DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- HOSANNA!

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – HOSANNA!

"Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  'Hosanna to the Son of David!  "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!"  Hosanna in the highest.' "  (Matthew 21:9)

This was perhaps the high point in the ministry of the Lord Jesus.  Many people had worshiped Him before, and some had even acknowledged that He was the promised Messiah.  But there was nothing in his prior ministry that compared to this outpouring of praise.

Hosanna!  Hosanna to the Son of David!  Hosanna in the highest!  What a wonderful scene that must have been.  It would be like a ticker-tape parade down Fifth Avenue honoring some celebrity.  Can you hear the roar of the crowd as Jesus passed by?

In the Hebrew, Hosanna is a prayer composed of two words – "save" and "now."  So the prayer would be, "Save us, now."  The Jews would have recognized that the name, "Jesus," was derived from this same Hebrew word meaning "save," as are also such biblical names as Joshua and Hosea, which have their roots in the word, "to save."  And of course, we think of the angel's announcement to Joseph, "You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21) and also to Mary (Luke 1:31).

The Jewish people were not necessarily looking for a spiritual savior but a political savior who would deliver them from Roman oppression, much like people today who only want a savior to escape from their problems.  

Jesus is much more than a Savior from bad situations.  He is the Savior from sin and its penalty.  So we can loudly proclaim, "Hosanna," because He is the one who saves.  Hosanna!

Love, Dad