Palm Sunday - 3/29/26 –
I want to invite you for a moment into the scene of John Chapter 12—the day Jesus rides into Jerusalem. Let’s start with one verse and build from there:
John 12:13 (AMP)
“They took branches of palm trees [in homage to Him as King] and went out to meet Him, and they began shouting and kept shouting, ‘Hosanna! BLESSED (celebrated, praised) IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel!’”
On that day, people are shouting “Hosanna,” waving palm branches, spreading their cloaks on the road. On the surface, it looks like a wonderful worship service. But here’s the harsh reality—one I think we really need to hear today: You can be in the crowd, close to Jesus, saying all the right words, doing all the right religious things…and still completely miss who He really is. I think that's what Palm Sunday is really all about - what it exposes in the human heart.
What does “Hosanna” really mean?
Let’s start here - the word: *Hosanna*. We often think of it as just another sophisticated worship word. An expression of Joy! But it goe much deeper. “Hosanna” is both: - An exclamation of adoration— “We praise You!” - And a desperate cry for help— “Save now, we pray!”
It echoes Psalm 118:25 (AMP) “O LORD, save now, we beseech You; O LORD, we beseech You, send now prosperity and give us success!”
So, when the crowd cries “Hosanna,” they’re saying: - “We adore You!” - and at the same time, “Come on, God—save us now. Fix this mess. Give us success. Change our situation.”
If we’re being honest, that sounds a lot like us sometimes. “Lord, I love You…but please fix my job, fix my health, fix my finances, fix this country.” They wanted a Savior. They just didn’t understand the salvation they actually needed ... or the Salvation Jesus Christ came to deliver.
We see the coats and palm branches – laid down on the roadway - what were those all about? John tells us they didn’t just shout. They acted out their expectations. They spread their coats on the road. In that culture, laying down your cloak wasn’t just being polite. It was a powerful symbol of surrender and honor. It meant: “You are my king. I put what covers me—my identity, my protection, my status—under Your feet.”
We see something similar in 2 Kings 9:13, when Jehu is anointed king. His companions quickly took off their garments, lay them under him on the steps, and blew the trumpet. They’re saying, “We recognize your authority. You’re the one now.” So, picture it: - Coats on the ground—a sign of surrender and submission. - Palms too, waved and laid down - a symbol of victory and peace. They used them for conquering heroes and political saviors. So, their message through their actions and words is loud and clear: “You are our king. You are our conqueror. You’re the One who will free us from Rome, fix this broken system, and give us the life we want.”
Many of us come to Jesus with something similar in mind: “Jesus, I need You to fix my circumstances. Make my life work the way I want.” But here’s where we veer off course. We’ve got - the right King—but the wrong story. The people thought they knew who Jesus was. They wanted Him to be like their old kings—like Jehu— (who overthrew the evil King Ahab and his wife Jezebel) someone anointed by God to rise up, overthrow their oppressors, and restore national glory. Make things right.
They wanted a political Messiah. A military Messiah. A “fix my world” Messiah.
Yes - they had the “Right King—Jesus really is the Messiah, the Son of God, King of Kings. But they were living in the wrong story book … they read Him wrong - wrong about what He came to do. They wanted freedom from Rome. Jesus came to bring freedom from sin.
If we’re being honest, that’s not the rescue plan we were looking for. We look around at our world today—the wars, the divisions, the corruption, the injustice—and we say, “Lord, fix that”. But instead, Jesus starts here: “Let Me fix ‘you’ – First”.
True revival doesn’t begin in Washington, or any state capital, or at the next election. It begins in one person’s heart - one at a time. You can’t force someone to see what they refuse to see. You can’t legislate a new heart. Jesus came first and foremost to change us from the inside out. The crowd is shouting “Hosanna”— “Save us now!”—but they’re thinking of Rome, taxes, politics, and rulers. Jesus is offering something far deeper and eternal: freedom from sin, reconciliation with God, and a brand-new heart. Many of them, when they realize He’s not the political savior they imagined, will turn on Him.
We can still make this same mistake today. We want Jesus to fix governments and headlines more than hearts. Jesus’ first mission wasn’t to change the government; it was to change ‘us’.
So, this Crowd - they knew the ‘Prophecy’—but missed the ‘Person’ and they weren’t ignorant. They knew the Scriptures. They saw the sign. Jesus riding in on the foal of a donkey. Many of them would have known the prophecy from Zechariah: pointing to this day. Zechariah 9:9 (NLT) “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet He is humble, riding on a donkey-- riding on a donkey’s colt.”
