Sermon Details
- Pastor Name: Jonathan Cornell
- Date & Time: April 13, 2014 | 10:00am
This morning as we entered into worshipping God together, we waved palm branches. People have done this for nearly 2000 years; we do it to commemorate the day when Jesus came into Jerusalem with his disciples. On that remarkable day, everyone around him was saying, “Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” As the people were saying this, they were quoting Psalm 118:26. But it’s in the previous verse that where we get this word Hosanna. Our English word “hosanna” comes from a Hebrew phrase hoshiya na. And that Hebrew phrase is found in one solitary place in the whole Old Testament, Psalm 118:25, where it says, “Lord save us, Lord grant us success.” In Hebrew, hosanna literally means “Save, please!” It is a cry for help.
Walking into Jerusalem that day, Jesus was surrounded by people looking for a savior, they were looking for a liberator, they were looking for an answer. Jesus was coming to turn the tables. But their sights were set on overturning the seat of power, ushering in a new era of Jewish prosperity. Help, save us, save us from Rome, save us from Cesar, save us from Herod.
Jesus had a very different perspective. You see, Jesus knew. Jesus knew that while they were thinking today that he was the greatest guy in the world, by the end of the week they would hate him, they’d be yelling “crucify him.” Because Jesus knew, Jesus had a different perspective. Jesus knew that the greatest thing standing between these people and the life they were built to live was not Rome, it wasn’t Herod and his tax collecting cronies, it wasn’t their waistline, their 401k or that new car, either. You see, the thing standing between the people and the life they were created for was the people themselves.
Download the entire transcript here: Palm Sunday
