HOSANNA

MUSINGS - November 12, 2018

HOSANNA

Mark 11:1-11
When they came near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead of him. He said to them, "Go into the village ahead of you. As you enter it, you will find a young donkey tied there. No one has ever sat on it. Untie it, and bring it. If anyone asks you what you are doing, say that the Lord needs it. That person will send it here at once." The disciples found the young donkey in the street. It was tied to the door of a house. As they were untying it, some men standing there asked them, "Why are you untying that donkey?" The disciples answered them as Jesus had told them. So the men let them go. They brought the donkey to Jesus, put their coats on it, and he sat on it. Many spread their coats on the road. Others cut leafy branches in the fields and spread them on the road. Those who went ahead and those who followed him were shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is our ancestor David's kingdom that is coming! Hosanna in the highest heaven!" Jesus came into Jerusalem and went into the temple courtyard, where he looked around at everything. Since it was already late, he went out with the twelve apostles to Bethany.

Jesus arrived in Jerusalem just before the beginning of Passover and the people saw him and began to shout, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is our ancestor David's kingdom that is coming!"

Our choir often sings hymns with the word hosanna in it. But what does this word actually mean? If you do a Google search you will find, "The word hosanna(Latin osanna, Greek ὡσαννά, hōsanná) is from Hebrew הושיעה־נא, הושיעה נא hôšîʿâ-nā and related to Aramaic אושענא (ʾōshaʿnā) meaning "save, rescue, savior". In the Hebrew Bible it is used only in verses such as "help" or "save, I pray" (Psalms 118:25)."

The people were welcoming Jesus because they thought he was coming to restore David's kingdom. They wanted Israel to dominate the Middle East as it had in David's time.

They were looking for the wrong kingdom and the wrong Savior. Jesus said, "My kingdom doesn't belong to this world." (John 18:36)
Indeed, the Son of Man has come to seek and to save people who are lost." (Luke 19:10) That doesn't sounds like the duty of an early King.

What do you expect of Jesus? In one of my favorite restaurants there hangs a sign that reads, "Before you complain about my work, make sure it's my job! If you are praying for Jesus to give you an A on your homework, or the promotion at work ... It's not his job. Make sure that your expectations are in line with the scriptures. And you can only know that by studying the Bible.

Visit my daily blog. https://RVingFulltimeWithTomAndElla.com/

And my sermons blog http://ThomasEWilliams.blogspot.com/?m=1

All content (except quotations) © 2018 Thomas E. Williams