“And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” (Matthew 21:9)
Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem signaled the start of the last leg of His earthly journey to the cross. In addition to cheering and waving palm branches, the spectators also threw their coats to the ground in front of the young donkey carrying Him. It was a royal-worthy parade. The crowd's shouts of “Hosanna!” on that particular day, however, were really yearning for something that only Jesus completely understood.
Hosanna! was a cry of adoration that also contained a request. Hosanna is the Hebrew term for “come, save us now.” The populace was ignorant of what Jesus was about to do. He was about to save them in all the ways that really mattered. But first, He had some last-minute business to take care of in the Temple.
The man on the donkey must have stunned the Hosanna-shouters by flipping over money tables and shooing the vendors out of the Temple in a fit of righteous rage. The deceit and avarice would not be tolerated by Jesus at the house of His Father. He went there that day to make it crystal clear that only His blood, not money, could buy forgiveness. Redemption wasn't just for wealthy people; it was open to everyone, including the poorest, neediest, and most broken. "My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves " Jesus shouted (see Matthew 21:13). Even more than His scathing comments, what He did next is likely to have stunned everyone. He extended a welcome inside. The disabled—those who had lived on the outside—the blind, the lame, the ill—He invited them into the Temple and attended to their needs. The arrogant must go, and the humble must enter. It represented the Kingdom He would very soon establish with His blood.
Which group do you identify with? Is it those on the inside who treat religion like a business, or do you identify with those on the periphery who bring a broken offering of faith? Jesus is now here . . . salvation has come. You simply need to shout “Hosanna!” out of faith and repentance. He will free you from your sin if you call out, “Come save me now!”
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for sending Jesus to liberate me from my sin. Help me to always extend Your grace as an invitation to everyone. In Jesus' name, Amen.
