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Hosanna!

Writer's picture: Pastor Nathan NassPastor Nathan Nass

After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ”

Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:28-40 NIV)

For one day, people actually got it. Isn’t it great when the light bulb comes on? For one day—Palm Sunday—people actually recognized who Jesus really is. The Bible is full of days when people didn’t. Days when people wanted free bread more than they wanted a Savior. Days when people thought politics was more important than the forgiveness of sins. Days when Jesus’ own twelve disciples didn’t grasp who he was or what he came to do. But for one day, they did. On Palm Sunday, the people welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem as he actually is—our King and Savior.

It must have been quite a sight! I’ve been there. I wasn’t actually there on the first Palm Sunday. But I’ve stood on the Mount of Olives and seen the view Jesus would have seen. It’s quite a sight! Jerusalem is surrounded by hills, including the Mount of Olives. When you stand on the Mount of Olives, you can see the whole city of Jerusalem spread out before you, with the temple front and center. The towns mentioned here—Bethany and Bethphage—were on the Mount of Olives, just two miles or so from Jerusalem. It must have been quite a sight!

Jesus had done this before. He had entered Jerusalem dozens of times before. He often stayed at Bethany—the home of Mary and Martha and Lazarus. But this time was different, and Jesus knew it. So he asked his disciples to find him a sweet ride—a colt. The colt of a donkey. Why? It wasn’t because Jesus’ feet were tired. He could have walked two more miles. It was because this is the way the Bible said it would happen. 500 years earlier, Zechariah prophesied: “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). God said the Messiah would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey, and God always keeps his promises!

But we still might ask, “Why a donkey?” If I were Jesus, I would have ridden a lion. Wouldn’t that have been cool? Or at least an elephant. In Jesus’ day, other great rulers rode horses. A few hundred years earlier, Alexander the Great had conquered the world on his famous horse. Do you know Alexander the Great’s horse’s name? Bucephalus. Even his horse was famous! But Jesus—a donkey? Why? Well, in the Old Testament, we find that leaders and kings in Israel actually rode donkeys. Great King David and his sons rode mules. Maybe the best we can say is that a donkey fit Jesus’ purpose perfectly: He was coming as King, but he was also coming in humility. He was coming to rule, but not to lord it over people. To die for people. So he rode a donkey.

And for one day, people actually got it. As Jesus rode down the Mount of Olives, the people put their coats and palm branches on the road, like rolling out the red carpet. They shouted: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” That’s a Bible passage from Psalm 118. But Psalm 118 doesn’t actually use the word “king.” It says, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD” (Psalm 118:26). The people recognized that Jesus was that person, and that Jesus was a King. One theologian comments: “They must have been inspired by God himself!” Of course they were! “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3).

They added this shout, “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” Does that sound familiar? “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” Where have you heard that before? What if I say it like this: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). Who said that? The angels on the night Jesus was born. It was as if Jesus’ life had come full-circle: On Christmas, the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” On Palm Sunday, the people sang, “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” For one day, people and angels joined together in praising Jesus.

I keep saying “for one day.” That’s because you know what happens next, right? I don’t want to end the suspense, but I’ll break it to you: Jesus is going to die on the cross on Friday. What a week! From palm branches and hosannas to “Crucify him!” in just five days. It’s easy for us to criticize those people on Palm Sunday. “It was just for one day. They must not have really meant it. They later crucified Jesus…” But the Bible doesn’t make those criticisms. For all we know, it was two different groups of people. One said, “Hosanna.” The other said, “Crucify him.”

This is what stands out. On Palm Sunday, those believers praised Jesus for who Jesus is. Notice something: They didn’t ask Jesus for anything. That’s unusual. People were always asking Jesus for things: “Heal me. Heal him. Answer this. Answer that…” But not on Palm Sunday. They didn’t ask Jesus for anything. Instead, for one day, people praised Jesus just for being Jesus. They praised God just for being God. “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!

Do we? As I studied these verses, the thought hit me: Do we praise Jesus for who he is? Or do we praise Jesus for what we want Jesus to do for us? Those might sound similar, but they are completely different. It’s easy to make God a means to an end. Do you understand that expression? It’s easy to come to God for what we want God to give to us. We make Jesus a means to an end. “I want a better marriage, so I’ll try going to church. I want a happier life, so I’ll see if Jesus gives that to me. I want more money, or better health, or more friends, so I guess I better start praying.” See what I mean? We make Jesus a means to get something else. We don’t come to Jesus for Jesus. We come to Jesus for what we hope Jesus will give us.

