Worthy: 5 Days to the ResurrectionSample

Day 1 - Hosanna

“Hosanna” is a word used often in songs of praise, particularly during the Easter season. Hosanna is the word that the crowds used to hail Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem prior to His death and resurrection. The word is not as much an expression of praise as it is a plea. It comes from two Hebrew words meaning “beg” and “save.”

When we put the entire proclamation together, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”, we better understand what was happening as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people were begging for salvation from the Son of David (a kingly title), who has come in the name of the Lord (a phrase identifying Jesus as the Messiah).

Israel had waited centuries for God to send the coming King who would save them. As Jesus rides into Jerusalem, He is being recognized and hailed not just as a king or a savior sent from God, but as the Savior King they had been waiting for all this time.

The Bible has no shortage of commands to “wait upon the Lord.” The entire story of redemption from Genesis to Revelation is a story of waiting. The nation of Israel waited for their King to come, and He did. We are now waiting for our King to return, and He will.

For reflection:

As we will see in the coming days, the people of Israel rejected their King after realizing He didn’t meet their expectations. Do you tend to withdraw from the King when He doesn’t do what you think He should do? When He doesn’t answer your prayers in the way that you had hoped? When tragedy or hardship strikes?