Hosanna‪!‬ Haddington Elim Church

Christians around the world celebrate today as Palm Sunday. This usually precedes Holy Week and is celebrated the week before the Resurrection. They get the name from the coming of Jesus into Jerusalem where everyone placed palm branches and coats on the ground as a sort of ‘red carpet’ welcome for His arrival. When I was growing up, many churches in America gave out palm branches on Palm Sunday. We would wave them during worship as a way of welcoming Him to the service. We also know this as the Triumphal Entry of Jesus entering Jerusalem prior to His crucifixion. 

John 12:12 On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” 14 Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, 15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” 16 These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him.

Jesus is the True King of Israel. In fact He’s the True King over all the earth. Jesus allows this public demonstration to fulfil the prophecies and scriptures. Usually He would not allow any public praise or even let the demons say Who He was. The people recognised that Jesus the King was coming to Jerusalem. They thought this was the time their Messiah would lead the revolt and deliver them from their bondage to Rome. “Hosanna” was shouted and means “save now!” They certainly wanted Jesus to save them now and lead an uprising. Here He is fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy about the Messiah riding in on a donkey.