3/16/08 - Palm Sunday - Matthew 21:1-11

PROCLAIM HIS NAME
- With joy
- With Hosannas

Throughout the season of Lent, we largely focus our attention on what the Lord had to suffer at the hands of his enemies. The betrayal, the beatings, the mocking, the scourging, the questioning, the accusations, and of course the crucifixion. And we will talk more about those very things this coming Thursday and Friday night as we gather together for those special and very important services. But today, at the beginning of Holy Week, on Palm Sunday, when Jesus rides into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey, we do not see him suffering at the hands of his enemies at all. Rather, we see his followers proclaiming his name. Throwing palm branches on the road. Spreading their robes out before him. Singing, chanting, proclaiming his name with joy and with hosannas.
And please understand how incredibly bold it was for those crowds to that. Because proclaiming Jesus’ name in Jerusalem at that time was a very dangerous thing to do! Looking back into Scripture at everything that had happened leading up to that point, we see that things were escalating to a perilous crescendo as Jesus entered Jerusalem that morning. Because from the words of the Bible it is clear that Jesus’ life and the lives of any that followed him were in serious jeopardy wherever Jesus showed his face. Without counting the parallel accounts in the gospels when those four writers speak about the same event, the Bible records for us at least 12 different occasions when the Jewish leaders plotted to arrest and kill Jesus. At least six other times enemies of Jesus actually attempted to lay their hands on him in order to rid him of the earth - but the Lord did not let them because his time had not yet come. And on no less than 19 other occasions Jesus himself predicted his betrayal, his arrest, his abuse, and his death to either his disciples or to the entire crowd around him. The people knew what the Jewish leaders intended to do. They were not oblivious to the fact that Jesus’ life and those following him were in danger. The crowds in Jerusalem had even exclaimed about Jesus once before, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill” (John 7:25)? The crowds knew this was a dangerous man to be around. They knew what the authorities had been up to for the last three years. But despite of the dangers to their own lives, even though they knew the consequences their actions could have, “A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Hosanna in the highest!’” Their faith outweighed the dangers, and they faithfully proclaimed his name with joy.
Would you have joined in with those crowds? With your cynical friends looking on, would you have taken off your coat and thrown it on the road so that Jesus’ donkey could walk over it? In full view of people who you knew had plotted Jesus’ death, would you have run over, cut palm branches off the trees, and then placed them on the road in front of the Lord? In a city filled with people who vocally expressed their hatred for Christians, would you have boldly and joyfully shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” If you honestly think you would have joined in with those crowds proclaiming his name so joyfully… great! I’m overjoyed that your faith in the Savior is so strong and that your disregard for what this world thinks about that is so unwavering. But I don’t think I would have. I would like to think I would have joined in praising the Lord, but judging by how I act in my life right now, I doubt I would have mustered the courage. Because I don’t stand up for the Lord and proclaim his name like I should And we can even use this week as an example. Here we are standing at the beginning of the greatest week of the Christian church year, a week that will finale in a spectacular Easter celebration, but even my joy for that day is still sometimes pushed aside by my bashfulness and my nervousness and my uneasiness when around others who also need to experience that joy. Isn’t that sad? Even the most important worship service of the year doesn’t completely quell my hesitation to invite others to join me on that day!
What’s holding you back? What’s holding you back from proclaiming his name and inviting those you know to join you for this upcoming Easter celebration? Is it your bashfulness, your nervousness, your uneasiness, your laziness? We are 7 days away from hearing and singing and soaking in the most important message even known to mankind! Have you invited everyone you know to share that special day with you? Why not? What’s holding you back? I know it’s not because your life will be in danger for following Jesus. I know it’s not because you have heard of plots to kill Christians. I know it’s not because you have physically seen disciples of Jesus arrested and killed. I know your reservations to simply invite someone don’t have anything to do with what the crowds on Palm Sunday had to deal with. So what is it? Ask yourself: Why haven’t I invited everyone I know yet? And is that really a valid excuse? How sad it is when Christians are afraid to proclaim his name. How sad it is when Jesus’ supposed followers are scared to be joyful about their Lord. We haven’t been waving palm branches lately, have we? We haven’t been spreading out our coats or proclaiming his name with joy. Our hands have been hanging at our sides, our coats are still on our backs, and our mouths have remained shut. And Jesus is going to ride right by us, die on the cross right in front of us, and rise from the dead right above us without us saying a word to those who need to see him do it! Just like last year. And the year before. And the year before.
