Hail to the King!

In marching band in high school, one of the duties we always had to take part in each year was the Fourth of July parade. The joy of the spectators on either side of the parade route was at a high cost. Searing heat, blinding sun reflections off the brass instruments, grueling 2 mile route of synchronized marching, and painful lip abuse as each song was repeated upwards of 25 times made this event the most physical of any in the entire marching season.  The parade was a big deal and in particular, this parade celebrated the independence of our country. Just as thousands gathered to watch the elements of our parade and the 100s of floats, there exists a parade of one in the Bible that celebrates the entrance of a king complete with songs, a procession and plenty of spectators. Instead of waving flags, Palm branches were used. Instead of confetti lining the streets, cloaks and garments paved the way for the one float, a man on a colt. Instead of celebrating a nation’s beginning, the spectators welcomed a king and the salvation. Let us listen to their chants as Jesus makes His entrance into Jerusalem and ultimately learn that faith in not measured in the noise we make but in the perseverance we demonstrate in Christ.

I. EXCLAMATION #1: THE PRAISE FOR A COMING KING-21:9

So much has already happened in preparation for this procession. Immediately before this passage begins, Jesus, upon instructing the disciples to retrieve a donkey, has just received His mode of transportation, a mode that has been prophesized for hundreds of years.

Zec. 9:9-Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Having heard this prophecy spoken of in the synagogue, those obtaining the donkey no doubt made the connection that their long-awaited Messiah had come and His entrance was ready to be made. Naturally, word of this procession spread and curious spectators and knowledgeable Jews decided to join in on the activity. Excitement over the long-awaited Messiah quickly drew an enormous crowd that sandwiched Jesus in from both sides as He made his way into Jerusalem.

In the same way people enjoy singing songs together while on the road, there is strong evidence that suggests the Jews entering Jerusalem were doing the very same thing. This first line of the verse that was sung comes from one of the many pilgrim songs found in Psalms (cf. Ps. 118:25). This pilgrim Song is a Psalm of thanksgiving for the Lord’s saving goodness.

Psalm 118:25-26- “O Lord, do save, we beseech You; O Lord, we beseech You, do send prosperity!”

God’s goodness, everlasting love, and mighty faithfulness are all themes found within this psalm. The psalmist is bold and fearless in the midst of trial, trusting in the Lord’s salvation. This particular line shouted by the chorus is full of expectation and kingly implications. For starters, “Hosanna” comes from a Hebrew word meaning “Save us now, we pray.” Therefore, this line of the song, while praising the Lord, is also petitioning the Lord for the salvation that they had waited so long for. Secondly, the reference to a song of David, especially in Matthew, communicates that for the moment the crowd was confident enough to acknowledge Jesus as the promised Seed of David who had come to grant them salvation. 

Taking cues from yet another line of the same pilgrim song while on the journey to Jerusalem, the crowd quotes, from Psalm 118:26 saying, “Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.” To invoke the name of the Lord, Yahweh, was to ascribe the highest level of authority to Jesus’ actions at this point. It would appear as though the crowd has finally made the connection that Jesus is none other than the ultimate King of the Jews. To “come in the Name of the Lord” means to come on behalf of the Lord. Indeed, Jesus had come on behalf of God for the benefit of those not only in the Jewish community, but for the entire world.

“Hosanna” is repeated again, much as it is in the original psalm, at the end of this song-verse. Interestingly, the original meaning of the word “Hosanna” (Save me now!) is a cry for help. In the original psalm, this cry for help was immediately followed by the exclamation “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Therefore the cry for help was answered almost before it came out of the song-writer’s mouth. Therefore, the term came to be an expression of hope and exultation. Instead of “Save please!” it came to mean “Salvation has come!”

