The disciples were shocked and scared as they followed Jesus into Jerusalem (Mark 10:32). Jesus told them again that He would be nailed to the cross, mocked, spat upon, beaten, and killed, but that He would rise from the dead on the third day (Mark 10:33–34). As Jesus entered the city, the crowds who had heard that Lazarus had been raised from the dead received him with great joy (John 17:17–18). They started shouting parts of a song that they sang at feasts. It was one that looked like the Messiah.
This word means “save us.” “Hosanna” is a call to YHWH, who is the eternal God of Israel (Psalm 118:25). This is exactly what Jesus came to do: save us. But today’s verse tells us what kind of relief they were looking for. They talked about a vision that Ezekiel wrote a long time after King David. It said that a descendant of David would give Israel back the land that was given to them and rule forever as a shepherd king (Ezekiel 37:24–25). They thought it was time for the kingdom on earth. They didn’t see how important it was for their souls to be saved. They used the right words, but they got it wrong. Jesus was first building a kingdom in the spirit world.
Could we do the same thing today? A lot of the time, we only think about the promises in the Bible in a physical way. When God really wants to heal our souls, we want him to heal our bodies. We can want to be wealthy in the material world, but God wants to give us permanent wealth in the spiritual world. For us, a connection with another person should be everything we hope for. But God wants us to be happy in our relationship with Him.
