The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the king of Israel!”
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:“Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey’s colt.”
At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. (John 12:12–16)
When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, the crowd shouted the word, “hosanna,” which means “save us.” But it wasn’t just a plea; it was praise. His entry into the last week of his ministry on earth had been prophesied in Zechariah 9 over 500 years before this moment. For hundreds of years, generations of people had been waiting for a Savior to rescue them from all that was broken in the world and in their lives. And here he was entering in to save them.
The crowd shouting hosanna recognized Jesus as the only one who can save us. Jesus is the reason we have hope. Jesus can make a way through anything. Our instinct is often to work harder, take control, and try to protect ourselves when we face hard things. Palm Sunday reminds us that there is a king and he’s not us. Jesus is the only one who can make the impossible possible. Change begins when we start by praising him.
Spend some time today praising Jesus simply for who he is and what he has made possible for you. Through worship, prayer, or a quiet moment wherever you are, thank God for the sacrifice he made to have a relationship with you.