See there? right there- there’s one word they missed in there and we can miss it too - that word is Humble. He is - “Humble”. From His birth to His death. He humbled Himself even to death on a cross.
We see that from the beginning of His life, wise men from the East came seeking Jesus who was born of Humble beginnings- and vulnerable - a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes away in a manger. Then we see - starting in v20 of John 12 - here - at the end of His public ministry, wise Greeks from the West came seeking Jesus.
John 12:20-21 “Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast; 21 these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
- From East to West, the wise still seek Him today!
So - then - “Who are we like in this crowd?” We see three distinct attitudes- toward Jesus. Are we – “The Crowd?” “They shout ‘Hosanna’ on Sunday and ‘Crucify Him’ on Friday just because He didn’t give them the kind of salvation they wanted.” Or are we – “The Religious Leaders?”- They knew the Scriptures but were protecting their status – position and power - their way of life. They were threatened by Jesus and rationalized Him away.
Or are we – like “The Greeks?” They came humbly, asking, ‘We want to see Jesus.’ We want to meet Him. Get to Know Him. Talk to Him. Learn more about Him. Worship Him.
They’re not trying to control Him—just to know Him.
So, then the question that is in need of an answer today is …
“Which are you more like—the crowd, the proud, or the seekers?”
Who in the crowd can see Him for who He actually is?
CS Lewis– said: Jesus doesn’t leave us the option of calling Him just a ‘great teacher.’ A man who says the things Jesus said is either crazy, evil, or He really is God. We must choose. Is He a “Liar, Lunatic, or Lord”?
His quote says … “You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."
--- Of all the sins - the sin of unbelief - in Jesus Christ is the one that will keep us out of Heaven. It keeps us out of a right relationship with Christ. “If we confess our sin - He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” - 1John 1:9.
The Problem of Sin & Pride:
The Diagnosis of the human condition is Sin. God already knows that we have a - Sin problem. He knows your every struggle and pain. That’s the problem He came to solve. At the root - our problem is really this: we want to be our own king. That shows up in different ways—chasing pleasure, chasing possessions, chasing praise—but it’s all the same disease: "sin.” - To take hold of His humble cure - we have to let go of our pride. Lay it down - as a cloak and palm branch.
Scripture clearly points out this problem:
• All have sinned and fall short.
• There is none righteous (who does good) no not one
• The wages of sin is death
• The heart is desperately wicked who can know it?
Seems bleak. Hopeless even.
Yet John writing by the breath of the Holy Spirit said – in John 2:1-2 (NLT) “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins--and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.”
-- This is why we shout Hosanna (save us we pray) we lay down our cloaks to His authority and Sovereignty - His victory over sin and death. We symbolically lay down our Palms to say - God we lay down our lives (our pride) and say - we are victorious in You!
Enter in King of Peace – enter into our hearts. The root word – of Jerusalem – is “Salem” - which means – “shalom” – which means "peace," "safety," "completeness."
Jesus, we make you the Lord of our lives. To root out and destroy the darkness and sin in our lives through a right relationship with You God - and by your death - our sin debt is paid in full. Jesus Christ paid a debt He did not owe because we owed a sin debt we could not pay.
Will you allow Him to pay your debt in full too? Seek Him while He can be found. Today is the Day – of salvation! You can have this right relationship of peace with Him – today!
If you want to receive Jesus as your King and Savior today, you can pray this prayer:
‘Lord, I confess I’m a sinner and I’ve gone my own way. Now - I turn to You. I believe You are God. I believe You came to this earth and died on the cross in my place - to pay for all my sins and then rose again to life - that I may have life in You. Please forgive me, save me, and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Help me to follow You from this day forward. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”
If you just prayed that prayer for the first time and meant it from your heart - the Bible says you are safe - saved for all time and eternity. Sealed by the Holy Spirit. You've made Jesus Lord of your life and King of your heart. I encourage you to find a good Bible based church to learn and grow in your Christian walk.
Welcome to Jerusalem ... welcome to the City of Peace. Peace in your heart.
Does it mean you won’t have any more problems? No ... Jesus reminded us all before He ascended to Heaven - He said ... in John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." It is only in Him that we can too!
