Hosanna (4/2/12)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading Luke 19:28-40.

Luke's is the only Gospel account of what we call Palm Sunday which doesn't use the word Hosanna. I couldn't find any scholarly opinions as to why that might be, so I came up with one of my own. Luke's Gospel is written primarily to the Gentiles, and Hosanna is a Hebrew word. It means "save now!" It's an exclamation of adoration concerning the return of the Messiah. It's all about Messianic salvation, and some Gentiles wouldn't know the background if they weren't acquainted with Jewish teaching. What we all need to recognize is that Jesus' time had come.

Jesus was giving his final notice to those who stood against him. He was telling them that he was carrying out his mission to its very end. He was challenging them to do their part. He entered the city of Jerusalem with the prophecy of Psalm 118 as his banner. He took verse 24 for himself, "This is the day Yahweh has made." He fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah about riding on a donkey. He was showing all who were interested enough to take notice that he was their Messiah, the long-awaited "hope of Israel." Jesus entered Jerusalem amid a mob of joyous people. They shouted hallelujahs and hosannas, rejoicing and believing that Jesus would make major changes.

But of course some of the fault-finding Pharisees in the crowd complained, telling Jesus to rebuke his disciples. They rejected Jesus before he even entered the city. But Jesus told them the occasion was so special that even the stones were ready to shout. Other places in the Bible talk about trees clapping their hands and nature responding to its Creator. Rom 8:19-21 says, "The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of he who subjected it, in hope, that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God."

Can you imagine how exciting it must have been to be in that crowd on that very special day? I bet even the most reserved one of us would have shouted at least a little bit. The feeling that day had to be contagious. I think it would have been hard to be a part of that crowd and not join in the shouting and praises. But we can't just be carnival Christians. You know, the one who enjoys all the fun, who gets caught up in the excitement of cheering for Jesus, but then has a hard time taking a personal stand for him apart from the crowd. In a crowd we can shout and cheer because it's safe, but even then some legalists will only complain.

How about us? How do we do when we're not around the other believers and the excitement? All too often we're very quiet without the parade passing by. In Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the adoring crowd makes up a very ragtag group. The lame, the blind, the poor, and children from all over Israel are there for the celebration of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits. When a Roman soldier investigates the noise all he sees is a man riding on a donkey using borrowed cloaks for a saddle. It wouldn't have been a very impressive or dangerous sight to him, and not anything he would need to deal with at the moment.

But it was the best display the crowd could make. They were excited. They were deeply into this moment of celebration. But it's more likely that they were being led by a mob mentality than any real joy over the arrival of Jesus their Messiah. Many probably didn't know that Jesus was fulfilling Zechariah's prophecy. Many probably didn't have any understanding of the significance of what Jesus was doing. They were probably already excited about getting to Jerusalem themselves, and this was just an opportunity to let off some steam.

If only the Body of Christ would truly get hold of the JOY of the Lord. We could and would see great things happen for the Kingdom of our Lord if we did. We need to get the full and abiding joy of Jesus flowing from our spirits, to our voices, to the ears of the lost and dying all around us. We need some spontaneous expressions of joy and worship to catch their attention.

This "Palm Sunday" crowd was likely to have been cheering about the miracles Jesus had performed in the recent past. Many were likely to be celebrating his effective work on their behalf. Many were likely to have heard of his miracles and wonders, and maybe thought they could get in on the blessings, too. Many of the people shouting as Jesus rode by, humbly on a donkey, were hopeful of better days ahead. They were thinking about physical, economic, and political improvements, more than a spiritual Kingdom.

But let's reflect back on what little value all the applause and shouting has when Jesus stood before them as a condemned man. Remember, the very same excited and expectant people were bitter and disappointed just a few days later. The fickle mob joined in the cry of the day again, only this time it wasn't Hosanna but "Crucify him!" Multitudes seemed to approve Jesus and his mission on one day, but few were claiming to be his disciples shortly thereafter.

If we could show ourselves to the world as the joyful, singing, shouting, praising, servants of the Most High God; maybe more people would want to know what we have that makes things so much better for us. If our faces and voices and lives gave testimony of having a better life than the world can ever dream of, we wouldn't have room for the all the new believers who would start to storm our churches. If the joy of our Lord was truly our strength, we would be much more successful in spreading the Gospel and growing Yahweh's Kingdom.

It's not the mournful songs of suffering for the Lord which will win most people to faith and belief in Jesus. It's the hallelujahs of salvation and our spiritual freedom ringing forth into the air. Popular music, well-known tunes, have been used successfully in reaching the lost for many hundreds of years. Songs of joy and adoration and excitement and praise speak of how wonderful it is to be saved by our Lord Jesus. The Wesley brothers actually took barroom tunes and put Christian words to them so the people would be better able to sing songs of worship. They already knew the tunes so it was only a matter of learning the new and inspiring words.

John Wesley's "Directions for Singing" include: "Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength." This isn't about unreasonable or over-the-top excesses of emotion. This isn't about putting on a show to be noticed by others. look at our society. No one thinks it's odd when a stadium or arena full of people react very emotionally at a ball game, but being excited and showing inside a church is frowned on. I'd say it's very reasonable to react emotionally to the fact that our sins are forgiven. I'd say it should be expected that we'd react boisterously when the realization of salvation in Jesus dawns in our hearts.

What's wrong with feeling your religion in addition to believing it? Joy should be reflected in the songs we sing and the prayers we pray and the worship we offer to our King. If you're truly in communion with Yahweh, aware of his presence in your life and capable of understanding the difference he's made in your life by taking your sins away - then go ahead and show it. Why is it we're only supposed to be quiet and reserved about our religious expression? Are we a church filled with introverts or something? Go ahead and wear your heart on your sleeve, showing both your sorrow and joy when they're appropriate.

Even though many of the people in attendance on this day of rejoicing in Jerusalem didn't really understand what Jesus was doing, they were looking for a positive change in their lives and society. What are you hopeful for because of Jesus? What personal and societal changes would you like to see because of his ministry? What are you willing to do as his disciple to see these things come to pass? Don't be like the crowd who was hoping for their own miracle, be his obedient servant and do your part in the building and spread of his Kingdom.

When Jesus paraded into Jerusalem all the city was moved. Some were moved with joy because they were cheering for their long-awaited Messiah. Others, like the Pharisees and Sadducees, were moved with envy because of the attention and adoration Jesus was receiving. Are you moved with joy at the entrance of Jesus into your life or someone else's? Or are you moved with envy because Jesus wants to move in and change the status quo?

Celebrate his coming with shouts and praise. Jesus is absolutely worthy. He's our King and Savior, and he deserves all the honor we can give him.

Blessings & Peace, Mike