Hosanna!
Jesus, the king, was entering Jerusalem. This was not the first time he had entered the city, but he had never entered it like this before. As a matter of fact, this is the only recorded time that he entered any town by animal. He always walked, sometimes by boat and occasionally he walked on the water too, but this time it was different.
It was also different this time, because he normally discouraged much attention from the crowds. When a crowd wanted to crown him as a king, or draw attention to him has a Messiah, he would rebuke them, or separate himself from the people, but this time it was different. He seemed to relish in the praise and in Luke 19:40 "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
This was a day fit for a King. Hundreds of years before Jesus, Zechariah, in the midst of his future visions, prophesied,
Zech 9:9
9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and having salvation,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
The time had arrived. The vision was complete. The prophecy was fulfilled. The King was coming! It was a common custom in many lands to cover the path of someone thought worthy of the highest honor.
2 Kings 9:13 reports that Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat, was treated this way. John specifically mentions “branches of palm trees” being placed on the road before Jesus (Jn. 12:12).
The palm branch was a symbol of triumph and of victory in Jewish tradition (Leviticus 23:40; Revelation 7:9). Because of this, the scene of the crowd greeting Jesus by waving palms and carpeting his path with them has given the Christian day its name.
Jesus was now entering Jerusalem as the king and Messiah (the Christ)
The King – The MESSIAH
The problem was – there were already lots of kings around – those who considered themselves ‘King of the Jews”
Sadducess – chief Priest considered himself the King of the Jews
Harrod – considered the King of the Jews
Pilate – the local representative of the king of the world (Caesar) – including the Jews.
And now comes Jesus riding into the city like a king – hailed as the Messiah – the king of the Jews. And the crowds cry out - “Hosanna” - “Save us” a term reserved for highly regarded public figures, kings, military leaders, political leaders – the ones you look to who make all things right. A term that implies the high hopes we have in a person.
The Messiah as king. - In the popular conception the Messiah was chiefly the royal son of David who would bring victory and prosperity to the Jewish nation and set up His throne in Jerusalem. In this capacity the multitude hailed Jesus on His entry into the capital (Matt 21:9 and parallel); to the Pharisees also the Messiah was the son of David (Matt 22:42). It would seem that apocalyptic elements mingled with the national expectation, for it was supposed that the Messiah would come forth suddenly from concealment and attest Himself by miracles (John 7:27,31).
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”
A hillel – a Jewish song of praise – the highest praise
Ps 118:25-27
25 O Lord, save us;
O Lord, grant us success.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.
27 The Lord is God,
and he has made his light shine upon us
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up to the horns of the altar.
Ones who come in the name of the Lord – prophets and priests – and Jesus was both of those and more.
A cry of praise that the Pharasees and Saducees do not get from the people. The Pharasees and Sadducees were two different prevail religious arms of the religious system of the day. They were not getting this kind of praise.
Sadducees
They were the deists or sceptics of that age. They were the Aristocratic and They did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, but were more open to the intelligent Hellinistic influence of the greek and Romans. They were the ruling authority over the Jewish system given to them by Caesar. To the Sadducees, the Messiah would come to restore Israel to the world political dominance.
When Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, the excitement of the people could likely draw the attention of the Roman authorities . If they learned that there was widespread support among the Jews for a new Jewish king who was going to rule the world, very soon the quasi-independence enjoyed by the Jews would be taken from them and the influence the Sadducees had would be over.
The Sadducean high priests , Annas and his sons had booths in the courts of the temple for the sale of sacrificial requisites, tables for money-changers, as ordinary coins had to be changed into the shekels of the sanctuary. From all these the priests of the high-priestly caste derived profit at the expense of desecrating the temple (Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus, I , 371 ff). They did not, as did the Pharisees, pay spiritual respect to the religion; they were frankly irreligious. While officials of religion, they were devoid of its spirit.
Pharasees
The Pharasees were the larger group and the more religiously conservative group, intent on maintaining strict adherence to the Mosaic law as well as all the teachings and traditions that had developed and grown up over time.
The messiah was to be a religious king and a political king.
10 "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!"
The kingdom of David was the highlight of the Jewish national pride. This was the largest that the Israeli kingdom had grown to. It was a time of power, respect and prosperity. It was a time of strength for Israel. This was a blessing for Jesus as a political king.
The problem was the Jews had a king. Herod was the recognized king of the Jews. This is Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great. Antipas was the tetriarch of Rome – appointed by Augustus Caesar. Jesus coming as a Messiah king of the Jews was a direct threat to Herod, it would undermine his power and position.
Also besides Herod, Caesar was the king of the World – including the Jews. And the strength of Rome in Jerusalem lay in the hands of Pilate. Rome actually ruled over Israel. There had been previous uprisings and insurgencies that the Romans would quickly put to a harsh ending. There was no interest in someone else claiming to be king
Jesus intentions was not to overthrow Herod or Rome, for neither Herod nor Pilate was a threat to the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of David was not going to be a political or nationalistic kingdom but a spiritual kingdom that would be established in the hearts of men and women. Jesus was establishing a kingdom that would rule over people’s hearts and change them eternally.
For Jesus’ kingdom was not going to be established by power but by sacrifice. Jesus was coming as a most unlikely king, for this king was coming not to establish his power but to die and in his death establish a power far greater than Herod, or the Pharasees or Sadducees could ever accomplish.
This was a kingdom of freedom – not bondage. Of Righteousness not coercion.
Jesus begins this week with a celebration of a coming king and he ends this week setting himself a part as the king of all time by raising from the dead, but between these two great celebrations, he experiences a week of the greatest suffering and sacrifice imaginable. He embarks on a journey that over the next few days he defeats the greatest foes of humanity, sin and death, to accomplish our salvation. He is the one who will truly save us – it is right to cry “hosanna” in his presence
He starts this journey for our salvation and comes in the name of the Lord – our prophet and high priest who saves us.
He comes establishing a kingdom greater than any political action could accomplish
Religion will not save you
Your good works, - Your ascription to the right set of beliefs - Your involvement in church or social causes will not save you - Your ‘freedom from religion’ religion will not save you, your intellect will not save you.
Politics will not save you
Nationalism will not save you - America will not save you - Canada will not save you
Globalism nor localism will not save you - Israel will not save you - Your culture will not save you
Your heritage will not save you
Only Jesus saves you
Jesus is the Messiah, the one who will restore all things and lead the people to God’s kingdom
but he is a different kind of king and His ways are very different from the ways the world is used to.
Let Jesus come into your life as king, savior, Messiah, where he is establishing his reign and rule in your life. There are issues, things, attitudes and values in each one of us that will prevent that from happening.
Maybe we like the way life is – it may not be perfect but I can handle it – Jesus says, you don’t know what you are missing, and there will be days that come when you wont be able to handle it on your own, learn to trust him now as king.
Maybe we don’t want to be associated with him – I don’t like the stigma associated with being a Christian, What he is calling you to is not the religiousosity of Christianity, but the relationship of a king and savior. He was not about setting up a kingdom in this world but calling us to a kingdom that transcends this world.
This week is the Passion Week – the week of events where Jesus establishes His Kingdom to rule the hearts people. I have written a devotional booklet to help you walk with Jesus this week. I encourage you to take one and use it every day. On Friday this week we will gather for a very special time of remembering the death of Jesus and then on Sunday be prepared to celebrate the life of Jesus our Messiah.