It’s upsetting to me that Easter is so close and I have yet to proclaim his name like I ought. It’s upsetting to me to see these crowds of people publicly and joyfully rejoice at the Lord’s coming on the first Palm Sunday when I have rarely shown that type of enthusiasm when inviting others to see the Savior. But when I look at this story, it’s also comforting to me to know that Jesus didn’t ride into Jerusalem that morning only for the people that shouted his praises. He rode into that city for those who were hiding behind their locked doors too. He rode into that city for those who were there but were too afraid to speak. He even rode into that city for those who would drive him out of that city under the weight of his own cross just five days later. And Jesus entered the city of his death that day for us - we who have hesitated and feared and given hundreds of excuses not to proclaim his name with joy. Jesus came to forgive those sins - and every sin of every person. And so even if we have failed to proclaim his name with joy up till now, know that he has given us every reason to proclaim his name with joy for the rest of our lives! And not only to proclaim it with joy, but to proclaim his name with hosannas!
“Hosanna to the Son of David! Hosanna in the highest,” those crowds shouted. And hosanna is a perfect word for inexcusable sinners like us to proclaim! Because hosanna isn’t just a nonsensical word of praise. Hosanna really is a word asking God to save us. That’s what the word originally meant. The great psalm about Christ, Psalm 118, says “O LORD, save us!” That verse is where “Hosanna” comes from. It’s a Hebrew word from the Old Testament Scriptures. And as the years went on this cry for salvation turned into a shout of praise. After all, the entire reason we praise the Lord is because he saves us. And so it is obvious why this one word became such a popular way of proclaiming the name of the Lord: it can be addressed only to our Savior, it presupposes that we cannot save ourselves and we need help, it is based on the fact that we believe Jesus is able to save us, and it shows our complete trust in the Lord that he hears our call for salvation and will do it! Hosanna is such a great word! It sums up all of the main teachings of Scripture in three simple syllables. What a wonderful way to proclaim his name!
Now, I don’t expect to shout hosanna and wave palm branches everywhere you go, that probably wouldn’t be the best way to proclaim his name to those who do not yet know him. You’ll probably only use the word hosanna when you worship publicly - and it’s a great word to use when you know what it means. But although you may never use the word “hosanna” in a conversation with someone, the goal is to proclaim his name with joy so that they can sing hosanna with you - so that they can learn what it means and, most importantly, so that they can believe the beautiful gospel message that the word hosanna clearly teaches. And you’ve got 7 days to do it. I know you may have more, but you may have less. And since most people work better with a deadline, for now understand that you have 7 days to the most important event that this world has ever seen - Jesus securing our salvation by rising from the dead. You have all week to talk to people, to invite people, to proclaim his name with joy so that we can all gather together here and proclaim his name with hosannas.
And all of that nervousness that you feel, all of those reservations that you have about asking someone to come to hear about their Savior, all of that won’t matter when you meet them in heaven. Because when you are with those fellow believers singing hosannas to your God in a perfect eternal Paradise, what will a little awkwardness or embarrassment in this short life really have mattered? It won’t matter at all - to you. But it’ll matter everything to them. Because through that effort the Lord will have brought them to believe in their Savior. Through that simple invitation the Lord will have started to work in their hearts and bring them to faith. Through the words of your mouth this week the Lord will motivate them to proclaim his name forever. What a monumental task you have this week! And only a few days in which to do it! And keep this in mind as you go out into the world in the next few days, my friends: the hosannas we sing together today are great, but the hosannas we will one day sing with those you invite and with every Christian of all times in heaven will be… well, it’ll be heaven.
Amen.

“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory.” - Rev. 19:6-7