There are lots of different patterns or cycles in the life of a believer and this Easter I was especially drawn to the movement from Hosanna to Hallelujah.
On Palm Sunday the people cried out “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” quoting Psalm 118:25-26. With the revolution of Judah Maccabee fresh in their minds, the Jewish people were likely expecting Jesus to ride into Jerusalem and take back their freedom!
He did ride into Jerusalem and his first stop was the Temple, but the cleansing that took place restored it into right standing with his Father. He spent time healing people! The blind could see and the lame could walk; the children gathered round and continued to sing out “Hosanna!”
Hosanna is a Greek word that holds a couple meanings. While it can be used to praise God, it originally meant “Save now! Help now!”
When days had passed since Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem and there was still no revolt or uprising, when the “powers at be” were still just as cruel as they had been beforehand… the anger and disappointment stirring up in people’s hearts must have been overwhelming!
I mean, the timing was perfect! It was Passover! They were literally gathering to celebrate the liberation of Israel out of Egypt and out of slavery! They knew that there was something different and powerful about Jesus… look how he healed people! …and yet… he rode into Jerusalem, went to the temple… but stayed out in the outer court healing people and sitting with children?!
What kind of revolution was THAT?!
This time around, the revolution of the Kingdom of God looked so wildly different than the people of God expected it to, that they missed it entirely.
Rather than a conqueror riding into the capital and killing off the oppressive regime, the Saviour of the world rode in on a humble donkey towards his own death.
As the plot thickens, we find that the disciples and even the very closest of Jesus’ friends face disappointment and make mistakes.
Judas chooses greed and betrayal while Peter vows loyalty and lands in denial.
Jesus brings his friends with him to pray alongside of him and they fall asleep!
As easy as it is for us to want to judge the crowds or to judge the disciples… we cannot forget that we are just as human as they were. We are just as broken as they were.
Even though Jesus showed us exactly what the Father looks like and demonstrated his own love for us through washing the disciples’ feet, through laying his life down for the sake of others, sometimes we still need reminders of who God actually is to us.
The Good News is that our brokenness wasn’t too much or too terrible for God to draw near… in fact, God became a human! God didn’t wait until we were perfect to send Jesus, and neither does Jesus wait for us to be perfect before he sends us.
Brokenness is not something to be ashamed of nor is it something to be ignored.
Jesus always met people in their places of brokenness… whether he was confronting religious leaders in the synagogue or sitting at the side of a well mid-day… Jesus never, ever shied away from the humanity of the people he lived life with.
Why then would it be any different for you and I?
Because of the resurrection of Jesus, because he conquered death once and for all, our songs can transition out of Hosanna and into Hallelujah – which means Praise the Lord!
The death and resurrection of Christ were the breakthrough moments that altered the future of humanity and our journey/relationship with the Father!! And one day we will join in with the multitudes of voices in heaven singing out:
“Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
REVELATION 19:6-8
Until then, may we never stop singing Hosanna and crying out from our broken states. May we never cease our Hallelujah chorus eithers! Both of these songs are songs of hope for the people of God and they must bring such great delight to the heart of our Father.