Hosanna! (Triumphal Entry)

Day 62: Mark 11:1-26

“And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!’” - Mark 11:9 ESV

If we're not careful, we may read right past the rich Messianic language that is jammed into our passage for today.

First, we see that the riding of a colt was a hyperlink to Zechariah 9:9: "Your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey." ESV

Second, we see the term Hosanna being shouted, which is a transliterated word from Hebrew into Greek that means, "Save us, Lord, we pray!" The crowd is essentially saying, "Jesus, live up to your name!" (His name means "The Lord saves").

Third, we hear the crowd singing a familiar song from their Hebrew hymn book (Psalm 118:26). Verses 19-29 of that Psalm are also soaked in Messianic language. Actually, verse 25 is where the transliteration of the term Hosanna comes from.

Fourth, any time we see the line of David mentioned, we also know it refers to the coming Christ (Messiah).

What a way for Jesus to kick off what we today call Holy Week, His last week before His death and resurrection (spoiler alert).

The people who lined the streets with palm branches and their cloaks were desperate for a Messianic King to save them. Little did they know that Jesus wasn't going to save them the way that they wanted to be saved. He had something much more significant in mind.

Would you join me in crying out to Jesus for salvation today? Everyday we live will require Jesus' saving grace, especially as we share his love with those around us.