Hosanna in the Highest!

March 11

Numbers 4-5

Psalm 33:1-9

Proverbs 7:24-27

Mark 11:1-11

Hosanna in the Highest!

“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!”  Mark 11:9b-10 LSB

The Sunday before Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection is referred to in modern times as Palm Sunday.  The day began with Jesus and His disciples travelling over the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem.  Jesus sent two of His disciples ahead into the village of Bethphage to get a colt of a donkey.  When they found the colt, they untied it and the owners questioned what they were doing.  They told them, “The Lord needs it,” and the owners were satisfied and let them take it.  When they brought the donkey to Jesus, they threw their cloaks on it and put Jesus on its back.  500 years earlier the prophet Zechariah had prophesied that the Messiah would come to them in this way.  “Behold, your king is coming to you; He is righteous and endowed with salvation, lowly and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a pack animal.”  Zechariah 9:9 LSB  As Jesus ascended into Jerusalem, a large crowd gathered around Him.  They understood that Jesus was the Messiah, they just didn’t understand that it wasn’t time to set up His kingdom.  He had tried to tell them, but they did not listen.  The large crowd began to spread their cloaks on the ground in front of Him and others cut branches from palm trees and spread them on the road.  Palm branches are a symbol of victory and they wanted Jesus to defeat their enemies and bring them victory.  They were giving Jesus the royal treatment reserved for kings returning as conquering heroes following a military victory.

            The crowds shouted, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest!”  They were quoting from Psalm 118:25-26, a prophecy about the coming Messiah.  This drew resentment from the religious leaders.  Jerusalem was welcoming her king, but unfortunately, the celebration did not last.  The crowds wanted Jesus to rescue them politically and establish a Jewish kingdom.  Jesus came to bring victory against their enemy, but not the Roman empire.  He came to defeat Satan and bring victory over sin and death.  As he approached Jerusalem, He knew His time had come to accomplish His purpose, but the crowd didn’t understand what His purpose was.  It is significant that this is the only time He allowed the crowds to treat Him as a King.  This was the time when He was declaring Himself to be the Messiah, the King of the Jews.  When they realized that His plan was different from theirs, they turned against Him.  Just a few days later that same crowd cried out, “Crucify Him!”  The events of that week changed the course of human history, but those present at the time had no idea.