“Hosanna!”
That’s what the crowd was yelling as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey.
“Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of Yhwh, even the King of Israel!”
Game. set, match; the Romans are toast and Israel will once again be preeminent among all nation or will it? What thoughts were running through Jesus’ mind as he rode into town that day? Knowing the crowds hearts and the purpose for which he entered that city, I am certain that such praise and adoration seemed as empty as the echo of the word off the walls of the buildings around them.
That’s what the crowd was yelling as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey.
“Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of Yhwh, even the King of Israel!”
Game. set, match; the Romans are toast and Israel will once again be preeminent among all nation or will it? What thoughts were running through Jesus’ mind as he rode into town that day? Knowing the crowds hearts and the purpose for which he entered that city, I am certain that such praise and adoration seemed as empty as the echo of the word off the walls of the buildings around them.
“Hosanna!” Save us from the Roman boot that enslaves us! That was what they expected, but Jesus was there for something far different and of much more importance than temporal rescue. He had come to die; God in man, without sin, would become all sin of all time of all mankind and then be killed by the cruelest execution instrument yet devised.
His apostles’ hearts must have swelled with joy and hope as they saw and heard what they thought was the fruition of all about which the prophets had spoken. Being in the inner circle, I have to wonder if they imagined the glory and honors they were about to receive as Jesus’ apostles. They too were in for something far different; one was to be dead within a few days by his hand; the others save one would die in various manners by the Romans they thought they were about to be rid of by Jesus.
His apostles’ hearts must have swelled with joy and hope as they saw and heard what they thought was the fruition of all about which the prophets had spoken. Being in the inner circle, I have to wonder if they imagined the glory and honors they were about to receive as Jesus’ apostles. They too were in for something far different; one was to be dead within a few days by his hand; the others save one would die in various manners by the Romans they thought they were about to be rid of by Jesus.
“Hosanna,” we all sang at the Chapel Hill Bible Church (and so many others around the world) this past Sunday customarily referred to as Palm Sunday, commemorating their King’s return to His city.
Within a few short days, those cries of “Hosanna” would become “Crucify Him!” as they realized that He was not the Messiah they wanted, but a meek, humble Lamb come and be slaughtered. The very ones who praised him would now condemn Him; we all shake our heads at such perfidy, but I wonder. How many of us have done the same, perhaps not vocally crying for Jesus’ crucifixion, but in our actions daily replicating that horrid cry?
I have; that very afternoon in fact.
We are all far too prone to obey the call of our sinful nature; thankfully for those who are in Christ those sins are all paid for by the One the crowd vilified that Thursday. All sins, of all time, of all mankind, were paid in full on Golgatha; even those this side of the cross.
To some that seems insane, a license to do whatever you want whenever you want. As one of the chaplains that I knew while in prison put it; “If you can honestly think that, then you better do a real heart exam because something is woefully wrong.”
Within a few short days, those cries of “Hosanna” would become “Crucify Him!” as they realized that He was not the Messiah they wanted, but a meek, humble Lamb come and be slaughtered. The very ones who praised him would now condemn Him; we all shake our heads at such perfidy, but I wonder. How many of us have done the same, perhaps not vocally crying for Jesus’ crucifixion, but in our actions daily replicating that horrid cry?
I have; that very afternoon in fact.
We are all far too prone to obey the call of our sinful nature; thankfully for those who are in Christ those sins are all paid for by the One the crowd vilified that Thursday. All sins, of all time, of all mankind, were paid in full on Golgatha; even those this side of the cross.
To some that seems insane, a license to do whatever you want whenever you want. As one of the chaplains that I knew while in prison put it; “If you can honestly think that, then you better do a real heart exam because something is woefully wrong.”
“Hosanna!” “Crucify Him!”
Daily let us all examine our hearts in the quiet of the morning or evening and then speak with the One, who Loves us so much. Grace is beyond understanding to the twisted, sinful mind of mankind, but Grace is the answer of Heaven to our failings.
Come Home, my friend; He is waiting.
Daily let us all examine our hearts in the quiet of the morning or evening and then speak with the One, who Loves us so much. Grace is beyond understanding to the twisted, sinful mind of mankind, but Grace is the answer of Heaven to our failings.
Come Home, my friend; He is waiting.
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