Am I wrong? This is a sad reality today. People talk about the consumerization of Christianity in America. That’s a real word! We Christians are making ourselves into consumers—shoppers. Whom is a consumer always looking out for? “What’s the best deal for me?” Isn’t that how we think? Isn’t that even how we talk about church? “What is God going to do to benefit me? Which church offers me more? Where can I get the biggest bang for the buck?” Consumers. Is that us? If that’s our attitude, we don’t know who God is! If we go to God to see what we can get out of him, we have no idea who God is. Jesus isn’t a means to an end. Jesus is the end. He’s the goal!

I know a pastor who once had a person say to him on the way out of church, “I didn’t like the service today. It just wasn’t for me.” Do you know what the pastor said? “Good. Because we weren’t worshipping you anyway.” I don’t think I would be brave enough to say that! But Jesus was. Right after our lesson, Jesus looked at all the people of Jerusalem who weren’t worshipping him, and he wept. He said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:42). You can have Jesus right in front of your face, and not actually see him for who he is. That makes Jesus weep. “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.”

Jesus isn’t a means to an end. Jesus is the end! Jesus isn’t a means to one day get peace. Jesus is our peace. What brings true peace isn’t any of the things we want Jesus to bring. It’s not finally getting to have a child. It’s not a new car or better house. It’s not finally feeling better. That’s not where peace comes from. “If you had only known what would bring you peace.” I can speak for me: I foolishly treat Jesus like a means to an end, and too often I don’t come to Jesus for Jesus.

So Jesus comes to me, and he comes to you. I told you there’s a great view from the Mount of Olives, right? Think of Jesus’ perspective on Palm Sunday. From the Mount of Olives, Jesus would see the Garden of Gethsemane where his own friend would betray him, and the leaders of his own people would arrest him. From the Mount of Olives, Jesus could see the high priest’s palace where injustice would rain on him, along with spit and fists. From the Mount of Olives, Jesus could see Pontius Pilate’s fortress next to the temple, where he would be condemned and beaten and crowned with thorns. From the Mount of Olives, Jesus could see Golgotha, the “place of the skull”, where his cross would be placed. As he rode that donkey, he could see all of it. Unlike the crowd, he knew exactly what was going to happen during Holy Week. The rejection. The pain. The suffering. The death. He could see it all in front of him. And he still came to us.

Why did Jesus keep going? Why didn’t Jesus turn that donkey around? Because he loves you. You’re not a means to an end for Jesus. Jesus doesn’t pretend to care about you so that he can get your money. Do you know what Jesus wants? You. You’re the end. You’re the goal. Of the donkey. Of the cross. He did it all for you, to forgive you and save you and make you his own.

When you understand that, do you know what you have to say? Hosanna! “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” It’s not about what Jesus is going to do next. It’s about what Jesus has already done. It’s not about what Jesus might give you. It’s about what Jesus has already given you: Forgiveness. Freedom. Peace. Can you see the difference? This is why a believer’s praise to God doesn’t change—when times are good and when times are bad. Our faith isn’t based on what God has given us at this moment. Our faith is based on who God is, and that never changes. We praise Jesus for Jesus.

Isn’t this what we pray to God over and over again in the Lord’s Prayer? How does the Lord’s Prayer start? “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” Even before asking for daily bread. Even before mentioning the forgiveness of sins. Even before asking for protection from evil. “Hallowed be your name.” The first thing: Hosanna! Before asking for anything, we pray, “God, may you be praised for who you are.” Isn’t that what Holy Week is all about? It’s not about our sacrifice. It’s about Jesus. Come this week to praise Jesus for who Jesus is. Worship Jesus for who Jesus is. Our King. Our Savior. Our Redeemer. Our Shepherd. Our God. Hosanna!

If we don’t, the stones will. Isn’t that a striking way for the story to end? Jesus says, “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Jesus will be praised. No matter what you or I do this week, Jesus will be praised! Often nature is smarter than we are in recognizing its Creator and Savior. The sun says, “Hosanna!” every time it rises. The stars twinkle, “Hosanna!” every night that they shine. The grass beams, “Hosanna!” as it grows green and thick. Jesus will be praised! For one day—Palm Sunday—those people got it. By God’s grace, may we not get it for one day, but for a lifetime. A lifetime of saying “Hosanna,” to Jesus. Not for what he might do. But for who he is. Come to Jesus for Jesus. “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.” Hosanna!


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