The Savior Has Come!
We call this day Palm Sunday! The Bible tells us that on this day, Jesus entered Jerusalem and the people laid their coats on the ground before Him. The crowd of people also laid branches out before Jesus and they sang, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”
This was a statement of victory and independence. The word “Hosanna” means save. The crowd saw Jesus as a way of saving them from Roman bondage and rule. They had lived under the oppression of the Roman government and now they hoped Jesus would set them free.
Little did they know that Jesus did come to set them free… but not from Roman rule. He came to set them free from something far more important!!!
Think for a minute about how Jesus chose to enter Jerusalem. He didn’t choose a majestic military entry on a stately stallion. Instead, Jesus chose to enter Jerusalem on a lowly donkey. Jesus didn’t ride in with a haughty heart of pride and arrogance; he chose a humble entry of peace.
Make no mistake about it, Jesus did come to save just like the meaning of the name “Hosanna” suggests. But he did not come to save from military or government rule, He came to save from sin’s rule. And that is the significance of this lowly donkey! And that is the significance of Jesus' very life and death.
In the Old Testament, Zechariah 9:9 not only prophecies of this event, it also prophecies of the purpose of this event. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The phrase, “endowed with salvation” means coming “having salvation.”
Jesus came with salvation in His heart and in His hand! He came to save.
As you walk through Passion Week this week, remember the Savior who came to conquer sin and death. Take some time today to praise and thank the Lord Jesus that He is Hosanna, the conqueror of our sin!
Read Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, and John 12:12-36