Shout "Hosanna!" on Sunday and Cry "Crucify!" on Friday

    Yesterday was Palm Sunday, marking the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem and the beginning of what has become known as Passion Week.  Passion Week chronicles the final days of Jesus which ended with his sacrificial death on the cross.
     I have been a Christian for many years, and I grew up in the church, so the story of Jesus' final week, crucifixion, and resurrection is not new to me. I always loved the sunrise service at my church on Easter Sunday growing up. If you were to ask me to recite the story, I could do so with little trouble.
     But I have come to realize that I have never actually studied the final days of Christ for myself, I have only been going on commentary I have heard through the years. So this year, I am doing something different. This week as I prepare to celebrate Easter, I am going to study Jesus' final days according to the book of John. I chose the gospel of John because we have been studying this gospel for the past year at church and I have been studying it during my time alone with God, so it seemed appropriate to just skip ahead a few chapters and study John's perspective.
    I want to share what I have learned with you here on the blog, not because I think I am awesome at Bible study, but simply because this is my way of sharing with others the truths God has been teaching me. I hope that you will also take the time this week to study the final days of our Savior here on this earth. I pray that you and I will approach this story with fresh eyes, not taking the cross for granted.
    To help you follow my process as I study each passage, I will start by sharing my observations into the passage, then I will share any questions I had while reading, followed by the answers I found, next I will share any insights into how the passage applies to my life or what it reveals about me and/or my God, and finally I will share a prayer based on the passage.

John 12:12-19

Observations:

• a large crowd gathers when they hear Jesus is coming to Jerusalem
• the people waved palm branches, crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!"
• Jesus rides in on a donkey-fulfilling Scripture
• at the time the disciples did not understand, but when they looked back on these events later, following Christ's ascension, they realized the significance and understand more what was happening.
• the crowd was there, not necessarily because the believed Jesus was the Messiah, but because they knew Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead-they wanted to see if he would do it again
• the Pharisees are becoming more nervous because as they say, "the whole world" was going after Jesus

Questions I have:

1. What is the significance of the palm branches?
2. Why are the people crying "Hosanna!"?
3. What is the prophecy that Christ is fulfilling?

Answers I found:

• 1 and 2 go together: the people wanted Jesus to be a political savior, not an ultimate one. They wanted Jesus to become their king and overturn the Roman rule. I looked it up and the palm branches signified goodness and victory-the people wanted a political victory, not a spiritual victory. When they shout "Hosanna!" it is not a declaration of Christ's Lordship or divinity, but a plea for him to save them from an oppressive ruler
• The prophecy Jesus is fulfilling is Zechariah 9:9. as I look at the Old Testament verse, I can see the confusion over spiritual savior versus political savior. "Behold, your king is coming, righteous and having salvation"-because I know the whole story, I know that Zechariah is talking about Jesus providing salvation from sins and righteousness before a holy God, but the people, who had been living under oppression for so long, would have been wanting political freedom and I can understand them interpreting the Scripture through that lens.

Insights:

• The people wanted salvation on their terms. They wanted an earthly king to free them from a temporary situation. They wanted immediate gratification. How often am I like that? I want Jesus to save me, but on my own terms and according to my plans and ideas. I don't believe that Jesus' salvation plan is enough or what is necessary to meet my perceived needs.
• When Jesus did not give the people what they wanted they cast him aside and cried "crucify him" just days later. I am like that-childish and impulsive-crying foul and demanding punishment when I don't get my way.

Prayer:

       Lord God, help me to remember that I am one who cries "Hosanna!" on Sunday just to turn and cry "Crucify!" on Friday. Help me to remember that your plan of salvation is much greater than any plan I could come up with. Forgive me for wanting salvation on my terms. Help me to rejoice in your ultimate and final victory over sin and death. Help me to rejoice in the assurance that because I am yours, I too share in that victory. Help me to cry Hosanna in the highest declaring you as King of All and the bringer of my true salvation. Give me boldness to declare the truth that you are real Life and through you we can experience eternal victory!