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HOSANNA! LORD, SAVE US NOW! (PALM SUNDAY AND LENT DAY 40)

SCRIPTURE READING
ISAIAH 50:4-9
PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11
MARK 11:1-11

The theme for our Palm Sunday and the last day of Lent’s reflection is Hosanna! Lord, save us now! Hosanna means Lord save us.

The third Scripture reading, Mark 11:1-11 captures Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem for the last time before his arrest, suffering, death and resurrection. The kind of salvation the people were shouting for was completely different from the kind of salvation Jesus brought to them. The Jews were still under the government of the Roman Empire and had long wanted independence from Roman rule. Many sects had formed rebel groups to fight the Roman Empire at the time. Eventually, these rebels were defeated by the Roman army and their leaders were arrested and sometimes put to death. For Jesus also emerged with great power and the ability to perform miracles to the extent of resurrecting the dead, some of the Jews believed that Jesus was the appointed and anointed King of Israel to liberate the Jews from their political enemy, the Romans.

Jesus’ plan for salvation was not a political one, He was indeed going to save them by making the penultimate sacrifice on the cross. His sacrifice is for the eternal salvation of both the Jews and the Gentiles which includes the Romans and all who will come to believe in Him. In the kingdom of God there is no politics and power struggles, there is no slave and master relationship, we are all sons and daughters of God.

The Jews were shouted in Mark 11:9, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the King of Israel!” The question is, did they truly know the kind of King He was and how they must accept His kingship and be saved?

The first scripture reading in Isaiah 50:4-9 and the Second scripture reading, Philippians 2:5-11 teach us two important attributes of Jesus our King, and if we indeed want to be saved now we must also possess these two attributes. If we can follow Jesus with these two attributes then He will surely deliver us and give us victory and salvation. The two attributes are:
1. Humility
2. Faith and Endurance in Suffering.

Beloved in the Lord, humility is submitting to the will of God and walking in His ways. Isaiah 50:4-9 talks about the suffering servant who was humble himself and had the attitude of a servant. Isaiah 50:4-5 describes the humility of the servant as “The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back.” Philippians 2:5-8 again describes the humility of Jesus which we must emulate when it say “…our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature a God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature b of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!” Beloved in the Lord how humble are you? It takes the spirit of humility and obedience to follow Jesus if you truly want to be saved. James 4:10 admonishes us to “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up” Again 1 Peter 5:6 also encourages us to “ Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” As we shout Hosanna!Lord save us now!, let us approach the Lord with a humble and obedient heart. Always listening and studying His Word and doing His will.

My dear friends in Christ, faith and endurance is what can also be termed as carrying our cross and following Jesus Christ. As we remain humble in the Lord we must also endure the cost of discipleship or the hardships of a believer in faith. Our salvation did not come on a silver platter, it came through the suffering and priceless blood of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Isaiah 50:6-7 describes the endurance of Christ for our sake, “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced.” Philippians 2:8 also tells us how our Lord endured suffering to the point of death, “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!” Beloved in the lord many are those who want to be saved yet they do not want to endure the persecutions and sufferings of a believer on the account of Christ. Christ came to save those who have remained faithful, humbled and endured to the end. It is not enough to shout “Hosanna!, Lord save us now!” but we must endure suffering with faith on the account of our Lord and master Jesus Christ.

Indeed, when we have followed Jesus in humility, with faith and endurance we shall be saved, exalted and glorified with Him. Isaiah makes this fact abundantly clear when he wrote in Isaiah 50:8-9 that “He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me! It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me. Who is he that will condemn me? They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up.” Also, Philippians 2:9-11 tells us that after Jesus remained humbled, and endured hardship, suffering and death to save us, “… God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” My dear friends in the Lord, Jesus hears and understands our call for salvation, He will never let His faithful servants down. We have an assurance in James 1:12 that “Blessed is the man(or woman) who perseveres under trial, because when he (or she) has stood the test, he (or she) will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

In summary, we have reflected on the theme “Hosanna-Lord, Save us now” We have discovered that Jesus’ salvation is not a political one but one that brings eternal life to those who repent and believe in Him, Again, If we can follow Jesus with the attributes of humility, faith and endurance in suffering, He will surely deliver us and give us victory and salvation. May the 2024 Lent season and Easter renew our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ so that our salvation will be made complete in Him. Amen.