doing the survival shuffle, it indicated a grim report, but if his legs were flying and the dust was kicking up, that meant good news. That is the concept of gospel in its most rudimentary sense.

When we come to the New Testament, we find three distinct ways in which the term gospel is used. First, we have four books in the New Testament that we call Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These books are biographical portraits of Jesus. Gospel in this sense describes a particular form of literature. During the earthly ministry of Jesus, the term gospel was linked not particularly with the person of Jesus but with the kingdom of God. John the Baptist is introduced as one who comes preaching the gospel, and his message is “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matt. 3:2).

Jesus did the same in His parables, proclaiming, “the kingdom of God is like . . .” On the lips of Jesus, the gospel was about the dramatic moment in history when, through the long-awaited Messiah, the kingdom of God had broken through in time and space. The good news was the good news of the kingdom.

[What Does the Word “Gospel” Mean in the New Testament? (ligonier.org)]

The Triumphal Entry was a Proclamation that the Kingdom of God Had Come

Matthew 12:25–30 NKJV

25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

What is the reason for one of the most curious features of this story, namely, the waving of palm branches the week before Passover, only mentioned by John? In the Jewish tradition palm branches, lulavim, are waved on Sukkot (the autumn Festival of Booths or Tabernacles), not Passover! Although there are scholars who have suggested that the triumphal entry took place on Sukkot of the previous year (six months before Passover), the use of palm fronds in this scene likely has nothing to with Sukkot. In the lifetime of Jesus, waving palm fronds had become an instantly recognized Jewish national symbol. (See Picture)

COIN PICTURE

A coin struck during the first year of the Bar Kochba Revolt. 132-135 CE. One side features a grape bunch on vine with small leaf; “Year One of the Redemption of Israel” (in Hebrew). The other side depicts a palm tree with two bunches of dates; “Eleazar the Priest” (in Hebrew).

For example, in the year 141 BCE – a full generation after the Hanukkah miracle – the Maccabees finally managed to capture the Jerusalem Citadel and rejoiced in the following manner:

Simon and his men entered the fort singing hymns of praise and thanksgiving, while carrying palm branches and playing harps, cymbals, and lyres (1 Macc 13:51).

Similarly, Jewish coins struck during the Great Revolt (67-70) and Bar Kochba Revolt (132-5) contain images of palm fronds. Thus, there is no reason to think that the waving of palms is necessarily linked with Sukkot and that this scene is out-of-season.

Hosanna means Save Now, Lord or Save Us, We Beseech You

This would also be proclaimed during the Feast of Tabernacles:

BOOTHS, FEAST OF (חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת, chag hassukkoth, σκηνοπηγία, skēnopēgia). Also known by its transliteration, Sukkot. One of Israel’s three great annual festivals, celebrated at the time of the agricultural harvest, in gratitude for Yahweh’s present and historical provision.

Purpose and Date

During this festival Israel gathered luxuriant boughs and built booths in which to live for the span of the festival. These acts were meant to remind them of the time spent wandering in the desert. The Feast of Tabernacles is the last of the seven feasts described in the Pentateuch, starting four days after the Day of Atonement. It begins after the completion of grain threshing and pressing grapes, on the fifteenth day of Tishri (the seventh lunar month, which falls in late September to late October).

Easton’s Bible Dictionary Tabernacles, Feast Of

TABERNACLES, FEAST OF—the third of the great annual festivals of the Jews (Lev. 23:33–43). It is also called the “feast of ingathering” (Ex. 23:16; Deut. 16:13). It was celebrated immediately after the harvest, in the month Tisri, and the celebration lasted for eight days (Lev. 23:33–43). During that period the people left their homes and lived in booths formed of the branches of trees. The sacrifices offered at this time are mentioned in Num. 29:13–38. It was at the time of this feast that Solomon’s temple was dedicated (1 Kings 8:2). Mention is made of it after the return from the Captivity. This feast was designed (1) to be a memorial of the wilderness wanderings, when the people dwelt in booths (Lev. 23:43), and (2) to be a harvest thanksgiving (Neh. 8:9–18). The Jews, at a later time, introduced two appendages to the original festival, viz., (1) that of drawing water from the Pool of Siloam, and pouring it upon the altar (John 7:2, 37), as a memorial of the water from the rock in Horeb; and (2) of lighting the lamps at night, a memorial of the pillar of fire by night during their wanderings.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary In Jewish Liturgy

In Jewish liturgy, this word is used during a cycle of prayers sung during the Feast of Tabernacles (or Sukkot). Once a day during the feast, worshipers would walk around the altar and say, “Save now, we beseech thee, O Lord! We beseech thee, O Lord, send now prosperity!” (Psa 118:25; m. Sukkah 4:5). On the seventh day, it was repeated seven times; this seventh day is called the Hoshana Rabbah. “The hosanna ritual combines the ideas of praising realized victories over the nations and sympathetic prayers for salvation” (Avery-Peck, Review of Rabbinic Judaism, 94).

