Mark 11:4-11, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Today is Palm Sunday, celebrating Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the city of the Great King. From our text Mark 11:4-11, we can imagine two contrasting pictures being drawn here: one happy throng and a very lonely man whom no one understood or accepted for who he really was.
His disciples, even his own disciples, and the crowd were happy and excited that their long-awaited messiah had finally come, but here, Jesus, we know, was entering the city to die.
As we already know, Passover was one of the feasts that Jews were required to come to Jerusalem to observe, so the great crowd was already there in Jerusalem from around Judea and other parts of the larger world. In addition, the news about Jesus was all over the city, with speculation that he might be the Messiah. In other words, his disciples and the great crowd were ready to make Jesus their Messiah, thinking he met their expectations.
Mark, chapter 11, verses 7-10, “Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches they had cut in the fields. Then, those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor, David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Again, we see contrasting pictures or images in these verses. We see people’s actions and acclamation in how they welcome Jesus as their long-awaited Messiah who would save them from the foreign power and re-establish the great kingdom of David. They threw and spread their cloaks on the colt and the road, making a welcoming gesture of a king. These people use leafy branches, including palm branches, to spread and carry in greeting a victorious ruler. Furthermore, they shout Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! The cry of Hosanna! is understood by some as a greeting or shout of praise, but that means “Save!” or “Help!” Hosanna was a form of crying out to the king with a dire need (2 Sam 14:4; 2 Kings 6:26). And with verse 10 added, “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” we can see clearly that they saw Jesus as the answer to their nationalistic hopes that were to be fulfilled in political Messiah they expected Jesus to be. This crowd recognized him as king in the city of the Great King David. They saw Jesus as in line with the Davidic ruler, who would come and liberate Israel from Roman power, establishing peace and subduing the Gentiles.”
Against the expectations of this great crowd, however, Jesus found a young donkey to sit on, which contrasted with the picture the crowds were creating. He should have found a horse to ride on if he was to meet their expectations as a political king and a victorious ruler of wars. Instead, he undercut their nationalism and pointed in a different direction. ‘Yes, I am your King and I will save you, but not by violence, but by peace, fulfilling the prophecy of Zecharia: “Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt” (Zech 9:9). Instead of riding on a warhorse and conquering, The Messiah God appeared riding on a donkey, heading toward his death to save and to help people to make peace with God.
As Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem, the crowds were perfectly right to shout, “Hosanna!” They acknowledged Jesus as their Messiah; they addressed him he who comes, a messianic title found in Psalm 118. They cried out for salvation and recognized that Jesus could save them. In saying, “Hosanna!” the people were crying out for salvation, which is precisely why Jesus came. Within a week, Jesus would be hanging on a cross. Only this great crowd did not know what they were saving from or what kind of King Jesus came to be.
He was indeed king, but not the sort of king they had in mind.
The crowd shouted, “Help!” and “Save!” Jesus had come precisely to help and save them, but not the sort of help they sought to get. Jesus was the Messiah who responded to people’s pleas for help, Hosanna, with salvation that lasted for eternity, not just the temporal relief these people sought.
They did not know what was important in life; they did not know that the liberation from Roman power would not solve their ultimate problems with sin. They gave up Jesus to be crucified, those who gave an enthusiastic welcome to Jesus when he entered the city. Those enthusiastic crowd yelled, mocked, and threw stones at Jesus on his way to the cross because they were disappointed with Jesus for not meeting their expectations; they turned their cheers into curses and condemned Jesus to death.
The other day, I met a patient who did not do anything to do with me, a chaplain. He said God never answered his prayers with marital problems and health issues, although he prayed so much. So, he gave up on God, he said. For some people, God is a Genie figure who should hand out whatever they ask. But do we know God has His foremost interest in our souls? Sometimes, God allows us to go through difficult times to get closer to God and understand what is important in life.
What sort of savior do you expect Jesus to be? The savior who would provide you what you want in life, the temporal relief you want so badly now in this present life? Would you turn your back on Jesus if Jesus would not hand you out what you want now? Jesus, who knows what is most important in life, gave us what we need –peace with God and people–, our eternal salvation. We were enemies of God because of our sins, but Jesus came down to offer up himself as the atoning sacrifice so that we can have life with God in eternity.
Lastly, Jesus rode on a donkey when he entered Jerusalem as Messiah. We can think of at least three points on Jesus riding a donkey. 1) Donkey is a symbol of peace. When horses are mentioned in the Bible, they are almost always mentioned with kings going to war. However, when a leader, a king, rides a donkey, it lets people know he is coming in peace. Jesus came to give peace to humans, –peace with God, and peace with one another. Because Jesus died as a peace offering, atoning for our sins against God and other fellow human beings. Only in Jesus, with his blood, can one have peace with God. 2) The donkey is a symbol of humility. They are neither proud nor extravagant but simply humble. Jesus, the King of Kings, manifested His humility by riding on a humble beast. Jesus` riding on a donkey lines up with what we read in Philippians chapter 2 – that Jesus, although equal to God, emptied Himself and became a human to pay for our sins. He lowered Himself to the lowest and took upon Himself the sins of all humanity, dying as the worst criminal crucified on the cross for us. 3) Jesus rode on a colt that had never been ridden, symbolizing that Jesus was sinless and had no burdens of sins. In many societies, the donkey is an animal of burden. They are used for carrying loads of baggage and goods. However, the colt Jesus rode on never carried a heavy burden or was ridden because Jesus is God without sin.
Today, Jesus needs a donkey to enter our city as the Lord and King who saves us from death. In Gillespie, Staunton, or Raymont, Jesus must proclaim who he is and why he came to this earth. He needs a donkey who is humble, peace-loving, and pure. Jesus needs people who do not consider themselves above others but are ready to serve our city’s lowest and poorest people materialistically or spiritually. Jesus needs peace-loving people who are forgiven and are forgiving people. Jesus needs people who wash their sins in the blood of Jesus Christ daily, not carrying the burden of sins. We say we want to be used by God. We think that God is using us, but we want to question whether we are truly ready for Jesus to ride on us, humble, peace-loving, and spiritually purified. Do people see Jesus in us? Are we donkeys that Jesus can ride on or warhorses, hostile and belligerent, misrepresenting Jesus? Oh God! Save us, Hosanna!
