Sunday Shorts: Save Us!

Mark 11:9 Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

When the crowd cried out “Hosanna!” on that first Palm Sunday, they were hoping that Jesus was the Messiah everyone had been waiting centuries for. The word ‘Hosanna’ means ‘save us,’ so the question arises: from what were they needing Jesus to save them?

            If we consider what was happening in Jerusalem, Judea, and Galilee at that time, then there is every indication that the Palm Sunday crowd were expecting Jesus to save His people from the Roman occupation. In other words, they were wanting Him to save their nation; they were looking to Jesus for a political solution to their problems.

            But Jesus wasn’t there to answer their political needs, nor their nationalistic prayers. He was sent by God to be the Savior of their souls. He wasn’t going to be coerced into being their political, populist champion. In fact, days later when the governor Pontius Pilate directly asks Jesus about Him being the King of the Jews and therefore a political figurehead who had come to overthrow the Romans, Jesus tells Pilate that His kingdom is not of this world; in other words, it’s a spiritual realm, not a political one.

            This is something that we as Christians have to understand and accept. Jesus is not a political puppet, nor a national Messiah. He came to die for the world, not just one nation but all nations, not just one people, but all people. He came among us to bring about a new world, to make it holy again, not just a single nation wishing it was great again. The people in Jerusalem may have been pleading with and praying for Jesus to restore their prestige, strength, and esteem, but Christ refused to lift up and accept any political power.

            When Jesus returns, He will establish a new Earth and a new Heaven, so there will be no nations, borders, or peoples: all will be one. Until then, He will continue to save all kinds of human beings from their personal sins, but not their political symbols.

Point to ponder: From what do we need Jesus to save us?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are our Only Leader, King, and Savior. Forgive us for pandering to our political beliefs instead of pondering over our personal salvation. Keep us from trying to shape You into our idea of a Savior and help us to understand that kingdoms, nations, and leaders may rise and fall, but Your words and ways endure forever. Amen.

John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.