In the old days – days long before Jesus was born, God’s people annually observed a festival known as the Feast of Tabernacles. This was a feast of great joy. It was a time of celebration. It lasted seven days. Part of what happened during this feast is that the people marched around the Altar – sort of like we did today as we processed into the sanctuary. The priest would recite Psalm 118 during this procession and when the Psalm reached, what is in today’s numbering of the Scriptures, verses 25 and 26 – the trumpet sounded, all the people waved their branches of palms and shouted with the priest these two verses together: “O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.”
Saint Jerome seems to think that the word ‘hosanna’ came from this practice at the Feast of Tabernacles. One of the Hebrew ways to say, “Save us” is: hoshi’a na. During the Feast of Tabernacles, this was repeated so often that it simply became, “hosanna”. From this – the word ‘hosanna’ was applied to other activities around the Feast of Tabernacles. The last day of the feast came to be known as the Great Hosanna and the palm branches received the name of hosannas.
Let’s take understanding to what was going on in Jesus’ time. We have Jesus riding into Jerusalem hot off the heals of the incredible graveside resurrection of Lazarus – the brother of Mary and Martha and a dear friend of Jesus. The people in Jerusalem had heard about this incredible thing. So when Jesus entered the city – there was a group of people ready to receive him with shouts of joy: “Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna – blessed is the King Who comes in the name of the Lord.” The people lifted palm branches to Jesus and they laid their coats on the ground. What are they saying? In essence – “O Lord, save us.”
All of this is clearly attested to in the Palm Sunday Gospel that we read together earlier: “As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen.” (Luke 19.36-37)
A number of years ago, one of my friends, Jim, was stricken with a serious illness at a very young age. He was hospitalized. No treatment seemed to work. His condition worsened and worsened. Jim had been a very popular man. Visitors paraded in and out of Jim’s hospital room, hoping for the best, but knowing that this might be the last opportunity to see him. Now, Jim had been a youth leader in his church. As it became clear that his last days on earth would soon come to an end, he planned his own funeral service, choosing the order and even selecting the hymns. Then one day – Jim rallied. He woke up in a great mood. He was cheerful. His appetite had returned. It brought hope to his buddies. But, before the day had ended, Jim was called into eternity by the Lord – he died.
After sharing this story with a number of people – a few told me that they had seen similar deathbed rallies. Apparently this sort of deathbed rally is not that unusual. There is even a name for it: pre-mortem clarity. This sort of temporary recovery and lucidness – just before death – is well known to physicians, nurses and other caregivers, as well as to those who’ve been with a person in the hours before the Lord calls them into Eternity.
Jesus’ course was already charted – from day one. He didn’t enter Jerusalem to be celebrated, He came to die. The high and joyous praise on Palm Sunday was in many and real ways a type of deathbed rally for Jesus. You see, beloved – Jesus destiny was sealed – He came to die.
- That destiny was known early: When Mary and Joseph presented Jesus at the temple as a young baby, the faithful prophet Simeon said to Mary, “And a sword will pierce your own soul,” indicating that both Mary and Jesus would see suffering. (Luke 2.35b)
- John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1.29b) In identifying Jesus as the Lamb of God – the sacrifice that Jesus would make was emphasized.
- Jesus Himself said a number of times that He would suffer and die. (Matthew 16.21; Matthew 17.23; Matthew 20.18; Mark 10.34; Luke 18.32; and others)
- When Jesus and his disciples descended from the Mount of Transfiguration – He said to them that He would die.
- Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament clearly say that the Messiah would come to die.
- One of the identities given to Jesus in the book of Revelation is “The Lamb Slain from the Foundation of the World”.
Jesus’ destiny was clear from the start. His course was charted. He would enter Jerusalem – and even though the shouts today are, “Hosanna – blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord,” Soon the words that would ring in Jesus’ ears would be “Crucify Him; Crucify Him; Crucify Him.” In a few days – the accolades would give way to the sound of Roman hammers pounding nails into his hands and feet. This is what would ring loudly – the hosannas would fade.
As we consider these events, there may be the temptation to compare what Jesus endured to the altruism sometimes on prominent display among people: The father or mother who sacrifices all for the welfare and safety of a child; The soldier who falls on a live grenade in order to save his companions. These and many other examples are all worthy of being recognized and the memory of the person honored. But in each of these cases, the choice made by people willing to give it all for others is a situation driven by circumstances. For example, the solider-hero didn’t plan to fall on the grenade that morning – it happened as the circumstances evolved.
With Jesus it was different. He came into the world to die. His identity as the Lamb was pegged from before the time that humanity was created. And so Jesus stands as the ultimate exemplar – the One that we look to when it comes to trying to understand what loving others looks like. He took the walk into Jerusalem knowing what would happen. Consider the words that Paul penned to the Philippians:
[5] Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: [6] Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, [7] but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. [8] And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! (Phil 2.5-8)
God loves you, beloved – so much that He would let nothing – not anything, deter Him from winning your salvation. Save us, Lord - Hosanna. A few months ago we celebrated the birth of our Lord. [Sing: “Silent night. Holy night. All is calm, all is bright. Round yon virgin, mother and child. Holy infant so tender and mild. Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly peace.”] The shadow of the cross was not so easy to see then. But today - as we enter the week when Christ’s passion, the shadow of the cross over the manger is coming into much, much sharper focus. Amen.