If you have any questions – about Jesus and the salvation He came to bring to you personally – reach out to me through either this blog in the comments section or through our contact page email form - and I’ll try to answer your questions as best as I can.
I guess my main point in writing this is ... that you would know that God - really does love you – and loves you ... “so much” – that He was willing to (step down off His Heavenly throne) come to earth – live a humble sinless life and die – (the lamb of God) to pay the wrath we had coming for our sin.
Why? He did it ALL for love!
John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
– He desires (at the end of your time here on earth) that you be with Him in heaven – where He is now – alive for all eternity.
We’ll see this great Love for us - unfolding as this Holy Week plays out … and while things look pretty bleak by Good Friday’s Cross … Sunday’s Empty Tomb has the final say!
Amen!
Shalom & Blessings,
Bob
I want to invite you for a moment into the scene of John Chapter 12—the day Jesus rides into Jerusalem. Let’s start with one verse and build from there:
John 12:13 (AMP)
“They took branches of palm trees [in homage to Him as King] and went out to meet Him, and they began shouting and kept shouting, ‘Hosanna! BLESSED (celebrated, praised) IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel!’”
On that day, people are shouting “Hosanna,” waving palm branches, spreading their cloaks on the road. On the surface, it looks like a wonderful worship service. But here’s the harsh reality—one I think we really need to hear today: You can be in the crowd, close to Jesus, saying all the right words, doing all the right religious things…and still completely miss who He really is. I think that's what Palm Sunday is really all about - what it exposes in the human heart.
What does “Hosanna” really mean?
Let’s start here - the word: *Hosanna*. We often think of it as just another sophisticated worship word. An expression of Joy! But it goe much deeper. “Hosanna” is both: - An exclamation of adoration— “We praise You!” - And a desperate cry for help— “Save now, we pray!”
It echoes Psalm 118:25 (AMP) “O LORD, save now, we beseech You; O LORD, we beseech You, send now prosperity and give us success!”
So, when the crowd cries “Hosanna,” they’re saying: - “We adore You!” - and at the same time, “Come on, God—save us now. Fix this mess. Give us success. Change our situation.”
If we’re being honest, that sounds a lot like us sometimes. “Lord, I love You…but please fix my job, fix my health, fix my finances, fix this country.” They wanted a Savior. They just didn’t understand the salvation they actually needed ... or the Salvation Jesus Christ came to deliver.
We see the coats and palm branches – laid down on the roadway - what were those all about? John tells us they didn’t just shout. They acted out their expectations. They spread their coats on the road. In that culture, laying down your cloak wasn’t just being polite. It was a powerful symbol of surrender and honor. It meant: “You are my king. I put what covers me—my identity, my protection, my status—under Your feet.”
We see something similar in 2 Kings 9:13, when Jehu is anointed king. His companions quickly took off their garments, lay them under him on the steps, and blew the trumpet. They’re saying, “We recognize your authority. You’re the one now.” So, picture it: - Coats on the ground—a sign of surrender and submission. - Palms too, waved and laid down - a symbol of victory and peace. They used them for conquering heroes and political saviors. So, their message through their actions and words is loud and clear: “You are our king. You are our conqueror. You’re the One who will free us from Rome, fix this broken system, and give us the life we want.”
Many of us come to Jesus with something similar in mind: “Jesus, I need You to fix my circumstances. Make my life work the way I want.” But here’s where we veer off course. We’ve got - the right King—but the wrong story. The people thought they knew who Jesus was. They wanted Him to be like their old kings—like Jehu— (who overthrew the evil King Ahab and his wife Jezebel) someone anointed by God to rise up, overthrow their oppressors, and restore national glory. Make things right.
They wanted a political Messiah. A military Messiah. A “fix my world” Messiah.
Yes - they had the “Right King—Jesus really is the Messiah, the Son of God, King of Kings. But they were living in the wrong story book … they read Him wrong - wrong about what He came to do. They wanted freedom from Rome. Jesus came to bring freedom from sin.
If we’re being honest, that’s not the rescue plan we were looking for. We look around at our world today—the wars, the divisions, the corruption, the injustice—and we say, “Lord, fix that”. But instead, Jesus starts here: “Let Me fix ‘you’ – First”.
