“GET READY TO BE HOSANNA’D”

MARK 11:1-11 AND LUKE 19:41-44

11:1  When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples

2  and said to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it.

3  If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' just say this, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.'"

4  They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it,

5  some of the bystanders said to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?"

6  They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it.

7  Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it.

8  Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields.

9  Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

10  Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"

11  Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

41  As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it,

42  saying, "If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

43  Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side.

44  They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God."

When was the last time you got what you thought was a raw deal?  It happens from time to time.  Someone does something and you say to yourself, “You know what? I don’t deserve this!”  It’s frustrating.  Sometimes you end up feeling the same way a kindergarten teacher felt one day.  It all started when one of her students asked her to help him put his boots on.  Unfortunately, the boots didn’t fit very well and putting them on turned out to be quite a struggle. By the time the second boot was on the teacher was really huffing and puffing.  So, you can understand why she let out a little sigh when the little boy suddenly announced, “Teacher, they’re on the wrong feet.”  The teacher looked down and sure enough, the boots were on the wrong feet.  Well, it wasn’t any easier pulling the boots off than it had been putting them on.  She managed to keep her cool though, and eventually she got the boots back on the right feet.  It was then that the little boy announced, “These aren’t my boots.”  The teacher bit her tongue.  What she really wanted to do though was scream, “Why didn’t you tell me that in the first place.”  Once again she struggled to pull the boots off.  As soon as they were off though the little boy announced, “They’re my brother’s boots.  My mom made me wear them today.”  Now the teacher didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So, she just mustered up her last bit of strength and wrestled the boots back onto his feet.  “Now,” she said.  “Where are your mittens?”  The little boy looked down at his feet.  “Oh,” he said, “I didn’t want to loose them so stuffed them into the toes of my boots.”  Rumor has it that the teacher’s trial starts next week.

Sometimes life just isn’t fair and what do you do when life isn’t fair?  If you’re like most people you complain a little.  If you’re a person of faith you might do something else.  You might bow your head and ask a simple question.  “Lord, can you help me out here?”

That’s basically what the people wanted Jesus to do when he rode into the Holy City.

It’s the reason why they kept shouting the same words over and over again. Hosanna!  Hosanna!  Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!  You see, hosanna is a Jewish word that means, “Save us, now,” not tomorrow or next week or next month.  It means, “Save us, now!”

That’s what the people wanted.

They wanted Jesus to save them from the crooked tax collectors who were sucking every last penny out of them.

They wanted Jesus to save them from the cruel soldiers were making them live in fear.

They wanted Jesus to save them from the callous religious leaders who were making them feel like they were a total waste of human DNA.

Hosanna!  Save us now, Lord!

What about you? Maybe you need a little hosanna in your life, too.  For example,

Lord, you wouldn’t believe what I have to put up with at work. Hosanna!

Lord, my teenage son or daughter is driving me crazy.  Hosanna!  Hosanna!

Lord, I’m really worried about global warming or the War in Iraq of all those illegal immigrants sneaking into our country.  Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna!

Save us now, Lord!

Before you ask Jesus to hosanna you though you better take another look at what happened after Jesus rode into the Holy City.  Jesus listened to all the hosanna’s that the people shouted and then what did he do?  He went to a hill overlooking the city and he wept.  Jesus wept and said, “Would that you knew the things that make for peace.”  You see Jesus knew what was going to happen.  He knew that eventually the people were going to let their hatred and their fear get the best of them.  He knew that when that day came they were going to take up their swords and fight their Roman oppressors.  He also knew that the Romans would use their superior military might to crush their feeble little rebellion and that’s exactly what happened 35 years later.

Jesus wept that day because what he wanted to save the people who were shouting “hosanna,” but what he really wanted to do was save them from themselves.  He wanted to save them from their hatred and their fear and their jealousy because he knew that it was eventually going to destroy them.

They didn’t want to be saved from themselves though.  That’s because they were too busy playing the blame game.  They were too busy complaining about all the bad people who were making their lives miserable.

They were doing the same thing that a high school baseball coach did one day.  The coach was frustrated with his first baseman because he kept making one error after another.  Finally, one day during practice the coach let his frustration get the best of him.  He grabbed a glove and went over to the first baseman.  “Well,” he said, “I guess I’m going to have to show you how to play this position myself.”  Unfortunately, the first ball that was hit to the coach took a bad bounce and ended up hitting him in the chest.  The next ball was a popup which the coach lost in the sun. It ended up hitting him in the head. A little while later the shortstop made a low throw that  the coach had to bend over to catch.  When he did that though he heard the seat of his pants rip from one end to another.  At that point the coach really lost it.  He threw his glove onto the ground. Then he turned to his first baseman and said, “I give up.  You’ve got this position so messed up even I can’t do anything with it!”

If you really want to be hosanna’d the first thing you have to do is stop playing the blame game.  You stop playing the blame game when it comes to your problems and your predicaments and your pet peeves.  Then you do what the people didn’t do when they welcomed Jesus into the Holy City.  You let Jesus save you from yourself. Now I don’t know about you, but I’ll admit it.  There are times when I need to be saved from myself.  How about you?

Maybe you need to be saved from a shame that makes you feel like you’re not good enough.

Maybe you need to be saved from a stubbornness that refuses to accept that a relationship is over.

Maybe you need to be saved from an anger toward someone that is poisoning your heart.

Maybe you need to be saved from a temper that keeps driving people away from you.

 If you want to see an example of a really good hosanna just look at Vivian Jones and more importantly look at George Wallace.  You may remember that George Wallace was the governor of Alabama back in the early 1960’s. You may also remember the role that George Wallace played in the famous confrontation that took place on the steps leading into the University of Alabama.  It happened on June 11, 1963.  George Wallace went to the University of Alabama and did everything he could to prevent Vivian Jones and James Hood from enrolling at the school.  He did that simply because they were black.  George Wallace was a segregationist who was convinced that all those people clamoring for Civil Rights were just a bunch of troublemakers. Some people even accused him of being a racist. That’s why people were surprised at what George Wallace did after his wife Lurleen lost her battle with cancer. The family established an award in her name with the understanding that it would be given each year to honor a woman who had made an outstanding contribution to the state of Alabama.  In 1996 the first Lurleen B. Wallace award was present by George Wallace to Vivian Jones.  In presenting the award the former governor praised Vivian Jones who he said, had conducted herself in their confrontation with “grace, strength and courage.” 

That grace filled moment happened because George Wallace finally understood that what he really needed was to be saved from himself.  That’s what Jesus really wants to do.  He wants to save you from yourself…your anger…your fears…your guilt…your feelings of not being good enough.  All you have to do is say the word…hosanna!  Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes                                                                              

April 1, 2007