PALM SUNDAY... SHOUT HOSANNA? REALLY?

Holy Week Reading 1: Luke 18:38 - 19:44

It’s Palm Sunday, the day that we remember Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Today, our worship centers will not be filled with children dancing and waving their palms. Rather, our churches will be empty, leaving us with an eerie feeling of dismay and loss.

This feeling of loss is unusual because we’ve never experienced anything like this. However, it’s an important feeling today. It’s important because this may have been our actual feeling if we had been present at Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Since we know Jesus' story and we would know that Jesus is marching to His death, it's doubtful that any of us would be celebrating with the crowd.

What would we have done? Would we have interfered? Would we have tried to stop Jesus from entering town? Would we have tried to convince everyone that this isn’t a joyful day? Or, would we have attempted to stop Judas from betraying Jesus or tried to convince Peter that acknowledging Jesus needs to be Peter’s number one priority?

This is a difficult pill to swallow, and having preached many Palm Sunday sermons, it’s one that still troubles me. Each time I think about it, I can’t overlook this point: Jesus knew exactly what was happening. Jesus not only allowed people to celebrate, He encouraged people to celebrate. Even before arriving at the gates of Jerusalem while experiencing enormous anxiety, Jesus was healing the blind, saving the cheaters, and teaching important stories. Jesus was giving the joy of life to people, despite their past and future behavior.

Today is the day to think about the great celebration that will occur this Easter. It’s difficult, for sure. It’s difficult to think about God’s saving grace while we fight worldwide disease. The days ahead are troubling. The days in front of us could even include suffering. But remember, Jesus came into the world to save it, not to destroy it. This is the very reason that Jesus makes this triumphal entry into the lion’s den. He arrives with a genuine smile, encouraging people to love each other and express the joy of God’s promise.

The best part of life is yet to come. It’s so powerful and wonderful that no matter what the journey looks like, God promises that it’ll be worth it! Lift a voice today and shout, Hosanna!"

“But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, ‘Sir, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!’ Jesus replied, “If they keep quiet, the stones along the road will burst into cheers!” (Luke 19:39-40, TLB).