Behold Your King Comes Unto You

The people in Jerusalem asked who this man was who was coming to Jerusalem. The crowd answered back that it was Jesus the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee. The other gospels say that the crwods came out of Jerusalem to meet Jesus and His entourage. There was much joy in the city. The Roman chhort in the Fortress Antonio looked down upon this with alarm. The Jewish leaders also were alarmed. Luke tells us that they went to Jesus and begged Him to silence His followers. Rome did not look kindly to insurrection. If the Jewish leaders lost control of the situation, Rome would come down heavily. They were worried that their Temple would be destroyed and that their privileged position might become death or slavery. They would soon reject Jesus in the vain hope that by doing so, the nation and the city of Jerusalem would be saved. The truth was quite the opposite. Their only hope was in Jesus. By rejecting Jesus, they ended up losing their Temple, their city, and their privilege to the Romans.

When we celebrate Palm Sunday, we think of happy children processing down the aisle to the altar waving palm branches. We have fit songs to sing. It is a great celebration of our King. But sometimes, I am concerned if we don’t miss the message of Palm Sunday. We should remember that between Palm Sunday and Easter is the cross. And between the ascension of Jesus and His return is the very troubled world that we live in. For those who remain faithful to Jesus and believe on Him, the day in which we can truly cry out “Hosanna” will come. But it has not come yet. Our own cross lies before us, the one Jesus says we must carry. The world will reject us even as it did Jesus. The world will misunderstand us and our mission as much as it did our Lord’s. The world only sees power. They cannot accept humility and weakness. They are looking for Barabbas to save them, not Jesus. But in the end, Christianity, after almost 300 years of suffering would triumph over the Caesars. But this is not the final victory either. The mixture of Christ and Rome was lie putting together oil and water. A Christendom of worldly power and splendor is at odds with the humble beast of burden. The theology of glory will come. But now it is the theology of the cross.

So we proclaim Christ not with pompous ceremony but with humble service. We point not to ourselves but to our Lord Jesus. We do not come to overthrow the wicked but to proclaim a Savior who wills that every person believe and be saved. “While we were yet enemies, Christ died for us.” We walk in His footprints with our crosses at tow and not palm branches. The time will come for the palms, but not yet. Jesus had palm branches waved at Him, but by Friday they were beating Him with the palms of their hands. He would be beaten, subject to mock worship and then hung on a most miserable of thrones, a cross. Hosanna means “Lord, save us!” This He has done in His own way, by His own atoning death on a cross. In this way, let us offer our hosannas.