Hosanna to the Son of David!

Carolyn and I built a house at Lake Gaston that we enjoyed for thirty years. My father and I had many days of hard work and fun building this house right on the water.  The outside of the house was T111 Siding but the trim was all cedar. Cedar was wonderful to work with and we didn’t have to worry about it rotting.  The only problem was – woodpeckers loved it! We often would wake up to “pecking” and that would mean that woodpeckers were destroying our trim boards. They were trying to get into our house.

When Jesus came to Jerusalem, the crowd was hoping that He could solve their problems.  The Romans were oppressing them. They shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Matthew 21:9) The Jewish people were expecting a political savior.  Matthew 21:5 quotes the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 and informs us that this is a reference to Jesus.  Zechariah spoke of a King who would come “lowly and riding on a donkey” (vs. 9). Where was the victory the people were expecting? They never thought the Messiah would go to the cross as part of God’s plan. The “triumphal entry” is followed by Jesus driving out moneychangers… from the temple (vv.12-13). Jesus was cleaning house, from the inside out.

When we welcome Jesus into our life, He comes to set things right and He starts with us.  He makes us confront the evil that is inside of us. Jesus on the donkey is like the warriors in the Trojan horse.  The horse was welcomed as a symbol of peace, but its aim was unconditional surrender.  Jesus requires the same from us.

Prayer – Jesus – you are the mighty King! Forgive me for wanting You to only fix the problems around me and not confront the sin in my heart. Show me the ways I wander and expose the ways I want to run my own life. Show me how to surrender to You.  Amen.

Matthew 21:9 – Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!

Author: Tommy Herndon