Hosannas and the Tragedy of Misplaced Hope
What if the crowd was right to cry “Hosanna”… but wrong about what salvation meant?
The Cry for Salvation and the Kin-dom Within
The Procession into Jerusalem
The plans were made. The disciples returned from Jerusalem with everything Jesus asked for. Everything was in place.
Jesus rode on a donkey toward the gates of the city. His followers lined the way.
Matthew 21:9
9. The multitudes who went in front of him, and those who followed, kept shouting, “Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
Palm fronds waved through the air, preparing his way into the Holy City. His time had come. Only a few days remained to prepare his disciples for what would come next.
“Hosanna,” they cried out. “Hoshi‘a na,” they pleaded. “Hoshi‘ah na ba-meromim,” which means, “Save us from the highest places.”
Their hearts pleaded for salvation.
What They Hoped For
They prayed for an end to Roman occupation and the end of days when God’s judgment would make everything right. They saw their king returning to Jerusalem to reclaim the throne of David.
They were wrong.
Jesus had not come to usurp power, but to reveal the kin-dom. Unfortunately for his followers, they were expecting something different. Even to this day, many who call on the name of Jesus are still waiting for an imperial savior who would never come.
The Tragedy of Misplaced Hope
When we put our hope in a conquering God or an earthly kingdom, we wait for that divine savior and do nothing to prevent the harm, stop the violence, or end the suffering of everyday life.
This misunderstanding does not just breed complacency and compliance, but enables those who have personal ambitions for power, since they can claim they are ushering in the conquest of God.
Awaiting conquest instead of seeking transformation keeps us caged in the circumstances we find ourselves in. We have to deny the Divine power to transform our hearts, our lives, our communities, and our world to bring hope, peace, and life to the here and now.
We rattle our chains, pretending they are trembles playing the sacred music of salvation instead of breaking them to free ourselves and others.
Apocalypse is an unveiling, not a cataclysm. A true apocalypse is learning to see the systems, the powers in high places that control the world and the means for breaking their control. Believing it is a literal end of days keeps us from waking up and seeing the world clearly, which allows those powers unopposed reign over us.
To seek a throne instead of a way is to seek a seat of collaboration with the systems that control the world rather than a way to find freedom and liberty for ourselves and for the world.
Salvation is liberation, “not (from) flesh and blood, but (from) the principalities, (from) the powers, (from) the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and (from) the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).”
When we misplace our hope, we point our faith in the wrong direction, and we capitulate to the powers that seek to devour and destroy us.
The King Who Rides on a Donkey
Jesus enters into Jerusalem riding a donkey to fulfill prophecy:
Zechariah 9:9
9. Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
This is an image of righteousness, victory, and humility.
His time has come to reveal himself as the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Son of Man. He does this intentionally, not by accident. He wants people to understand the role he is claiming.
Jesus is knowingly starting the countdown to his own death.
All he has left to do is to cleanse the temple (Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11; Daniel 8:13–14; Malachi 3:1–3), after which there is only one thing left: to die.
The people see Jesus riding on a donkey proclaiming himself the Messiah as he enters into the city of Jerusalem. He knows he is carrying his cross into the city to deliver the last teachings he would give in the flesh.
Hosanna Reclaimed
Today, when we call out “Hoshi‘ah na ba-meromim,” we yearn for the visitation of Christ within us, and the guidance of the Living Word which guides us to salvation, leading us to The Way and offering us healing.