March 26, 2026
8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Today, we fix our attention on Palm Sunday and what it means for us. This particular day represents a fascinating event recorded in the gospel writings. The Lord Jesus was entering Jerusalem on the brink of the Passover feast. Jews from all over the region were flooding the Holy city to celebrate together. And in the busyness of this religious gathering, Jesus arrives fulfilling yet another messianic prophecy.
The Bible tells us that Jesus entered into their midst riding upon a donkey. He did this to fulfill what the prophet Zechariah spoke of long before that day. The holy king of Israel would come to them righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). Among the various details of this event, what is ultimately interesting to us is the way in which the crowd responded to this arrival. They didn't seem to be confused or angry at Jesus. They somehow understood that Jesus was prophetically special and that he was deserving of this kingly treatment.
In their culture, it was expected that the people would welcome their king in a noble manner. Their custom taught them that they should spread their cloaks before Him and even cut palm branches to lay on the ground. This crowd of Jews truly recognized the significance of Jesus as their messiah-king. They even went as far as to quote another messianic portion of the Old Testament by shouting "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord" (Psalm 118:25-26). They offered all of this at the feet of Jesus, but did they truly know what He came to do?
The word "Hosanna" is a Hebrew term that describes a desperate plea for deliverance and salvation. This means they were desperately asking Jesus to save them! And we might read this passage and see nothing wrong with this response. However, this crowd had an entirely different idea of salvation in mind. They were effectively calling on Jesus to be the one to overthrow the Romans and free Israel from their oppression. This means they didn't want a saviour from their sins, they wanted a king to conquer their enemies. In other words their "Hosanna" was nothing more than political propaganda for their own temporary gain. And since Jesus failed to meet their expectations, their shouts of worship soon turned to a cry for crucifixion in a matter of days.
The message here is that Jesus never came to offer a temporary solution to our problems. He didn't come to bring about some momentary social change for our benefit. He was the eternal God coming to offer an eternal gift of hope to a dying world. Therefore, our true 'Hosanna' is not for our earthly and fleeting troubles. Our true 'Hosanna' is for the weight of our shame and the penalty of our sins. And it was for this that our precious Saviour bled and died. He came to be the sacrifice we could never be. May we ever praise Him for the way He has saved us.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank you for living the life I could never live. You bore the weight of my sin and shame and you paid the price for my redemption. When I cried "Hosanna", you were there to save me. I am forever grateful for your unending love and amazing grace. Amen.