“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 heaven!’”
- Matthew 21:9
As things begin to settle, there seems to be a new threat. It is not the virus, nor panic shoppers, though they are still at large. This new threat is more at home, well, actually it is your home. You’re stuck there, for the most part, it's the Spring so it's going to be rainy a lot, and perhaps your family may be difficult to be with 24/7. Or perhaps you are alone 24/7 and that itself faces a whole host of troubles.
We may all begin to go stir crazy, couped up in house too long with not a lot to do. I guess that is a nice aspect of living on a evacuated college campus, not many are around and it's a nice place to walk and run.
With all this though, one may find themselves really wanting it all to end. They want COVID-19 gone and their favorite local shops open again, and then we can go back to complaining about all the things we usually would. We want to be saved. We want our Hosanna!
Our Savior:
If you are like me, you didn’t realize there was a meaning to the word Hosanna until you look it up. For the longest time I thought of it as just some holy church word we tend to sing most around Easter and Christmas. But it actually means something, “Oh save!”
In one sense, Hosanna means asking and beckoning to be saved. Yet, in another sense, it honors and praises the one who can save. Which in the dramatic scene of Matthew 21, the crowds are beckoning and praising Jesus, they declare Him as their king, in the line of David. But their praise had a slight flaw.
They needed saving, but they did not so much think they needed saving from their sins, or even all that much healing. They knew Jesus could do both, cure their souls and their bodies, but they wanted something else.
Liberation, these Jews thought salvation meant a revolution, to cleanse Israel from the Romans. They wanted Jesus to conquer not the powers and principalities but to conquer the Romans. They wanted a free state of Israel once again. They did not want to be occupied or tainted by the Hellenist. They wanted Jesus to come in on a white horse and a sword, even one of Jesus’ close disciples was a Zealot, a Jewish sect seeking liberation. They wanted Jesus to mimic King Cyrus of Persia or Caesar of Rome, just another worldly ruler, that was their Messiah.
Though they were right to shout Hosanna, their internal desires were skewed. Jesus is above worldly rulership, and the people’s enemy was not Rome but sin and death.
All this we know with the benefit of hindsight. Jesus came to redeem to be a savior of the world, not just a people.
Hosanna today:
Jesus is still deserving of Hosanna, and everyday people come to Him in faith! That does not mean He is not concerned for our current predicament. He will save us from even this.
I was comforted by Psalm 37:23-24,
The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him;
Though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand.
This is but a season of stumble, but I believe we will not fall. God cares for us and is looking to save us, whatever that may look like. He is still providing daily blessings and good things to come even out of global pandemic. Like today, the sun came out, it’s warm enough to take walks. Or being aware of God’s presence while reading scripture, like in the Psalm above.
Truly, these are times we can shout Hosanna, for we need saving, we have a God who listens and cares. He will not let us fall.
Our God is certainly doing miracles all around the world, through mystery and through medicine. He is certainly hearing every prayer from saints and sinners. And in the end, the whole earth will be restored, cause Christ is the Messiah. There will be a day with no more death, no more sting, no more disease.
That is why I shout Hosanna in this time, in hope that this world and many of it will be saved and counted in the book of Life.
Final Blessing:
So Father, Hosanna, we need you! Save us and heal us. Restore us to your original intentions. Christ, will Your Spirit be present and working, will it heal, will it guide those on the medical front lines. Bring solace and peace into homes, let it be a time where families grow closer to You and closer to each other. Oh save us, hold us in Your hand forever. Help us embody Your care and love.
May the Lord of life and redemption be with you in every step, every breath, and every heartbeat. Be messengers of the Good News and Peace friends!
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