Palm Sunday: Welcoming the King

For the past three years, the people around Jerusalem had heard about Jesus. They heard the stories. They heard about his parables and teaching. But most of all, they heard about the miracles. Many wondered who this person could be and what it meant for them. Who is this Jesus from Nazareth? Could he truly be the promised messiah, foretold, among others, by the prophet Isaiah?

Now, the day had finally come. Jesus, the Christ, was coming to their city. What would happen? Would a rebellion against the Roman Empire soon arise? Would this Jesus be crowned King and finally throw off the yoke of oppression? Would they finally be free?

With all this in mind, the people flooded the streets of Jerusalem and spilled out into the countryside in anticipation. Cloaks were thrown onto dusty ground in reverence. Palm branches were cut and waved like banners. Voices rose together and shouted Hosanna! A word that not only means "Save us" but also expresses the anticipation of that salvation and says with great passion, "We have been saved!" The word hosanna is interesting. It brings forth both praise and a plea. It is worship mixed with desperation. The moment feels electric, full of hope and expectation. At last, the long-awaited king has arrived. Things are going to be different from now on.

Yet, at the same time, there is something quietly strange about the scene. Jesus does not enter on a war horse, the symbol of power and conquest, but on a donkey, slow, unimpressive, and humble. He does not have an army; he has only uneducated fishermen and everyday people on his side. The people of Jerusalem shout for salvation, but many imagine a very different kind of rescue than the one He brings. Jesus had come to establish a spiritual kingdom and spiritual salvation, not a physical one. This misalignment of expectations is what would lead some of those same people who shouted "Hosanna" to shout "Crucify him" only a few days later. Jesus accepts their praise for now, knowing it will not last. The crowd celebrates, but Jesus would later weep over the city, knowing of the devastation and destruction that would soon come.

Palm Sunday asks each of us an uncomfortable question: what kind of king are we welcoming? Is it a King on our terms, who will do what we want him to do and fulfill all the expectations we have of him? Or do we welcome Jesus as a king to be obeyed and followed, no matter what is asked of us and no matter what his plans for us are?

To their credit, the people on the road got it partly right about Jesus. He was a prophet. He was a king. He was, and still is, deserving of praise and worship. But they also missed something very important. Jesus came primarily to do a work from the inside out, not from the outside in. He came to heal people's souls, not just their bodies. He came to offer spiritual freedom, not freedom from Rome. He came to offer eternal life and joy with the Father, not just more comfort and joy in this life. This was not only a mistake made 2,000 years ago, but a mistake we still make today. We want Jesus to fix our lives, our finances, our struggles, our shortcomings and insecurities. But Jesus wants to fix the root of all human problems, the problem of sin. Jesus came to connect us to our creator first and foremost.

As Holy Week begins, we are invited to lay down what we have: our expectations and disappointments, our shallow praises and half-understood prayers, and place them before Christ. We are invited to cry out Hosanna, but this time with the correct view... to save us, first of all, from ourselves.

Reflection Questions:

1. What have been your own expectations for what Jesus would do in your life?
2. How have your expectations of Jesus been misaligned?
3. What kind of King are you welcoming? Who is Jesus to you?