Everyone loves a parade!
The community we lived in – in Vermont had a huge 4th of July parade. It was not too hot there to do a parade like it would be here. I would guess the population of Randolph tripled for that one day.
Today is Palm Sunday. When Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday it had to feel like a parade. Thousands of people lined the street as He rode by. As I read the accounts of it in scripture this week, I was particularly drawn to the praises the people were shouting. Some of them were the same and 6 of them were different.
All four gospel accounts record this story for us. Between the four accounts we have six different statements people shouted in praise to Jesus. In your bulletin it says five statements of praise. When I was revising the message Friday night, I found the statement in Mark and realized I had left it out. I want to take each phrase and look at what that statement really means and says about Jesus. We shall begin with Matthew 21:9. Please turn in your Bible or look at the screen.
1. Hosanna to the Son of David
The word Hosanna is a shout of praise. The people were praising and glorifying the Son of God with these phrases. The definition of the word Hosanna is “save us or save now.”
The second half of the statement of praise is the title “Son of David.” King David had been given a promise from God that his line and linage would be where the Messiah would come from. After seeing the miracles Jesus performed and hearing His remarkable teachings, many people had finally become convinced Jesus was the Messiah and deserved the title Son of David. The people hoped Jesus would be the King to bring the glory back to Israel.
On this day, we know as Palm Sunday, Jesus was given the treatment of a King. People laid their outer garments or cloaks on the ground and cut and laid palm branches on the ground and waved them in the air in honor of Him. These are the kinds of things they would have done for a military victor or royal King. During the Feast of Tabernacles, they would cut palm branches and wave them in the air in praise to God.
There is another issue at play here. The phrase “Hosanna, save us Son of David” has many historians believe when the people were shouting it to Jesus - they wanted Jesus to overthrow the Romans and create a free Israeli state with Himself as the King. Therefore, this phrase was a call to revolution to free them from Roman rule.
This would make more sense of how they could praise Jesus on Sunday and by Friday shout to crucify Him. They came to understand Jesus was not the kind of King they wanted Him to be.
Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem with no army, no evidence of any kind of military and riding on a donkey instead of a powerful stallion and yet the people confused Him as being a military ruler.
The Bible theologian James May came to this conclusion: “The Jews did not want a sacrifice for sin; they wanted a King. They did not want a spiritual deliverer; they wanted an earthly deliverer. They did not want a Messiah that would be a lamb led to the slaughter who would die on the cross for them; they wanted a Messiah that would lead them in battle and live for them as a conquering hero.” (sermoncentral.com)
2. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord
Matthew 21:9 - this statement of praise comes out of Psalm 118:26. In Luke’s account he changes the word He to King. “Blessed be the King who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Jesus had made it clear during His earlier ministry that He was a spokesman for God. So now the people were giving back to Him the blessing or praise. Jesus had shown them a better way to worship the Father.
3. Hosanna in the Highest
Matthew 21:9 - Once again, we find the word hosanna. The meaning of the word is “save us.” To add the words “in the highest” they were calling on the Lord God or the Highest God to save them. This phrase was a prayer and appeal to the Lord God to send down His power to save them from the Roman rule and occupation. The people were not thinking a spiritual kingdom, but a literal physical and political kingdom – like King David had.
Before we get too hard on these people, I wonder if we are really any different. We profess Jesus as our Savior and we call on Him to deliver us from sin, but to also bail us out of debt, to heal all our diseases and make our life comfortable and easy. Too many Christians are looking for the health, wealth, and happiness gospel. When Jesus calls us to discipleship and to deny self and take up our cross.
We want God to save us from our burdens, save us from our troubles, save us from troubled marriages or rebellious teenagers, but do not’ interfere with my time or money. We cannot have it both ways. Jesus is either Lord of all or He is not Lord of your life. You must choose!
4. Mark 11:10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our Father David
I am using Matthew as the core text with his three statements, some of them are duplicated in other gospel accounts. After the ones stated in Matthew, I was looking for ones that were different. This one is a little different but similar to another one. I hear the emphasis on Father David in this one. It is one of Father David’s grandsons who is fulling the promise the Lord God made to King David in I Kings 2:4 that one of his sons would always occupy the throne of the nation of Israel. This became a Messianic promise.
I have tried to envision the situation and how we came to six statements of praise on this triumphant entry. I believe Jesus pretty much had a crowd around Him most of the time, but especially after the resurrection of Lazarus in Bethany. As Jesus traveled towards Jerusalem, the crowd grew larger and I would guess some ran ahead and told people Jesus is coming to town. People quit what they were doing and lined the street as if a parade was coming into the city. I imagine some of the 12 Apostles were in front and back of people holding the crowds back so He could pass by. This might explain how they heard different statements or phrase of praise.
5. Luke 19:38 adds “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” This is almost word for word what was said by the angels to the shepherds in Luke 2:14 after Jesus was born.
Notice that the people were praising God calling for peace in heaven, but not on earth. On earth they wanted war against the Romans and they wanted Jesus to start it. Are you grasping how confused they were about the coming of Jesus?
6. John 12:13 adds “Blessed is the King of Israel”
The crowd makes another statement of calling on God to bless Jesus as the King of Israel. I feel like this statement is a perfect summary of the earlier teaching I gave you about how the people viewed Jesus. Calling Jesus, the King of Israel is that clear declaration of who they wanted Him to be. As King of Israel, Jesus would be expected to form an army and attack the Romans and drive them out of the land.
In this story we are told how peaceful and calm Jesus was, however, there is coming a day when Jesus comes in His Second Coming that will be very different from this first coming. In Jesus’ Second Coming, every knee will bow and every tongue confess the Jesus is Lord of all.
We have looked at the six statements shouted in praise to Jesus on Palm Sunday. I am so glad Luke’s gospel account gives us this conversation between the Pharisees and Jesus in 19:39 and 40. READ.
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
40 “I tell you,” He replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
If you and I do not praise Jesus the way He deserves, then the rocks or stones or even nature itself will declare His glory. Jesus is worthy of all our praise and devotion.
Somebody shout - Hosanna!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
Glory to God in the Highest!
Blessed is the King of Israel!
Call for invitation:
Maybe you are full of praise to Jesus for something He has done to bless you, then I rejoice with you.
Maybe you are finding it hard to praise God today, then come and either I or one of the Deacons will pray with you.
Maybe you do not know Jesus as your personal Savior, but are ready to profess your faith in Him, then come to Him today.
Prayer