During the Feast of Tabernacles, when the priest reached a certain point in the ceremony, a trumpet sounded and all the people waved branches of palms, myrtles, willows, etc. Over time hôshia nā was abbreviated into hoshiana or hosanna. Because this word was used during a time of celebration, it become associated with rejoicing, as evidenced by its use in the Gospels.

Hoshana Rabbah The seventh day of Sukkot is called Hoshana Rabbah, and is considered the final day of the divine “judgment” in which the fate of the new year is determined.

The Triumphal Entry was a Proclamation that the enemy was Defeated

Matthew 12:28–29 NKJV

28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

John 12:31 KJV 1900

31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

John 16:5–11 KJV 1900

5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

Jesus is the Living Water for the Thirsty Soul

The water pouring became a focus of the joy that the Torah commands for Sukkot. On no other festival were the people literally commanded to be joyful, and as a result Sukkot became known as “the season of our joy,” just as Passover is “the season of our freedom.

The water pouring ceremony at the Feast of Tabernacles was the only water poured out onto God’s altar. This water was literally called “Yeshua” – the waters of salvation.

There would be a signal and the priests would step out with their left foot, and then step to the right [cadence], swinging the willows back and forth. Meanwhile a third group of priests, headed by the High Priest, went out the gate known as the Water Gate. They had gone to the pool known as “Siloam” (John 9:7, 11), which means “gently flowing waters.” There the High Priest had a golden vase and drew the water known as the living water and held it in the vase. His assistant held a silver vase containing wine. Just as the priests in the valley of Motzah began to march toward Jerusalem, the willows made a swishing sound in the wind as they approached the city. The word wind and spirit in Hebrew are both Ruach. Therefore, this ceremony was symbolic or representative of the Holy Spirit of God coming upon the city of Jerusalem.

As each of the party reached their respective gates, a trumpet (shofar) was blown. Then one man would stand up and play the flute. The flute represents the Messiah. The flute player is called “the pierced one.” The flute is pierced, and Yeshua was pierced during the crucifixion.

The flute player led the procession. The pierced one blows the call for the wind and the water to enter the temple. The priests from Motzah walked in a cadence swishing the willows in order to come into the temple. This group then circled the altar seven times. The priests that were slaying the sacrifices are now ascending the altar, and they begin to lay the sacrifices on the fires. The High Priest and his assistant ascend the altar and all the people of Israel are gathered into the courts around there. The people start singing, “With joy we will draw water out of the well of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3). The High Priest takes his golden vase and pours it contents on one of the corners of the altar where the horns are. There are two bowls built into the altar. Each bowl has a hole in it. The water and the wine are poured out over the altar, as the priests who had the willow start laying the willows against the altar, making a sukkah. They set the willows upright on the side of the altar, forming a wedding canopy or chupah, which is a picture of the Mature Body of Christ coming together who are made up of organic matter. These individuals lay down their lives as living sacrifices of fire to form one body – the dwelling place of God. The ceremony of the water drawing points to that day when, according to the prophet Joel, God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28-29).

As mentioned earlier, the water drawing ceremony took on a new dimension of meaning when Yeshua attended the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles). On the seventh day of the feast – Hoshana Rabbah, which literally means, “the great hosanna, the great salvation” – the festival activities were different from those of each of the six previous days when the priests circled the altar in a procession, singing Psalm 118:25. On the seventh day of the feast, the people circled the altar seven times. That is why the day is called Hoshana Rabbah, as all the people cried, “Save now!” seven times. [CELEBRATION OF WATER POURING – FEAST OF TABERNACLES | sapphirethroneministries (wordpress.com)]

John 7:37–39 NKJV

37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Credits:

Austin, B. M. (2016). Booths, Feast of. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.