March 24, 2024 Mark 11:1-10
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.'"
4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?" 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" 10 "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!" "Hosanna in the highest!"
Hosanna! What Does This Mean?
One of the most classic lines in 1970’s Rock history comes from a song called “Blinded by the Light.” There’s a line that is hard to understand. It goes, “Blinded by the light / Revved up like a Deuce / Another runner in the night.” For years people would argue over what the lyrics actually were, and it made for good comedy as people guessed at what it was saying. But when it comes to the music we sing in church, our lyrics mean so much more to us. We want them to be clear as a bell. We like them to convey the power of the Law and Gospel, with deep doctrinal meaning behind them.
The Jews of Jesus’ day loved to sing the Psalms, most of which were packed with meaning, especially Psalm 118. On Palm Sunday, the people sang a song to Jesus with lyrics from Psalm 118. "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" 10 "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!" "Hosanna in the highest!" Twice they repeat the refrain. HOSANNA! It can mean “save now” or “save please!” What did they want? What did they mean? What do you mean when you say that to Jesus? It’s something to think about. You shouldn’t sing it if you don’t mean it, because this request is no small thing. It’s not like asking someone to get you a beer while they’re up or even to rub your feet.
Think of another request we make in life, when someone says, “Will you marry me?” Those are no small words. You try to make sure you know the person pretty well before you ask such a question, because you know what that entails, or you should at least as a Christian. You shouldn’t ask someone to marry you if you’re trying to rescue them from a bad situation. You have to be careful not to marry someone just because you’re physically attracted to them. It’s got to be deeper than that. You have to have some stability in your own life, where you are capable to love someone else besides yourself. It’s not all about what YOU can get out of it, it’s also about what you can GIVE to it. And it’s not, “Let’s give this thing a shot. See what happens. Try it for a couple years.” No, it’s much more than that. The two become one flesh. Til death do us part. For richer or poorer. In sickness and in health. That’s serious stuff there.
I recently listened to a talk show caller - she was happily married with eight children. Their family was going on a bike ride in a state park and the husband got in an accident and had severe brain damage. The wife was caring for him for years and he couldn’t even hardly respond and didn’t even recognize their youngest child. He had no capability to remember things for more than ten minutes, so they couldn’t even teach him sign language. She wanted to be faithful, but she also asked if it was ok to divorce him. She felt selfish, but a part of her wanted him to die. Wow. Who would think that would happen in a marriage? But it did. So she had to struggle with the question, did she commit to him or not?
Now think about the prayer “Hosanna”. It’s even more of an ask than “Will you marry me?” where two people try to contribute equally to a relationship. Hosanna means to “Save me! Save me now! Save me please!” It’s a prayer of desperation. And it’s not just one to one. It’s multiple people asking ONE PERSON to save them, and they’re laying it on thick! They’re pouring out palm branches before Him and throwing their coats down too, just as they sang in Psalm 118. They were passionate about it! (Would that we had more passion in our worship!) But what were they passionate about? What possessed these people in Jerusalem to ask a guy on a donkey to save them? Was it his humility? His willingness to ride on a donkey? Hang out with the everyday people? And what did they want him to save them from? Why did they think HE could save them?
They reference “the coming kingdom of our father David.” So most of them probably wanted a return to the glory years of Solomon, so they could be rescued from the tyranny of Herod and the Roman government. Yet some of them had been healed from deadly sicknesses and contagious diseases like leprosy. Some had been given hope and mercy and forgiveness from Jesus. A few of them had even been brought back from the dead. Who knows what each of them meant? “Save us from the government. Save us from sickness. Save us from death.” Yep. All of the above.
Did you think about any of that when you sang Hosanna today? It seems that most of our Hosannas go towards other people in life. Think about when you vote for a Senator or the President in November. Why do you vote for a politician? Is it finances? Abortion? Foreign affairs? Social issues? What are you hoping for? What do you want them to save you from? Have they become your god? Your hope for the future? Don’t put too much hope in them, even though they can serve a godly purpose. You're going to be disappointed.
No, if you’re going to sing Hosanna, sing it to Jesus. That’s why we are here in church. To sing Hosanna to Jesus. Why do you sing it? What is it that attracts you to Him? Makes you pray to Him? Sing to Him today? Here’s a guy who could ride a wild donkey. So I say to myself, “If He could tame a wild donkey, maybe he could tame me and you too. I’m not much better than a stubborn donkey at times. Yeah, I could use that. Maybe he could calmly give me direction and guidance without a whip or a boot.” There’s a start.
Maybe that’s nowhere near to what you’re looking for. Many you would rather have Jesus be the knight in shining armor to come riding into your heart to make you feel good about yourself? Fix your money problems? Treat you like a king or a queen? Listen to you and do what you want for once? Give you a pain free life? Or maybe He could be your divine enabler? You can keep messing up but He can keep bailing you out of jail. What do you want him to save you from?
