Sermon

Sermon # 1036
April 17, 2011
Matthew 21:1-11
Dr. Ed Pettus

"Hosanna! Save Us!"

Jesus begins, on what is now known as Palm Sunday, a unique journey into Jerusalem. Proclaimed a king by the chanting crowd, he rides on a donkey, a humble king, and a king who will not be crowned until the soldiers place a crown of thorns on his head. This Palm Sunday entrance moves us into the suffering of the King of kings, the Passion of Jesus Christ. Jesus enters Jerusalem to bring his message of the kingdom, and not only by the words he will speak, but by the very manner in which he arrives in the city.
Actually, it may not have been much of a scene, a few people putting their cloaks along the road and cutting down branches when the cloaks ran out. The Romans may not have thought much of it at the time, just a guy riding into town on a donkey. He draws something of a crowd, but nothing that will appear to get out of hand - nothing the Romans could not handle. After all, this was not the first person to ride into Jerusalem with an entourage.
It could not have been all that interesting from the point of view of those outside the faithful who praised Jesus. After all, he was not riding in on a fine steed sitting in a finely adorned saddle with jewels and other animals carrying his riches. He is just a guy on a donkey with a bunch of rag tag people putting down their cloaks and some branches.
On the other hand, it was at least a big enough event to get the town buzzing over who this guy was. “Who is this person?” Some probably wondered, "Who does this guy think he is?"
That question is just as important today, "who is this?" Who do we say Jesus is? Is Jesus a king? Is Jesus our king? And if Jesus is our king, do we live as if we believe it to be true? What does it mean to be a king?
We don't live with the concept of kingship, with a concept of royalty that warrants the red carpet treatment, or even the cloak and branch treatment. The closest we get to that is our fascination with the royal family in England or in other countries. For us, in the modern west, Jesus would have to come in as a President, or at least a presidential hopeful. The people in biblical times hoped he would bring some kind of new rule. They hoped his prophetic voice would build a new kingdom where the Romans would have no more power. So they shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
We hope for no less, we pray each Sunday, "thy kingdom come!" But we struggle with what the kingdom looks like. Many people so integrate their modern political views with Jesus that it is sometimes difficult to tell what the kingdom of God will look like. Some seek to bring the kingdom through established political parties or through social justice issues alone. Too often we are as narrow in our vision for the kingdom of God as those who thought Jesus would overthrow Roman rule. We limit our view rather than opening ourselves to the radical message of the gospel. We are not much different than those who walked with Jesus on the day that he rode into Jerusalem.
So, who is Jesus? It was the question of the day as Jesus rode in with cloaks and branches marking the way. We know something of his kingship from our look at the scriptures, even from this short story of Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem.

It is, according to Matthew, a fulfillment of prophecy, Zechariah 9:9, "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." They shout, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!"
The are proclaiming in those words, “Hail to the king.” Hosanna originally meant "O save us!" Like many words, hosanna takes on new meaning through time and becomes a cry of praise. Praise to the king. Except they did not say "king," they said, "Son of David, blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord." And in verse eleven they say that Jesus is a prophet from Nazareth. So Matthew has to help us see that Jesus is the one Zechariah spoke of, the king who comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey.
Who is this? He doesn't come riding a white horse with sword in hand. Who do we say Jesus is? Palm branches remind us that those who followed him on that day believed him to be a king. We have the benefit of reading other scripture that proclaims Jesus the King of kings and Lord of lords.
How would we answer the question? Who is this? What do we tell others about this Jesus? My most vivid image of a king is King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table who would give their lives for the king. I remember movies that depicted the loyalty and obedience of those who fought for the king and gave their lives in his service. But Jesus is not like any other king for he comes to Jerusalem in humility.
Jesus is the king who comes to Jerusalem in humility knowing that he will suffer and die. He will suffer and die for us. The king gives his life for the subjects, so that we might be saved. It is not at all like the image I remember of the Knights of the Round Table who would give their lives for the king, but here, the king is giving his life so that we might live. "Hosanna!" Hosanna to this king who brings salvation to us through his suffering and death on the cross. This ride into Jerusalem marks the beginning of his final week before the cross. Yes, he is the king, but on Friday he will be crowned with thorns, nailed to a cross, and placed in a tomb.
Who is this? This is the king who saves us, hosanna. This is the king who is willing to give his life for us. This is the king who seeks a relationship with his people, not just a relationship of exalted king and humble servants, but one of a humble king who gives of himself that we might be saved. The king suffers for us. Jesus rode into Jerusalem knowing he would suffer and die. He told the disciples this would happen. He knew, and he still rode in, humble, obedient.

The theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, while imprisoned by Hitler's regime, said: “God allows himself to be edged out of the world and onto the cross and that is the way, the only way, in which God can be with us and help us...Only a suffering God can help.”

This is how Jesus comes, as the One willing to suffer for us. Our tendency is to resist the humbled way that leads to suffering – but Jesus embraced it. It is what enables Jesus to embrace us and our suffering and in turn we are able to embrace his suffering. As Paul writes: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Phil. 3:10-11).

Jesus rides into our lives, humble and seeking to save. Jesus rides into our church, humble and seeking those who would follow. What will he find? Praise? Questions of who he is? Will he find disciples? Admirers? Will he find a humble people? A people shouting, “Hosanna! Save us!”?


Jesus is our king because he has been faithful even unto death. This week we look to that death, the news that is painful and hard to look upon. But we must have death before resurrection. We must have Good Friday before there can be an Easter Sunday. Jesus rides into Jerusalem to signify that the suffering servant, the humble king is willing to give his life for us. This week is the most important week of our lives. This week, these final days in Jesus’ life, we reflect and learn more about this king who lived in fidelity, obedience, and love as our king. Who is this? This is Jesus Christ to whom we shout with those along the road: “Hosanna! Save us!” Amen.