Those preceding him as well as those following kept crying out:
“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed
is the kingdom of our father David that is to come! Hosanna in the
highest!” Mark 11:9–10
Throughout Jesus’ life, He traveled to Jerusalem many times. As a
child, He was presented in the Temple. At age twelve, He was found
teaching the teachers of the Law in the Temple. As He grew, He made
regular pilgrimages to the Temple. During His temptation in the
desert, the devil took Him to the pinnacle of the Temple. In the
Gospels, we read of at least four different trips to the Temple
during Jesus’ public ministry. However, the trip to Jerusalem that
we commemorate today was unlike any other. As Jesus entered
Jerusalem this time, His life was already being sought by the
religious leaders. Despite that fact, Jesus entered Jerusalem with
great solemnity and with much attention. “Hosanna! Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord!” was the cry by the crowd as
Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey while palm branches and
cloaks were strewn before Him.
Though this was the most fitting way for the people of faith to
welcome their King, their warm welcome, their cries “Hosanna!” and
their excitement were more beneficial to them than they were to
Jesus. Jesus is God. He has no need of our praise and honor. But
Jesus came to us to invite us to praise, honor and worship Him
because it is good for us. We need to praise Him. This is what we
are made for. This leads to the fulfillment of our lives.
As we begin Holy Week, try to spend time with this image of the
people honoring our Lord with much enthusiasm. This is an image
depicting who we must become. As we continue through this Holy
Week, we must become increasingly aware of the God to Whom we offer
our praise and worship. He is a God Who lowered Himself in the eyes
of all, took on the form of a slave, permitted Himself to be
labeled as a grave sinner, was rejected, beaten and killed. This
week, especially, we worship the suffering Christ. We worship a Man
Who was arrested and cruelly treated. We worship a Man who was
hated and mistreated in the worst way possible.
Our wholehearted worship of the suffering Christ is an important
act to fulfill. In many ways, it is easier to worship God as He is
in Heaven on His glorious throne. When we ponder the myriads of
angels gathered around Him, the saints of all time bowing to the
ground and glory and splendor radiating from His face, worship
seems right. To worship a Man accused of being a criminal and
suffering capital punishment while enduring the hatred of many is
more difficult to comprehend. But if we are able to see Jesus
through the eyes of faith and peer through the hatred and lies that
surrounded Him, then we will be in awe of the humility of our God
Who came to us this way.
Our worship of the suffering Christ also invites us to share in His
virtue as He endured all that was inflicted upon Him. When we
worship the humiliated Christ, our humiliations take on new power
and meaning. When we worship the suffering Christ, our sufferings
are elevated to share in His redemption. When we worship the
rejected, despised and persecuted Christ, any ways that we share in
these hardships are transformed.
Reflect, today, upon the God Whom you worship this Holy Week. Do
not shy away from all that Jesus endured. Gaze at His rejection and
passion. Look at the hatred He endured. As you do, see not only
your glorious God, see also the remedy for all your ills. God
descended to us in this most humble form so that He could meet us
where we are at and raise us to new life with Him.
My suffering Lord, I worship You and praise You with all my
heart. As You entered Jerusalem for the Passover, You intended to
give new power to that celebration by becoming the New and Eternal
Paschal Lamb. May I always worship You Who suffered for me and give
to You all that I endure in life to be transformed by Your saving
act. Jesus, I trust in You.
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