Read: John 12:9-19
The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—the King of Israel!” (John 12:12-13, NRSV).
“Hosanna!” is one of those words that we only use once a year—and then only if we happen to be in church on Palm Sunday. Most of us assume that it’s some ancient synonym for “Hallelujah!” Of course, we’ve forgotten what that word means, too, so maybe it’s time we looked into what all the shouting is about.
“Hallelujah” is actually a mash-up of two Hebrew words that mean, “Praise God!” If you’re a stickler for accuracy, it’s a plural imperative, so it literally means, “Praise God, y’all!”
“Hosanna!” also traces back to two Hebrew words, but they mean, “Please—save!” In other words, this is an ancient way of crying for help. I guess that’s why you never see it without an exclamation point.
When you’re learning a new language, it’s usually wise to start with a handful of words or phrases that you might need in an emergency. Even before “please” and “thank you,” one really ought to memorize things like, “Where is the bathroom?” and “Help!” Even Google Translate may not be fast enough to meet your needs in some situations, after all.
The story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem is included in all four Gospels. In all of them, the episode follows stories of Jesus healing the sick. Only in the gospel of John does it also follow the story of the raising of Lazarus. I point this out because it gives John’s version of “Palm Sunday” even greater urgency. No wonder people were flocking to meet him and shouting, “Please, help!” Who wouldn’t want to get help from someone who had the power to raise you from the dead?
Of course, they also thought that he had real potential in other ways. They didn’t stop with “Please, help!” Drawing from Psalm 118 (a messianic psalm if ever there was one), they also shouted, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” Then they went on to call him the “King of Israel.” None of this went over well with the local authorities, who felt their power slipping away.
I find myself wondering what Jesus was thinking and feeling as he rode that borrowed donkey through the throng. I’m guessing he felt compassion, first of all. (These people needed even more help than they knew.) But I suspect he was also frustrated at how far off the mark many of them were as to his real identity and mission.
We also need more help than we know. Sickness, war, famine, and death still stalk the world, of course. But we have other things in common with that ancient, palm-waving crowd. We’re quick to see strong men as saviors—people we think will solve all our social and political problems. We even try to conscript Jesus into serving vile agendas that have nothing whatsoever in common with his actual life and teaching. I’m talking racism, prejudice, greed, and hate.
There’s a word for this situation, and we need to shout it to heaven it with all the urgency we can muster. That’s right. It’s “Hosanna!”
Ponder this quote from author Anne Lamott: “I worry that Jesus drinks himself to sleep when he hears me talk like this.” How might this apply to certain current manifestations of Christianity? How might it apply to your preferred brand of Christianity?
Pray: Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna!