Walk Through Jerusalem
by Nathanael Schanie
Luke 19:28-44, Matthew 21:6-9, Mark 11:1-10, Zechariah 9:9, Psalm 118:25-29
Hosanna! Hosanna to the Lord, the Son of David!
See that YAHWEH is doing a new thing, and His salvation comes on the back of a donkey!
In peace you came to us.
In grace, You approached the cross.
As we enter into this season of Easter, we, first, pause to remember Jesus as He approached the cross. Triumphant, He entered the city! As a king, He came in peace on the back of a donkey. To the exclamation of the people crying out “Hosanna!” Salvation! He was ushered into Jerusalem. Without knowing what was to happen next, those that had seen Jesus do these great miracles and had heard Him teach shouted out praise to their Messiah. All those that were around Jesus, leaned into this moment. Hope and anticipation for what was next filled the air. The people imagined that, with Jesus’ arrival, Israel would be restored to its former glory and the disciples realizing that something greater was at work here, as they approached this Passover. No one knew what was about to take place. Yet, it felt like the anticipation for Jesus to move and save the people was reaching its height. For centuries, Israel had been awaiting Jesus’ arrival, waiting for the King who would set things right and fulfill God’s promise to restore His people from the oppression of foreign nations. Now, as He entered the city, all eyes were fixed on Him.
Much like Advent, this Sunday before Easter is a time of anticipation. It is a time when we, as a body of believers, look eagerly to the promises of God, and, though we know what happens next, we anticipate how God might move to restore His people. We enter into the story, not as an outsider looking in, but as part of God’s people who continue to look for how God is going to bring about the fullness of His promises. We have received the grace of the cross and now live as new creations as a result of the empty tomb, but our hope does not end with this. Rather, we live in light of Jesus’ promise to return to us for a third and final time. It is with this anticipation, the anticipation for Jesus, that we approach Palm Sunday just as His disciples did two thousand years ago, in hope.
So, no matter where it is that you find yourself this Easter as you look to the cross and to the empty tomb, may it be the peace of Christ and the hope in His promise that fills your heart and comforts your soul.
