Palm Sunday
“Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey – riding on a donkey’s colt.” Zechariah 9:9 NLT
It was Passover in Jerusalem. A time of great celebration and festivity for the Jewish people. Crowds from all over gathered to remember who their God was and all He was capable of, just as they had been doing for centuries.
But this year would be different. God, Himself was sitting right outside the Eastern Gate on a donkey. With a passion to change the world burning in His heart, he was about to enter their city. His mission would require He humbly suffer unimaginable horrors so never again would humanity question whether their sin-induced helplessness to not be offensive to Him was an obstacle to living in a relationship with Him. A relationship He longed for and they desperately needed to live out the purpose for their existence.
Surrounding Him was a large following of His disciples who believed in Him. And even though they had heard Him talk of His true reason for living in their midst, they still did not understand what it all meant.
As the gates opened, the already celebrating people inside the city walls turned their excitement and praise toward Him. Palm branches, the symbol of victory, swished around His head as cloaks were laid on the ground to welcome Him as a King.
To some He was a curious, but promising spectacle. To others, He had been a healer. Many who had heard He would be coming to Jerusalem this day believed Him to be a political leader, promising victory over Roman oppression. But the one thing they all had in common as they shouted Hosanna! (“Save us!”) was that just like Jesus’ followers, they too were clueless about why He was really here and allowing their praise; that their triumphant cries were a part of He and His Father’s divine plan to get Him to a cross of shame. And that it would be only this that could truly liberate and save not just them, but all of us from our inability to experience a life-transforming connection with Him.
While He alone realized His approaching triumph over sin and brokenness, He also recognized that many in the surrounding crowd would never want, nor even see value in what He was doing for them. Jesus could have been offended – insistent that He explain Himself so He could feel understood, appreciated, and supported. Or, He could have given up out of fear and frustration. Getting off His donkey, turning around, and walking right back out the city gate to nurse His wounds would have made sense.
But He pressed on. For them. For you. And for me.
No, the people that day didn’t understand Him. Their praises were off.
But today, when we cry “Hosannah, King Jesus!” we know exactly what we’re asking. Precisely who we’re praising.
Our beautiful, merciful, just, and mighty, King of Kings and Lord of Lords! The Saviour of the world and Redeemer of all that is wrong and broken…
Ride on, blessed King Jesus!! Ride on as we follow You to the day when we will all wave palm branches and praise You around Your rightful throne for Who You really are!
“After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands.” Revelation 7:9 NLT