BETWEEN “HOSANNA!” AND “CRUCIFY!” — A TURNING POINT

By Jill Roberts and Michael Canalé

This weekend, we celebrate Palm Sunday and Jesus’ iconic “Triumphal Entry” into Jerusalem. As Michael says, the week leading up to Easter is the most important week of the year and of history, in general.

For the past two blogs, Michael and I have strongly focused on how Jesus, over the weeks leading up to their return to Jerusalem, was preparing the Twelve for what lay ahead there – a Roman cross. When this was spoken of, there was a heaviness about the conversation by Jesus and complete unbelief and denial on the part of the disciples. Jesus is described as having “steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,” (Luke 9:51) KJV, words as weighty as they are determined.

Surely then, when he and the Twelve arrive at the Jerusalem city gates, the mood of Jesus and all concerned would have been somber and full of dread. It would seem that in this frame of mind, their demeanor would have dictated that they would be quiet, subdued and resigned to accept the horrific fate that awaited Jesus there. But, as we all know, this was not at all the way it happened. The term we reference as referring to this moment is “Triumphal!”

In keeping with this, Jesus arranged for a donkey on which he rode into the city. Why? The reason is of momentous importance! NOW, Jesus was ready to announce himself as he really was, thus fulfilling to the last detail, the highly significant prophecy of Zechariah 9:9:

“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your KING comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and RIDING ON A DONKEY,
ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A DONKEY.”
(emphasis added)
NIV

Jesus had specifically ordered such an animal.

“As they approached Jerusalem…Jesus sent his disciples, saying to them, ‘Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with his colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.”
(Matthew 21:1-2) NIV

The intentionality of this act by Jesus is unquestionable. He knew that the people would be completely familiar with this prophecy from Zechariah 9:9, and would react to its fulfillment as Jesus rode into Jerusalem and through its streets. Of course, he was right. He was greeted like the King he was announcing himself to be:

“A very large crowd spread out their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds went ahead of him and the ones that followed shouted,
‘HOSANNA to the Son of David!”
Blessed is he who comes in the
name of the Lord!
HOSANNA in the highest heaven!’
(emphasis added)
(Matthew 21:8-9) NIV

Therefore, we celebrate this declaration of Kingship by Jesus on Palm Sunday. And yet, a very few days later, these same people, who were praising Jesus by shouting, “Hosanna, Hosanna,” a term of great adoration, would be shouting once again, shouting all the louder, very different words this time – “Crucify him!””Crucify him!” This reversal is unimaginable, isn’t it? Yes, it is so inconceivable that Michael and I have chosen this as the title and central theme of this week’s blog. In thinking of all this, we ask ourselves, “What happened? How could this have been?”

The threshold issue is another turning point – that in the mind of Jesus himself. After cautioning the disciples NOT to disclose that he was the Messiah, there had been a great change. He was now fully acknowledging that adulation was both appropriate and inevitable:

“…the WHOLE CROWD of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen.
‘Blessed is the KING who comes in the name of the Lord…’
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples!’
‘I tell you, he replied, ‘if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
(emphasis added)
(Luke 19:37-40) NIV

Having said this, a person might wonder, what did Jesus make of the adoring shouts of praise. As we would expect, he saw through them to the turning point of the crowds a few days later. He knew that the affection they were showing him was to be short-lived, indeed. He saw past the palm branches and ahead to the same voices, their volume and passion equally apparent, as they would call out for his crucifixion

“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it…”
(Luke 19:41) NIV

Matthew’s Gospel is also telling:

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you kill the prophets and stone those sent to you. How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings and you are not willing.”
(Matthew 23:37) NIV

Jesus, God in human flesh, was not at all deceived, even though, all the while, the people continued their praise. And praise it was. Scriptural evidence for this is replete:

“Teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately…BUT THEY WERE AFRAID OF THE PEOPLE.”
(emphasis added)
(Luke 20:18) NIV

“Each day, Jesus was teaching at the Temple…and ALL THE PEOPLE CAME EARLY in the morning TO HEAR HIM at the Temple.”
(emphasis added)
(Luke 21:37-38) NIV

“…the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, FOR THEY WERE AFRAID OF THE PEOPLE.”
(emphasis added)
(Luke 22:2) NIV

Now, we begin to reach the apex of the circumstances, leading up to the turning point of the people:

“THEN SATAN ENTERED JUDAS, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the Temple guard and discussed how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them WHEN NO CROWD WAS PRESENT.”
(emphasis added)
(Luke 22:3-6) NIV

And so it was under cover of darkness in the Garden of Gethsemane that Judas, the betrayer, came:

“So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees.”
(John 18:3)

As we know so well, what followed were the arrest and the appearances of Jesus in front of various officials. It was the Roman Governor, Pilate, a man with many conflicting feelings and interests, who would make the call about whether Jesus would live or die. (Or so it would appear… As we know even more truly, God is sovereign and, as such, His will can never be overridden by the Pilates of this world in any meaningful way.)

Luke’s Gospel gives the details of how Pilate adjudicated Jesus’ sentence:

“Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, ‘I find no basis for a charge against this man…’ But they insisted…When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.”
(Luke 23:4-7) NIV

Herod, however, sent Jesus back to Pilate:

“Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers AND THE PEOPLE, and said to them,…I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him…BUT THE WHOLE CROWD shouted, ‘Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!’ (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)’
(Pilate had offered to release one man, thinking the crowd would surely choose Jesus, as Barabbas posed an extreme danger to society.)
“Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. But they kept shouting, ‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’
For the third time, he spoke to them. ‘Why? What crime has this man committed?…’
But, with loud shouts, they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand.” (emphasis added)
(Luke 23:13-14, 18-24) NIV

The turning point clearly occurred after his onetime followers in the crowd no longer saw Jesus performing miracles, no longer was part of a triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The Messiah they wanted was one who would take on Rome not be tried by it. Rome was their enemy: sin was Jesus’ enemy. In short, there was an irrevocable disconnect and the people reversed their previous support 180 degrees.

Also, they were buoyed in this reversal by seeing most of the Twelve abandon Jesus, with Peter very openly denying him three times. If those closest to Jesus were going to flee from his side, this was a convincing argument to the more tangentially positioned to do the same.

Additionally, the raw force of a crowd is a powerful thing. As Pastor Ger Jones, of Vintage LA Church, preached recently, “We are called to be a minority,” but that is a hard bridge to cross when a mob mentality is carrying the day.

So, who put Jesus on the cross? A mob? Rome? the Pharisees? Pilate? The answer is none of the above. Sin put Jesus there. Love kept him there. Death brought him down from it. God’s resurrection power lifted him from its consequences. Turning points? This is the turning point that has no rival – on it mankind turned from eternal death to eternal life.

Next week: the central moment in history. Easter is coming.