Read: Matthew 21:1-11:
“Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King:
As they approached Jerusalem and came to the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “… See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” [Zechariah 9:9]
The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.””
Reflection:
Easter, and the events surrounding it, form part of a timeline which is still used to measure history. Furthermore, the City of Jerusalem has played a significant part in this.
Jerusalem, as I mentioned on Sunday, has been conquered, or liberated, depending on your point of view, many times in its history. This has invariably involved numerous triumphal entries into the city and, again, there is ample historical evidence to substantiate these events. What is also clear from these accounts, is that these triumphal entries were not generally met with exuberant shouts of acclaim. Palm trees were not rendered leafless so their foliage could be waved in the air or thrown on the floor to provide a carpet for their victors.
These accounts provide a stark contrast to the welcome received by Jesus into that same city, on the first Palm Sunday. It’s hard not to contrast this with the political and military pomp and arrogance of those who had come before, and since.
When Christ arrived, the crowd went wild! They were exuberant, they shouted loudly, they praised him, and they garlanded his path with palm fronds. And what was that word they kept shouting?
Matthew 21:9 is the first time in the New Testament that the word ‘hosanna’ is used. We often interpret the word ‘hosanna’ as being a shout of praise, of adoration, and we often teach it that way too, particularly in children’s work, where we don’t want to overcomplicate things.
However, to understand it better, we should look at the historical and original meaning of this word. In Hebrew, the word hosanna is actually an appeal for divine help, a cry by the people for salvation and rescue. The original Hebrew uses the words yasha (literally to deliver or save), and anna (to beg or beseech), so hosanna literally means ‘Save us please!’
So while we often think of the crowds shouting ‘hosanna!’ as an expression of praise to the Son of God. The traditional Hebraic meaning states that it was more like an act of repentance; yes, it was still an act of praise, but it was also an acknowledgement that Jesus was able to save, and a plea for him to save them. They knew who Jesus was and why he was there.
But not only did they know, the chief priests and the teachers of the law knew too. They knew that those shouting ‘hosanna’ were doing so because the crowd recognised that Jesus was God’s anointed one from the house of David, of whom the prophets had spoken, who would fulfill their Messianic expectations. I would suggest that this story is an absolutely revolutionary account of who Jesus is, and why He came.
To conclude, let’s revisit the idea of historical timelines: Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem is a crucial, important and integral part of the story of Easter. And the story of Easter wasn’t, and isn’t, just a blip on the timeline, it was a total re-setting of the clock for us all. And I think the crowd knew that too.
Go Deeper:
- Look at the image and let your eyes stay with the very first thing that you see. Keep your attention on that one part of the image that first catches your eye. Try to keep your eyes from wandering to other parts of the picture. Breathe deeply and let yourself gaze at that part of the image for a minute or so.
- Now, let your eyes gaze at the whole image. Take your time and look at every part of the photograph. See it all. Reflect on the image for a minute or so.
- Consider the following questions:
- What emotions does this image evoke in you?
- What does the image stir up in you, bring forth in you?
- Does this image lead you into an attitude of prayer? If so, let these prayers take form in you. Write them down if you desire.
The above is from Upper Room article: (https://www.upperroom.org/resources/visio-divina)
Want more? Do it again with the image below as we prepare for Easter Sunday next week…