Some of those Jews wanted it to be a joint effort in Him saving them from the Roman government. “Jesus, you lead the way. I’ll grab the sword or the pitchfork. I’ll get a sword. I have a club. We’ll fight for you. Together we can get this done!” And I suppose that’s how some probably look at Jesus too. “I just need a little help. Make me more patient. Make me more kind. Help me improve my life. I need some help with a job. I need you to help heal my sickness. I need you to give me some more courage. That’s all.” The government is getting worse and worse. Maybe we could get a WELS militia going! No. That’s not a good idea. That’s not what Jesus came to do.
The God on the donkey didn’t come just to make our lives easier and better here on earth. Then we should have sung, “Help us,” but not “Save us.” And if that’s all Jesus came to do, then why really bother helping us in the end? A better world under the curse of death is still under the curse of death. If He’s going to take on flesh and become human, He’s going to do the full job. He’s not just come to help us. He’s come to save us, and that’s no easy task. He’s going to have to be betrayed and denied by His closest friends. He’s going to have to be condemned by His religious leaders. He’s going to have to be whipped and mocked and spat upon. He’s going to have to do something to shut the devil’s mouth. He’s going to have to be nailed to a cross. He’s going to have to be abandoned by the Father. He’s going to have to be treated like the worst of sinners and die alone and an ugly and mangled man. He’s going to have to be damned. That’s what it would take to save us.
If you think about it, what does that say about US? “Was I really that bad? Was God really that upset with me over my sins?” Yes. If you really want to be saved, He really had to be damned. This may not have been what you knew you were asking for or what you needed, but this is what you’re getting. It was that bad. We are that bad. God is that angry over our sins. Jesus would have to die a bloody and lonely death on the cross. And we have the gall to cheer Him on and welcome Him in with open arms on this Palm Sunday? We have the gall to call Him blessed? Shouldn’t we rather stand in the middle of the road and say to Him, “Get out of here! Don’t come in! Cursed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! You’re going to be damned here! Get away while you can!”
But we can’t do that! Jesus rebuked Peter when he tried to stop Him. Then we sound like the Pharisees, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” Jesus rebuked them too. Why? If we don’t want Jesus to enter Jerusalem, then we end up being damned. We can’t tell Him to turn around. We mustn’t.
At least we shouldn’t pretend like this is a good deal for Him. Cheer him on - acting like He’s our friend. How could we call Him blessed when we are going to crucify Him and He is going to be cursed? We can call Him blessed because He was blessed with courage and zeal. He was blessed with love, a love like none other, to willingly come into Jerusalem to be sacrificed and damned on our behalf. We can cheer Him on because He KNEW what He was coming to do, so that WE could be blessed. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD, the gracious LORD, the kind LORD, the forgiving LORD. He came to be the living personification of love and mercy, the source of forgiveness itself in time for eternity. He came to be the answer to our Hosanna. Blessed as God to be our blessing in the name of the LORD. It might sound shameful, but it’s not. It’s needed. It’s wanted. Come on in, Jesus. Ride on, ride on in majesty. In holy pomp, ride on to die.
I wonder if that lady with the 8 children, in hindsight, would ever have gotten married, knowing what would happen to her husband? How many have lived their lives in regret, having lived in a loveless marriage, a one sided marriage, a marriage that has been nothing much more than misery? “Why did I get myself into this? How can I get out of this?” How many have quit on jobs and relationships because it was too much work, too one sided, too painful? Even the desire to quit and give up, it shows the sin within.
As the people shouted and cheered for Jesus on Palm Sunday, they may not have known what their prayer involved, but HE did, and He entered anyway. He came in boldly and willingly. He knew the answer to their prayer would be His bloody and miserable death on the cross. But He isn’t angry over it. He has NO regrets over what He did. He loves what He did. He even kept the nail marks on His hands and feet. He still intercedes for us today. He is still proud of what He did.
And so are we. We keep singing this song, because we are still sinners. Every time we take the Lord’s Supper, we sing. “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” Yes, Jesus. Come riding into my heart and my soul. Let me receive your body and blood for the forgiveness of my sins. I’m not too proud to beg. I’m not too proud to ask. I’ll sing it again and again. Save me from myself. Save me from your wrath. Save me from my sins. Save me from hell. I need you every minute of every hour of every day of every year. I don’t just want you to improve me. I need you to wash me clean. I need you to make me holy. I’ll sing it a thousand times over. Hosanna! And what does Jesus say in the Supper? “Yes! That’s exactly what I came for! I came here to save you! I’ll come a million times over, just for you. That’s how much I love you.”
Hosanna. It’s only one word of the song. But when you stop to listen to that one word and think about it, it sure does pack a punch! It means we are lost sinners. It means we can’t save ourselves. It means we deserve to be damned. It means we need this God on the donkey to save us. It means that He is the only answer to our prayers. This one word tells us what Holy Week is all about. It’s about Jesus coming to save sinners.
"Hosanna in the highest!"
That ancient song we sing,
for Christ is our Redeemer,
the Lord of heaven, our King.
O may we ever praise him
with heart and life and voice,
and in his blissful presence
eternally rejoice. Amen.
