“Hosanna!”

The Appomattox Court House Presbyterian Church Pulpit
Rev. Cameron S. Smith
The Lord's Day, April 9, 2006
Zechariah 9:9-11
John 12:12-19
     

When I hear the story of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, I can't help but think of a similar history lesson from the Civil War. I remember this story from my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Carper. I double checked my facts with Jon Montgomery to make sure my memory was accurate, and he assured me that I was spot on! The story is about the first land battle of the Civil War, Manassas; but if you're truly Southern, it was Bull Run! The good folks of northern Virginia heard that there was going to be a battle in their midst, and so they decided to make a picnic day of the occasion, expecting the "War" to be short, sweet and tidy. The soldiers marched off to battle in their new, shiny uniforms to the cheering spectators. However, as we know in hindsight, the battle turned bloody and fierce, and signaled not a short war, but a long, drawn out, bloody five year Civil War. Hopeful expectations were dashed by reality.

And, if I could use those words once again, "hopeful expectations" describe the scene in Jerusalem when Jesus made his way into town on the back of a young donkey. From the Gospel of John, we understand that just prior to entering Jerusalem, Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead in Bethany. Matthew, Mark and Luke, while not mentioning Lazarus, record the healing of the blind in and near Jericho prior to the triumphal entry. Jesus, on top of all that he had said and done throughout his brief, earthly ministry was ending it with some major, unforgettable signs: Raising the dead and restoring sight.

John tells us that the crowds "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!'" "Hosanna," as we saw during the children's message meant literally, "Save us, we pray now!" But, the word over time came to mean "praise." Thus, in Matthew's account of the triumphal entry we hear: "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" (Matt. 21:9). And the plot thickens! "Jesus [then] found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 'Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!'" (Jn 12:14-15). At this point, the crowds must have been driven into a frenzy. A good many people in the crowd were likely familiar with the prophecy from Zechariah that John refers to: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." However, John doesn't fill in all the details, you see, there's more to the prophecy that fuels the hopeful expectations lavished on Jesus.

There are three parts to this messianic prophecy: 1) The coming of the righteous king was associated with cessation of war: "I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off…." 2) The coming of the humble king was connected to the ultimate proclamation of peace to the nations: "He shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth." 3) The coming of the gentle king is finally tied to God's covenant that promises release for the prisoners, those who are sold into the bondage of slavery to sin: "As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit." I love the imagery of the waterless pit. It recalls the experience of the prophet Jeremiah in his hour of great distress, (cf. Jer. 38:6). Similar to the overwhelming heaviness of sin, Jeremiah was sinking up to his chin in the mud of the waterless pit!

And perhaps the most intriguing part of this prophecy is that this great, righteous, humble and gentle king will be riding on the foal of a donkey! The popular interpretation of the fulfillment this prophecy is that King Jesus is truly a humble king. He doesn't ride in on a mighty war horse like you might expect a great king to make his entrance. But, this only partially correct: True enough, Jesus is different from other kings. But, you must understand that the donkey was a royal mount for most every ancient king! The key is that the donkey was the royal mount during peace time! When the king rode into a conquered town on the donkey, it meant his peace and authority was so secure that he could ride in on the less agile donkey. Jesus, by riding in on the young donkey is proclaiming that peace has truly arrived! The crowds, I believe, understood the significance of the prophecy, and when they saw Jesus come into town in this fashion after all that he had accomplished during his three year ministry, well, you can understand their enthusiasm.

However, we know what transpired after Jesus got to town on that Passover week. He didn't deliver the goods fast enough. He didn't establish the Kingdom the way everyone was expecting of the Messiah. In fact, Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us that one of the first things he did after he got in town was to going to the Temple courts to take the money-changers and other religious hucksters to task. Jesus didn't endear much good will towards himself that week. By the end of the week, he was arrested, convicted and scorned by the same crowd that cheered his entrance!

Now before we get too self righteous about the unbelief of those who cheered Jesus and then jeered him when their hopeful expectations were dashed; think about our own experiences in the faith.

I have to mention my experiences with my church in Florida. On Palm Sunday, the entire congregation would be given a palm branch, and the praise band would lead the entire congregation once around the parking lot to the hymn of "All Glory Laud and Honor" before heading into the sanctuary for worship. I must tell you that we were a pitiful sight. We were so unenthusiastic, you would have thought it was a funeral dirge! But, hey, we did that this morning too!

You see, I think that the Church in general has contracted the same lethargy that found its way into the hearts of those who had their hopes dashed in Jerusalem. We know the story, we've heard it a thousand times. Perhaps we were exuberant when we first understood the Gospel and made it our very own. But, as time goes on, the worries and dangers of life start to take their toll: We took it seriously when Proverbs 22:6 said "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." But now the kids are a mess. In John 11:26 Jesus says "everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die." But, death is still our reality; and for some of you, you've had more than your fair share.

We hear the Psalmist in the very first Psalm say, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers….He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." And yet, you're financially hard pressed on all sides, nothing seems to be going right.

And so, instead of just outright rejection, you just put up with church because it's the proper thing to do - it's socially appropriate, but you don't really believe all this stuff! In larger cities, most have just dispensed with all this church nonsense, not even bothering to clutter up an already busy life with one more thing to do with one of the few days off.

My friends, I must encourage you on this Palm Sunday. The Kingdom of God has indeed come. Jesus has given us a foretaste of the glory to come. It will come in it's fullness in Gods timing. All of the hardships and disappointments that we all experience on this side of that coming serve to prepare us for that glory. Let the people of God say together, Hosanna to the Son of David. Hosanna in the highest! Amen.