Hosanna Lord Save Us Now!

Palm Sunday 2006

Mark 15:1-39

Pastor Steven D. Spencer

Today we join the crowds to celebrate Palm Sunday with the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. We shout, "Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!"

Years ago when my youngest son he was about 3 years of age he was frustrated and angry as we left church. His face was all scrunched up; his cheeks puffing with breaths of displeasure. When we finally made to the Narthex and asked him: “Philip what’s wrong?” He said: “I thought we don’t sing about Santa Clause in church.” What, what do you mean son we don't sing about Santa Clause in church? To which he responded: Then why did we just sing, Ho Santa, Ho Santa, Ho Santa in the highest? Son, that’s Hosanna not Ho Santa. Kids say the darnedest things.

Hosanna.  Save us now, Lord!  That’s what it means.  Hosanna.  It’s really the word of Advent as we remember the coming of the Lord, and it's the word of the Passion Week as our Lord goes about hearing our cries of Hosanna by dying on the cross.  Hosanna.  It’s a word driven by simple faith, not a word of a self-driven world.  By praying Hosanna, you are confessing that you need Him a lot more than He needs you.  You are confessing that He is God and Lord, and that He is the only one who can help you out of the pit of your life of sin.  It is a rich word for Lutherans, and indeed for all who follow Jesus.

But it's not the word of someone who is ego bent.  If you look at this story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, it really is just the opposite of what the people thought they needed, as we will see later in the week.  Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey, the animal of peace.  Kings don’t ride donkeys - they ride horses.  The people put down their clothes on the way and strew palm branches across His path.  He is the Lord, the King entering into His Holy City, Jerusalem the City of Peace.

Jesus comes to give them something.  He doesn’t come to make their lives easier or to solve all their problems.  No, He comes to save them.  He comes to die.  He has humbled Himself and made Himself out to be the servant of the whole world.  But His service is different than the service of our self-driven world.  He doesn’t say to you, what do you want and I’ll get it for you.  No, He knows your needs better than you know them yourself.  He doesn’t want to make your shackles more comfortable.  He wants to rip them off of you and fling them away forever.  But in order for Him to do this, it has to happen by the way of death.  For that is the only key that can unlock the shackles around you.

That first Palm Sunday as the crowds gathered and shouted Hosannas; they were praying: Save us now, Lord!  This was prayer, a prayer of simple faith. And their prayer was answered. I doubt the crowds could comprehend what the price of answering that prayer would be. Jesus was going to die. Jesus enters Jerusalem as a king; He enters to Jerusalem to die.

According to our text, Jesus is led by the mob to Pilate early that morning. Pilate asked Him are you the King of the Jews? Jesus replies: “Yes it is as you say.” Jesus doesn’t deny His kingship, for He is the King. To deny it would be a lie, and God doesn’t lie.

When Jesus entered into Jerusalem, for that brief moment the people knew and understood that this was something significant.  That is why we confess this same faith in the liturgy every single week, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of power and might.  Heaven and earth are full of your glory.  Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!

This is a great song of the church, called the Sanctus. In it's confessing on our Communion Sundays we are confessing Jesus’ triumphal entry.  He has come into the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem right here in His house.  Oh, there’s no donkey, there’s no hordes of crowds to greet Him, at least not like that first Palm Sunday.  But He is here nonetheless.  And when you cry out Lord Save Us by praying Hosanna, you are actually praying that Jesus would come and give you His body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins.  For Jesus’ presence isn’t just a general presence.  It doesn’t mean that you can feel Him in your heart or that He is just spiritually present, whatever that means.  No, it means that He is really and truly present here in His Word and in His Holy Supper.  It means that when He promises to come and save you, that He actually does it by giving you His body and blood.  It’s real.  It’s concrete.  It is certain.

 You’re praying the same prayer that those crowds did 2000 years ago.  I doubt they had any idea of what they were asking, for Jesus answers prayer. Jesus answered their prayer in manner only He could. 5 days later He became the Passover lamb. We celebrate that event every Sunday with these words. Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world have mercy on us, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; grant us peace.

Jesus answered their prayers by the mystery of His holy incarnation, by His holy nativity. By His baptism, fasting and temptation. By His agony and bloody sweat, by His cross and Passion; by His precious death and burial.

By His glorious resurrection and ascension, by the coming of the Holy Spirit the Comforter. Jesus answers prayer. He will again answer prayer when we pray the Hosanna Prayer on Maundy Thursday. Jesus will answer:

Take eat; this is the true body of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, given into death for your sins.

Take, drink; this is the true blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, shed for the forgiveness of your sins.

Your sins are forgiven for Jesus has answered your prayer, Hosanna, blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord. – Amen and Amen.