Hosanna!
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The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him. They began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Do not be afraid, people of Zion; look, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt!”(His disciples did not understand these things when they first happened, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about him and that these things had happened to him.)
So the crowd who had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead were continuing to testify about it.Because they had heard that Jesus had performed this miraculous sign, the crowd went out to meet him. Thus the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you can do nothing. Look, the world has run off after him!”
Now some Greeks were among those who had gone up to worship at the feast. So these approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew, and they both went and told Jesus. Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.I tell you the solemn truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces much grain.The one who loves his life destroys it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards it for eternal life. If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow me, and where I am, my servant will be too. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
“Now my soul is greatly distressed. And what should I say? ‘Father, deliver me from this hour’? No, but for this very reason I have come to this hour.
There’s something different about this story of Jesus’ final entry into Jerusalem. Sure, it’s got all the familiar elements - the palm branches, the singing, the most talked about donkey in all of history.
But it also has these two competing conclusions.
On the one hand, you have the resignation of the Pharisees. They see the crowds, hooting and hollering and otherwise fawning over Jesus, and they turn to one another and say “that’s it. It’s over. The whole world has embraced this guy as their leader. we can’t possibly compete with that.” I’m especially struck by the statement “the world has run off after him.” How true, and yet how telling. These respected leaders of the religious institutions of Israel cannot explain why they are no longer on top. It’s not us who’ve changed, they conclude. We’re the same as we’ve always been. But the world has changed around us, and by remaining faithful to our tradition, we will become obsolete. Even so, it is our tradition, and we will remain faithful.
Of course, we now know that their tradition would carry on for another two thousand years, even as many people actively tried to kill it. The Pharisees would win the war of ideas among the various competing Jewish groups, and become the spiritual predecessors of modern Judaism, whose adherents number about 15 million strong.
But in that moment, it must have felt like the world was ending for them. As the people were caught up in the fervor and excitement of the Jesus parade, it was as though they were no longer necessary. So they were resigned to their fate, and utterly hopeless.
On the other side of the equation is the sense of resignation coming from Jesus himself. He is counting the hours he has left to live, and knows their number is not very high. He’s frighten. He says so. He says he’s greatly distressed. But he holds out hope. Hope that his impending death, and the events that death sets in motion, will do more good for the world than he managed while he lived. That upon seeing him fall, more will rise up to carry his message into the world. That his greatest glory was yet to be revealed. He, too, is resigned to his fate, but he is filled with hope.
As we enter this Holy Week together, there are many among us who think they see the writing on the wall. The world has run off and left them behind. There’s nothing left to do but finish out the string.
That wasn’t true for the Pharisees, it wasn’t true for Jesus, and it’s not true for you. I’m not saying everything’s going to work out just fine - it didn’t for Jesus. A few days after this encounter, he was executed. It didn’t for the Jews, either - a passing familiarity with history will tell you that where the Pharisees’ way of life is concerned, the worst was yet to come.
But even if your darkest days are still ahead, your best days are, too. The end may seem like it’s near, but we worship a God who says that even at the very end, and beyond, there remains hope. That hope may look nothing like you imagined. It may not comply with any of your plans. But there is hope, nonetheless. Hope that whatever it is you are facing, however bleak it may seem, there is still the potential for future glory. Hope that your present suffering is not meaningless. Hope that your memory, your faith, and your legacy will not only outlive you, but accomplish more than you could have on your own. And that’s why, even as we face the worst; even when we are distressed; even when the end is near, we can continue to worship.
The cries of the people who greeted Jesus that day were celebratory, yes, but they were also pleading. “Hosanna!” They shouted as Jesus passed by. “Hosanna!” The word itself is a word of begging or pleading. When translated, it means something like “Please rescue us!” The people, too, knew that they needed a savior, and they saw that savior in the person of Jesus. So much so that even as they cried for salvation, they also declared him the king; the one who came in the name of the Lord. They faced troubles, and yet Jesus gave them hope.
We are all in need of salvation. We are all in need of hope. Jesus offers both to all who ask. Will you?