Scripture reading: Zechariah 9:9-17.

Sermon text: Mark 11:1-11.

“Save us!” This phrase repeatedly appears in history, and it almost never means good things. Anyone screaming out for someone to save them has usually found themselves in dire circumstances.

The people in Jerusalem of A.D. 33 at least thought themselves in a desperate situation. The Romans had ruled Judea for 90 years by this point, and the Jews had hated every day of it. The Roman presence reminded the Jews of their failure to keep God’s covenant they received on Mt. Sinai nearly 1,500 years before. God had promised in the covenant to send Israel into captivity and oppress her through the Gentiles if she disobeyed the covenant; the Romans had arrived to settle a succession dispute in 63 B.C. and never left.

Jesus began this trip to Jerusalem soon after His transfiguration in northern Israel. He had known, and had tried to tell His disciples, that this trip would end in His death and resurrection. The disciples, however, apparently believed with the rest of Jesus’ followers that Jesus intended to ride into Jerusalem and spark the uprising that would send the Romans packing. The fact no one had kicked out the Romans anywhere else didn’t matter to the Jews; they had seen Jesus heal the sick and raise the dead, any anyone who could defeat death could certainly destroy the Roman legions.

As Jesus prepared to enter Jerusalem, He again demonstrated His power through arranging for the colt on which He would ride into Jerusalem. The disciples brought the colt back to Jesus. As Jesus rode to Jerusalem, the city lay out before Him as He descended the Mount of Olives. The entire city overflowed with pilgrims attending Passover. In spite of the crowd, Jesus’ entry would have gone slowly, but this would have given the news of His arrival time to spread throughout the city.

Jesus rode into town to the cries of the Jews: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

“Hosanna!” “Save us!” the Jews cried. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Nicodemus had told Jesus, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him” (John 3:2).  “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” The Jews had all heard of Jesus’ descent from David, Israel’s greatest king, the one who conquered Jerusalem more than 1,000 years before. God had promised David to “establish” a descendant on the throne of Israel (2 Samuel 7:11-16). The Jewish crowd fervently prayed for the fulfillment of this promise and saw Jesus as the Descendant to fulfill God’s covenant.

So many expectations; so many promises made. Could anyone really meet these desires?

Jesus could, and He would.

Just, not yet.

Like the Jews in Jerusalem of A.D. 33, we cry for Jesus to save us: Save us from our troubles, save us from our ailments, save us from our problems at work, or our family issues. We see all these problems as the worst life can throw at us, and I’ll not downplay them. Yes, they’re bad. They’re not the worst. Like the Jews of Jesus’ time in Jerusalem, we often misjudge the severity of our problems.

Our sin ranks as the worst problem, especially the sin of pride. Our pride separated us from God in the first place. Jewish pride led them to believe they could break the covenant and avoid the consequences. Jewish pride led them to believe God wanted their restoration would cost Roman lives. Our pride leads us to believe we can break the law of God and get away with it.

By the end of the week, Jesus would have taken care of every sin we’ve committed, of every sin we thought we could get away with, of every sin we’ve done to each other. The sins of the Jews, the Romans, and us today; Jesus dealt with every one of them on the cross. We’ll commemorate that victory on Friday.

Then, next Sunday, we’ll celebrate Jesus’ ultimate victory: His victory over death. Adam’s sin brought death to the human race. Jesus’ victory brings eternal life to everyone who believes in Him, confessing Him as Lord and believing in His resurrection.

We believers in Christ, those of us who have already confessed Him as Lord and have thus been born again, know Jesus rode into Jerusalem to destroy sin and death. We know Jesus has ensured our victory with our faith in Him as Savior — the One who saves us — and Lord. Today at New Hope, we approach the Table of Christ with the comfort of His forgiveness and compassion, with the confidence that comes from His presence, and with the complete assurance of our eternal life. We have cried to Jesus:  “Hosanna!” The Sacrament we celebrate today assures us: Jesus did.

And, for all eternity, He will.