They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” - Matthew 21:7-11 ESV (Mark 11, Luke 19, John 12)
They call this the "Triumphal Entry" of Jesus. Jesus entered Jerusalem, the holiest city, during the time of Passover, when Israel looked back to the time when God delivered His people from Egypt. This was more than a celebration for God's people as they were redeemed from slavery, but also a reflection of our need for redemption and restoration every day through a yearly meal, sacrifices, and a weeklong time of reflection. Each family would sacrifice a spotless lamb to die in the place of themselves, above the constant sacrifices in the temple. These sacrifices, along with the Passover, were everyday reminder of where we fall short and our need for ultimate redemption.
When Jesus arrived, the people where in the midst of preparing for this celebration, beginning with the Passover meal that, arguably, occurred Wednesday or Thursday night as a Sabbath. He rode in on a donkey, a "foul beast of burden" (21:5), signifying His humble nature and fulfilled the scripture proclaiming the arrival of the true King (Zech 9:9). The crowd set their clothes and branches for Him to walk on shouting so loudly that even the locals were asking who this man was (v11). He was given a King's welcome. They proclaimed:
“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (v9)
I vividly remember watching my first play about Jesus’ entry when I was a young Christian. The people celebrated Jesus arriving on a donkey (under plastic, of course), singing "Hosanna" over and over as he rides in with a smile. This sounds great now, but seems strange the more I study scripture. What were the people really celebrating? Do they know why Jesus was coming into Jerusalem? Did they think He would prophesize against the religious leaders? Rome? I thought I would start with the first word. What does "Hosanna" even mean?
Hosanna is a combination of two Hebrew words: yāšaʿ (yaw-shah'), which means "to save, to be saved, be delivered" and nā' (naw'), which means "I pray, now, please" (Strong’s/Thayer's Greek Lexicon). Together they mean “Save, I pray” or “Oh Save!”. At first this seems more like a cry for redemption rather than a celebratory shout of glee. The crowds probably knew this since the salvation of God’s people is seen in scripture often, especially this coming week, and these words come directly from scripture:
Save us (yāšaʿ), we pray (nā'), O LORD! O LORD, we pray (nā'), give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD. - Psalm 118:25-26
But, especially in these verses, the words are also celebratory because they have a connotation that it will be done. God came to save the people, and they yearn to be saved, just like from the Egyptians:
Thus the LORD saved (yāšaʿ) Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. - Exodus 14:30 (ESV) Num 10:9, Deu 20:4, Jdg 2:16
Interesting word!
I am not sure how they would be proclaiming the words to Jesus as He walked into town. Were they singing happily? Weeping? Shouting? Praying? It is hard to tell. He has not revealed His plan to His people yet. We know they were loud since in Luke 19 the Pharisees were attempting to silence His disciples, and in verse 40 Jesus said that even if they were silenced the rocks would cry out. Cry out here means they would croak, cry out like a raven, speak with a loud voice (Thayer's notes the term means "inarticulately", but they are rocks, haha).
Initially it seems strange to me to sing out happily as you are asking to be saved, but how else are God's people to differentiate from the rest of the world? God's people have a history of falling short, and a history being saved by the Redeemer. Jesus calls us to repentance (Mat 3:2,11, Luk 5:32, Act 2:38, 11:18), but this repentance leads to Joy, and not just after salvation. Look at Matthew 13:44:
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." (emp mine)
In his joy he sells all he has? Why would selling everything you have be joyful unless what you will receive is worth much more than what you are selling? OR what if what you are selling is not what you really want? I would joyfully sell my wife's disease. Not to say that everything life is not worth anything, but God, through Jesus, is so much more. Not just a little more, but infinitely more.
More than your house or car?
More than your job?
More than freedom?
More than family?
More than your.... YES!!!!
When Adam and Eve fell in the garden, they did not just loose a perk that they could have taken advantage of. They lost everything! They lost a relationship that was beyond measure, beyond comprehension, and His people have been calling out for that restoration ever sense. Our repentance and acceptance of Jesus as King ushers in a new era where God can be with us once again, where His Spirit can dwell with us and continue to restore us even after we repent.
That is a time of celebration!
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