The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!  

(Matthew 21:9)

When my son was about seven he was in the Sunday School at Dryfesdale and the UEFA cup had just finished. The minster was doing the children’s address and he asked them which national team they supported. I could see from where I was sitting that he had a Scotland shirt ready to whip out. Hands shot up and he picked out my son who said, “France”. “France?” the minister asked. “Why France?” My son answered simply, “They won.”

We all want to be on the winning side. We all want our own team to win. When Jesus arrives at the gate of Jerusalem his supporters, along with some who are caught up in the excitement and vaguely interested onlookers, are there to cheer him on shouting ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Let’s call them ‘Team Hosanna’. In the coming week though, another shout would rise up, shout that would each its crescendo after he is arrested: “Crucify him!” Already, even as he arrives in seeming triumph, there are those who oppose him. He cures on the Sabbath - crucify him. He talks about the destruction of the Temple - crucify him. He risks bringing down the Empire upon us - crucify him. Let’s call them ‘Team Crucify’.

Where do we stand? Team Hosanna or Team Crucify? We’re here so I’m guessing we want to be Team Hosanna, right? We imagine ourselves to be among the throng at the city gate throwing palm leaves at the feet of Christ an yelling our adoration, right? We can’t imagine that we’d defect to Team Crucify can we? But like I said, we all like to be on the winning side and the events of the next week are not going to look a lot like winning. We’re lucky. We already know what the final result is going to be. We can look beyond the Cross to the empty tomb. Let’s put ourselves among Team Hosanna during that week and ask why some swapped sides.

Maybe for some it started even as Jesus was making his way into Jerusalem. Word was that the Messiah was coming and there were clear ideas about who that Messiah was and what he would do. He would be a conquering military hero who would drive out the Romans and restore the kingdom of Israel. Maybe some were there at the gate, “Here’s Jesus! Hosanna! Here are his followers! Here’s…hang up..where’s his army?” The Jesus who entered Jerusalem had refused Satan’s temptation years ago to take all the nations of the world by military power and now he comes alone.

There’s a temptation to see Jesus as we want him to be, not how he is; to make him conform to our expectations and to take the sides we want him to take. That temptation is as real for us now as it was at the gate of Jerusalem. Look over at America right now. There’s a very fine line between proclaiming a ‘nation under God’ to taking up arms in the belief that we are doing God’s work in waging war against nations in the name of freedom, peace even. In the past few months I’ve seen images of Christ carrying an armalite or leading sword-wielding warriors on crusades. I tell you that those who promote a Christ who fights their wars for them have joined Team Crucify.

Then there were those, perhaps, who were expecting a wonderworking Christ who would do the most amazing miracles now that he had arrived in Jerusalem. He healed folk, yes. But nothing spectacular. Nothing noteworthy. OK - overturning the tables of the moneychangers in the Temple. Maybe there were those that thought that if they sent him to the Cross he’d confound everyone and call a troop of angels to rescue him. So they joined Team Crucify. 

There’s a temptation to see Jesus as we want him to be, not how he is. Maybe people from Team Hosanna were looking for a superhero. Instead they found a man. A human being. Maybe that wasn’t enough for some of them and they couldn’t see the wonder that was right there in front of them. By coming into this world in the life of a human being - the fragile, mortal Jesus - God had joined team humanity.

We are Team Hosanna and we are blessed for we have seen beyond the Cross to the empty tomb. We know the final score. Question is, do we wear the team colours. Might people know we are Christians by the fruits we bear: fruits of kindness, gentleness, generosity? Do we reflect the love of God in our lives? Do we love our neighbours as we love ourselves? Even the ones who are different? Even the ones the world says are our enemies? Do we wear the team colours? Are we Christlike?

That’s the point of God joining Team Humanity. If Christ was a human being and we are human beings then we can be like Christ. We can live in this world that knows darkness and point to the light. We can live in this world that prizes wealth and status and insist that the poor and the homeless and the forgotten are precious in the eyes of God. We can live in this world that encourages us to hate and fear those who are different or flee to our shores as refugees from the world’s violence.

So in the face of the world’s darkness let us cry ‘Hosanna’! In the things we say and do let us cry ‘Hosanna’! In the values we stand by and live by let us cry ‘Hosanna’! In generosity, kindness, forgiveness and humility let us cry ‘Hosanna’! And maybe, just maybe, folk might look at us and say ‘Blessed are those that come in the name of the Lord”.

Lord we live in a sometimes dark world. The world your Son lived in and which led him to the Cross. May we walk in this world in his footsteps knowing that you walk with us. May we carry his cross. May we sing Hosanna

Preached at Baxter Hall Eastriggs and Annan Old Parish Church

Complete Service