Imagine the scene from our gospel reading. Imagine you are in that procession. The bright Middle Eastern sun is beating down on you. The heat rises from the desert sand beneath your leathers sandals. You’re standing just outside the towering stone walls of the city of Jerusalem. I know it’s hard to imagine given the coronavirus social distancing, but imagine you are standing along the road with hundreds of other people cheering and shouting. The throng of people are waving clothes and tree branches. Through the crowd you can just make out a man sitting on a donkey. The animal and man slowly bob past you. The crowd around you cries out, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Someone behind you shouts, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” You join in, shouting, “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Each person brought here has a different story. Each person sees the events in slightly different ways. What do you feel as you imagine being part of this scene? Who is this Jesus character on the donkey? What kind of messiah is he? What kind of saviour is Jesus?
That day the crowds shouted “Hosanna!” I want to zero in on this word for a moment. This word is a transliteration of a Hebrew phrase that was originally a prayer: hôšı̂ (“save/help/deliver”) + āʿnnā (“please!/now!”). “Save us, please!” “Deliver and help us, now!” Over time this meaning probably became secondary, and “Hosanna” became more of a greeting. But this prayer and greeting is joined together with other phrases. “Son of David.” “The one who comes in the name of the Lord.” These are shorthand for “Messiah” or “Christ” — the Promised One that the people of God were waiting for. As this fellow Jesus rides through the gate into Jerusalem, the crowd greets him as their messiah. He is the One who has come to save, help, and deliver them. “Save us, please!” they cry.
I think about our present times. People are crying out to all sorts of different ‘messiahs’ for help and salvation. People cry out to the government for help provide for their job needs. People cry out to medicine to save them with a vaccine. People cry out to pseudo-scientific saviours (such as drinking pure alcohol), etc. Each have different ideas how their particular ‘messiah’ will save them in these times.
The crowd that day also had all sorts of expectations. As they cried out “Hosanna!”, each person had a different view on how Jesus would be their messiah and save them. Let’s imagine a few people in the crowd.
(1) Imagine in the crowd a poor farmer. He works hard from dawn to dusk, but hardly makes enough to survive. If it’s not too much rain, it’s too little. After he’s paid his taxes, there’s barely anything left for his young family, let alone bigger dreams. He sees Jesus as his messiah — the one who will bring material wealth to the poor. Jesus will overthrow the Romans, and release them from paying taxes. Jesus will save the poor by giving them treasure (Matthew 19:21). He’ll no longer have to worry about work. He won’t have to worry about the market prices going up or down. Taxes will be a thing of the past. “Hosanna! Save us, please!” he cries.
But not long after Jesus walks through the gates into the city he says, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” (Matthew 22:21). Jesus doesn’t overthrow the Romans, but instead he is whipped and beaten by them. The soldiers even mock him. Jesus doesn’t have any earthly treasure to share, only pain and suffering on the cross. This ‘messiah’ doesn’t appear very rich at all. He is despised and rejected.
What kind of messiah is Jesus? Who is this? How will he save us? Although he looks poor and wretched on the path to the cross, the truth is that Jesus is the richest king of all. As the Son of God, he has access to God’s treasury. And he freely offers to you the most precious treasure in the entire world — forgiveness of sins, peace with God, a certificate of adoption into God’s family.
(2) Imagine in the crowd a powerless widow. The societal norms, the government, and powerful rulers dictate her entire life. She has no means to effect any change in her life. She’s merely cog in the system. Forced to follow along with what the rulers say. Like a little leaf caught in a raging river torrent. She has heard Jesus preach along the road, when he said that those who take the “lowly position will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:4). So she looks to Jesus to stand up to the government and rulers. He will be strong and break down the societal norms and political laws that oppress the downtrodden. “Hosanna! Save us, please!” she cries.
But he doesn’t ride into Jerusalem on a chariot, instead he sits atop a lowly donkey. Unexpectedly, no city officials greet Jesus at the gate. There’s no audience with the chief priests or the Roman governor — at least not initially. Eventually he is dragged before the chief priests and the elders, but it’s so they can falsely accuse him and sentence him to death (Matthew 26:57–60). Jesus does receive an audience before Pontius Pilate (the Roman governor), but he doesn’t stand up to him and hardly says a word (Matthew 27:14). He’s even too weak to carry his own cross — the Roman guards need to enlist Simon of Cyrene to help (Matthew 27:32)! This ‘messiah’ doesn’t appear very strong or powerful after all.
What kind of messiah is Jesus? Who is this? How will he save us? Although he looks weak and powerless, the truth is that Jesus wields more power of any king on earth — he has power over sin and death. Through his crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus displays the highest power of all, he crushes and defeats death itself. On the cross Jesus shows his strength as he carries the immense weight of the sin of the whole world. He carries your pain and suffering — he is the most powerful and strongest person ever to walk this earth.
(3) Imagine in the crowd a sick child. He has been born with a physical deformity that means he can’t walk. He suffers intense pain each night, lying awake for hours. He has no friends and feels lonely and isolated. He looks on at Jesus — his messiah — the one who has come to befriend and heal him. He’s heard the stories of others that Jesus has healed, even bringing the dead to life. “Hosanna! Save us, please!” he cries.
But the donkey carries Jesus passed the sick and desperate boy. He doesn’t stop to lay hands on him. The boy can’t even reach out to touch Jesus’ clothes. There is no physical healing for him today. The donkey disappears through the gate. Jesus won’t perform any healings in Jerusalem during his final week (except to mend the ear of the temple guard sliced off when they arrest him, but Matthew doesn’t even record this feat in his gospel). Jesus will be deserted by his friends, forsaken on the cross, alone, lonely, isolated.
What kind of messiah is Jesus? Who is this? How will he save us? Although Jesus doesn’t physically heal everyone, every time, the truth is that Jesus is the greatest healer of all time. The Song of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah says that “By his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5). Jesus’ death and resurrection heals you in a complete way — more than mere physical healing, a healing of mind, body, and soul. But this complete healing will only be finished when you too pass through death.
So what kind of messiah is Jesus? Who is this fellow on the donkey? He looks poor and wretched, but is the richest king freely offering you priceless treasure. He looks powerless against rulers and leaders, but he has the power to defeat sin and death. He looks unable to heal sickness, yet he heals you completely. By his wounds you are healed forever. Amen.
