Readings for today: Mark 11-12, Psalms 100
Hosanna. It’s a beautiful word and a powerful prayer. It’s the cry of the people as Jesus rides into Jerusalem. And it’s also the culmination of the prayers of so many generations of God’s people. Think of all the people of God have suffered throughout the ages. From the nomadic existence of Abraham and Sarah to brutal slavery in Egypt to the wars of conquest in the Promised Land to the ebbs and flows of sin and redemption under the leadership of different kings and judges to the destruction of the northern kingdom and the exile of the southern kingdom. It’s an unbelievable story that testifies to the miraculous intervention and preservation of God as He guided and protected His people over the years. And now they find themselves back in the Land but under occupation. They find themselves able to worship at the Temple but under the corrupt leadership of the religious authorities. They find themselves able to practice their faith but God’s salvation seems as distant as ever. Then along comes Jesus. He heals. He feeds. He casts out demons. He teaches. He points people to the Kingdom of God in very tangible and practical ways. It’s powerful. No wonder they looked to Him for salvation.
“Many people spread their clothes on the road, and others spread leafy branches cut from the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Mark 11:8-10 CSB) It’s hard to get our heads and hearts around what the people in first century Palestine must have felt. The Roman Empire was peaking under the leadership of Caesar Augustus. The religious authorities were firmly entrenched. There were several revolutionary movements underway. It must have felt like they were living in a powder keg that could blow at any time. Jesus was one of those “revolutionaries.” All they knew about Him was that He was a worker of miracles and a powerful preacher. They knew He had gained a significant following in the Galilean countryside. Now he was coming into Jerusalem riding on a colt just like the ancient prophets foretold. He was deliberately invoking the echoes of King David and the golden age of the Israelite kingdom. And they must have had such high hopes.
All of us experience those same hopes. We long for Jesus to save us. Save us from our sin. Save us from our pain. Save us from our fears. Save us from our circumstances. And whether we realize it or not, we all cry out on some level, “Hosanna!” We all cry out to Jesus for salvation. But are we willing to receive the salvation He offers in the way He offers it? Through the cross? Through His suffering and death and resurrection? That’s what tripped up the people cheering for Him back in the first century. They wanted a king. They wanted someone who would throw out the Romans and depose the religious elite. They wanted someone who would build up the military power of Israel and re-establish her ancient borders and dominate the pagan nations around them once more. This was not the salvation Jesus offered and that’s why so many turned on Him. If we aren’t careful, we can fall into this same trap. We want Jesus to exercise His authority and restore our nation. We want Him to depose our own corrupt political, social, cultural, and even ecclesiastical leaders. We want Jesus to rebuild our power and influence so we can dominate the world once again. But that’s not the salvation Jesus offers.
So why do you cry Hosanna? What kind of salvation are you actually looking for? What would happen if Jesus did actually give you your heart’s desire and would that have any kind of eternal significance?
Readings for tomorrow: Mark 13-14, Psalms 101