From Hosannas to Hallelujahs

As we reach the end of another Holy Week I want to offer some thoughts on this sacred time. I’m going to focus this around 2 words, hosanna & hallelujah, which are lifted up on the bookends of Holy Week: Palm Sunday and Easter. Although these words are often viewed as being synonymous, at least in Christian contexts, that was not the case in their original, biblical context. While hallelujah has always been an expression of praise to God, hosanna was more of a lament than a praise. It was a cry that was offered up by God’s people for deliverance (“God save us!”). I believe that in order to truly understand Holy Week we need both of these words in their original meaning because they encompass all facets of life: the storms & the celebrations.

As I think about my experiences with Palm Sundays, in which hosanna is the word of the day, they’ve typically had more of a hallelujah feel with everyone waving palm branches and cheerfully singing “Hosanna to the King of Kings.” Now that’s appropriate given that Christians know the end of the story in which God is victorious. But should we be so quick to part ways with the original meaning of the word when life delivers plenty of moments that elicit from us a far different emotion than praise? I think not!

If we actually dial into the original meaning of the word hosanna it gives us a more accurate picture of how that first Holy Week began. Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem (which we celebrate on Palm Sunday) is the crucial first step toward His death on the cross (which we celebrate today on Good Friday). He knew returning to Jerusalem would mean His death. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus’ so-called “triumphal entry” concludes with Him weeping over Jerusalem, which seems to best coincide with the original meaning of hosanna. The Jewish people were waiting for Messiah, the One who would deliver them from their oppression by the Romans. So as Jesus enters the city, it’s not surprising that there was an excitement in the air as people thought their deliverer had arrived. The problem is that they were expecting the Messiah to ride in on a war horse as a militant warrior ready to overthrow the Romans; instead they get Jesus, riding in humbly on a donkey.  We can Imagine Jesus’ somberness as He rode through the crowd that day, knowing that He was not what they were expecting or wanting. Knowing that their excitement for Him would soon turn to hostility. Knowing that their cries of “Hosanna!” would soon be transformed into cries of “Crucify Him! So Jesus concludes that somber ride through the crowd by weeping over Jerusalem because, while He was absolutely going to reveal God’s plan of salvation, it was going to look very different from what the people were expecting. Their long-awaited Messiah was about to be put to death.

The key piece for us to remember is that Jesus didn’t just come to save the Jewish people at that time from their oppression by the Romans, but rather to save all people at all times from our oppression by sin, death & the devil. As I think about that fact, I believe that Jesus not only wept for Jerusalem then but also weeps for us now as too often we misplace our hope and trust. As I’m sure you’re all well aware presidential season is in full swing (only 8 more months to go…ugh!) And during this time people start placing their hope and trust in that one candidate who they feel will be able to save our country. (Or, as may be the case in this particular election, we may be asking God to save us from certain candidates and their possible presidency.) But the bottom line is that too often we look to human rulers to save us rather than placing our hope and trust in God. Now that in no way is meant to imply that I’m against the political process because I absolutely believe it’s a means through which God can rule and be glorified (assuming we elect godly leaders). My concern, however, is when our cries as a nation of hosanna, “God save us,” are replaced by: Trump save us! Hilary save us! Bernie save us! (fill in the candidate of your choice), and then we’re dismayed when our world continues to move further into darkness.

But on this Good Friday here’s what we need to remember: Jesus is the only One who has overcome the darkness!

In a world where the cries of Hosanna, “God save us!,” are louder than ever, and at this time when the darkness seems darker than ever, Christians are called to point to the only One who has the power to save: Jesus, the Light of the world. God intends to bring this good news of salvation through those who claim the name of Jesus, and I believe we do that in our daily lives. There are so many people today who are walking around looking like everything’s fine on the outside, but inside their souls are crying out, hosanna! (“God save me!”) God save me from this depression. God save me from this cancer. God save me from this addiction. God save me from this abusive relationship. God save me from this shame. The calling of Christians is to help redirect those hosannas to become hallelujahs by pointing people to Jesus. To meet people in their Palm Sundays, and definitely in their Good Fridays, and point them to Easter!

So on this Good Friday as we find ourselves in the thick of presidential season, tempted to place all our hope in an elected leader, let’s instead place our hope in God. Let’s take our place alongside Jesus and join Him in weeping over our broken world. Let’s be listening in our daily lives for those cries of hosanna, “God save us!,” and then speak truth, love & hope into those lives. And above all, just as Jesus began that first Holy Week by fixing His eyes on the road to Calvary, let’s fix our eyes on the cross. For it is only through the cross that the hosannas of our broken world will be transformed into hallelujahs!