In this context, the second expression of Hosanna is not requesting salvation, but acknowledging that it is already arriving. “Hosanna in the highest” means “Let all the angels in heaven join in the song of praise. Salvation! Salvation! Let the highest heaven sing the song!” While the crowd did not fully understand the significance of this event, they seemed to be acknowledging that this One is the promised Son of David who had come to grant them salvation. Both their actions and words bestowed honor on this One coming into the city, at last presenting Himself publicly as their King.

II. EXCLAMATION #2: THE QUESTION FROM A CURIOUS AUDIENCE-21:10

The action moves from outside the city to inside its walls. The procession had reached its destination and in the mind of many of those present, the King had come to establish His reign! It is at this point in time when the city itself would welcome its king and respond on their own to the grand procession entering the city gates.

Unable to ignore the cheering crowds, the city reacts with compulsive jeering.  Metaphorically, the city is shaken up by the spectacle of so great a crowd surrounding so humble a man (an average Jewish male riding a young donkey). 

Since Jesus had usually avoided the city, its inhabitant did not know him. Those accompanying Jesus made up the singing chorus around Him. Naturally, so great a spectacle would spark curiosity among the citizens of Jerusalem, instigating this curious investigation.

III. EXCLAMATION #3: THE ANSWER OF A FICKLE PEOPLE-21:11

The chorus of singers wastes no time in answering the many questions permeating the city. 

However, though the crowds welcome Jesus as a king; their answer to the question ‘Who is this?’ (v. 10) is ‘This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.’ Because Jesus had been absent from Jerusalem for most of His ministry career, this answer may simply be given to identify who this individual on the colt was. However, perhaps they are saying more than they realize. Jesus had been commissioned by God both to declare the kingdom of heaven (as a prophet) and to inaugurate it (as a king). By riding into the city in this way, Jesus is performing a prophetic, dramatic act, much like those of some of the Old Testament prophets. Method and message combine as the procession conveys the purposeful approach of Jesus to Jerusalem. While the crowds may expect that Jesus’ aim is to overthrow Roman domination of Palestine, Matthew wants the reader to realize that there is a spiritual, rather than a political, significance to all of this. As the Prophet, Jesus was the One promised by Moses in Deut. 18:15-The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to Him. In many ways, Jesus is the greatest prophet, even superior to Moses, the hero of the Jewish faith. To refer to Him as “prophet” insinuated that He was the long-awaited prophet that Moses spoke of who had finally come.

This event marked the official presentation of Jesus Christ to the nation of Israel as the rightful Son of David. Complete with a grand entrance accompanied with singing, the awe and wonder of the spectators, and the proclamation of His identity, this event was nothing short of a kingly procession. However, what many fail to realize at this point is that Jesus’ immediate purpose for coming into Jerusalem is to die on a cross. Though this is the case, at least in this parade, Jesus makes it clear that one day He would reign as a King—not merely over Jerusalem, but over the entire world. His followers who would eventually trust in the victory of His coming  resurrection will live with Him forever in His most perfect Kingdom.

So What?

With the parade complete and pomp and circumstance at a close, it is tragic when one considers how short-lived such proclamations and sentiments lasted. The magnitude and power behind this presentation is nothing short of a grand celebration and yet what transpires throughout the remainder of the week is nothing short of a horrific spectacle. The following day Jesus curses a fig tree. On Tuesday, he turns the tables in the temple. By Thursday, the entire nation of Israel rejects Him as Messiah. As a result, many of the same ones chanting Hosanna would reject the salvation He had come to bring. Those who had laid down their garments for Him to trod upon would cast stones and saliva upon the Lord on His way to Golgotha. Ultimately, the excitement surrounding the King’s entrance in this passage suggests a weak and shallow faith. A faith that follows the crowd, jumps on the bandwagon and cheers at a parade. Faith like this inevitably leads wherever the crowds gather, wagon travels, and can replace a parade with a mocking and hateful bunch of violent onlookers. Is your faith Palm Sunday faith? Is your faith in Jesus contingent on the group, your family, your friends, this country? Is your faith just a bunch of noise? If so, today is a call to resurrection faith!