Just outside the city walls, a procession had begun. The one who is called King of the Jews is riding on a donkey towards the city of David. As the procession draws even closer to the gates, people begin waving palm branches wildly in the air. Others take off their coats and lay them down upon the road in welcome. Their shouts can be heard throughout the city. Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna!
Surely, many people came to the understanding that Jesus indeed is the long-awaited Messiah. He is the one to whom the scriptures point. For so long, God’s chosen people waited for this moment. They waited to be freed from oppression, to be delivered from bondage once and for all, to have the throne of their ancestor David restored. And so they shouted with all their might, “Hosanna!”, which means “Save us!”
In a matter of days; however, the shouts took on another tone. No longer celebratory, no longer joyous. Shouts calling for death replaced those once heard jubilant cries for salvation. By weeks end, Jesus would be handed over, crucified, dead and buried. Yet, through the distance of time, those who believe can still hear the faint cries; “Hosanna, save us!” And through his death, that’s just what Jesus did.
Prayer: Lord, through Christ and his innocent death, you rescued your people from sin. Accept our thanks and praise, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
In the Beginning 