True revival doesn’t begin in Washington, or any state capital, or at the next election. It begins in one person’s heart - one at a time. You can’t force someone to see what they refuse to see. You can’t legislate a new heart. Jesus came first and foremost to change us from the inside out. The crowd is shouting “Hosanna”— “Save us now!”—but they’re thinking of Rome, taxes, politics, and rulers. Jesus is offering something far deeper and eternal: freedom from sin, reconciliation with God, and a brand-new heart. Many of them, when they realize He’s not the political savior they imagined, will turn on Him.
We can still make this same mistake today. We want Jesus to fix governments and headlines more than hearts. Jesus’ first mission wasn’t to change the government; it was to change ‘us’.
So, this Crowd - they knew the ‘Prophecy’—but missed the ‘Person’ and they weren’t ignorant. They knew the Scriptures. They saw the sign. Jesus riding in on the foal of a donkey. Many of them would have known the prophecy from Zechariah: pointing to this day. Zechariah 9:9 (NLT) “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet He is humble, riding on a donkey-- riding on a donkey’s colt.”
See there? right there- there’s one word they missed in there and we can miss it too - that word is Humble. He is - “Humble”. From His birth to His death. He humbled Himself even to death on a cross.
We see that from the beginning of His life, wise men from the East came seeking Jesus who was born of Humble beginnings- and vulnerable - a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes away in a manger. Then we see - starting in v20 of John 12 - here - at the end of His public ministry, wise Greeks from the West came seeking Jesus.
John 12:20-21 “Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast; 21 these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
- From East to West, the wise still seek Him today!
So - then - “Who are we like in this crowd?” We see three distinct attitudes- toward Jesus. Are we – “The Crowd?” “They shout ‘Hosanna’ on Sunday and ‘Crucify Him’ on Friday just because He didn’t give them the kind of salvation they wanted.” Or are we – “The Religious Leaders?”- They knew the Scriptures but were protecting their status – position and power - their way of life. They were threatened by Jesus and rationalized Him away.
Or are we – like “The Greeks?” They came humbly, asking, ‘We want to see Jesus.’ We want to meet Him. Get to Know Him. Talk to Him. Learn more about Him. Worship Him.
They’re not trying to control Him—just to know Him.
So, then the question that is in need of an answer today is …
“Which are you more like—the crowd, the proud, or the seekers?”
Who in the crowd can see Him for who He actually is?
CS Lewis– said: Jesus doesn’t leave us the option of calling Him just a ‘great teacher.’ A man who says the things Jesus said is either crazy, evil, or He really is God. We must choose. Is He a “Liar, Lunatic, or Lord”?
His quote says … “You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."
--- Of all the sins - the sin of unbelief - in Jesus Christ is the one that will keep us out of Heaven. It keeps us out of a right relationship with Christ. “If we confess our sin - He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” - 1John 1:9.
The Problem of Sin & Pride:
The Diagnosis of the human condition is Sin. God already knows that we have a - Sin problem. He knows your every struggle and pain. That’s the problem He came to solve. At the root - our problem is really this: we want to be our own king. That shows up in different ways—chasing pleasure, chasing possessions, chasing praise—but it’s all the same disease: "sin.” - To take hold of His humble cure - we have to let go of our pride. Lay it down - as a cloak and palm branch.
Scripture clearly points out this problem:
• All have sinned and fall short.
• There is none righteous (who does good) no not one
• The wages of sin is death
• The heart is desperately wicked who can know it?
Seems bleak. Hopeless even.
Yet John writing by the breath of the Holy Spirit said – in John 2:1-2 (NLT) “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins--and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.”
-- This is why we shout Hosanna (save us we pray) we lay down our cloaks to His authority and Sovereignty - His victory over sin and death. We symbolically lay down our Palms to say - God we lay down our lives (our pride) and say - we are victorious in You!
Enter in King of Peace – enter into our hearts. The root word – of Jerusalem – is “Salem” - which means – “shalom” – which means "peace," "safety," "completeness."
Jesus, we make you the Lord of our lives. To root out and destroy the darkness and sin in our lives through a right relationship with You God - and by your death - our sin debt is paid in full. Jesus Christ paid a debt He did not owe because we owed a sin debt we could not pay.
Will you allow Him to pay your debt in full too? Seek Him while He can be found. Today is the Day – of salvation! You can have this right relationship of peace with Him – today!
If you want to receive Jesus as your King and Savior today, you can pray this prayer:
‘Lord, I confess I’m a sinner and I’ve gone my own way. Now - I turn to You. I believe You are God. I believe You came to this earth and died on the cross in my place - to pay for all my sins and then rose again to life - that I may have life in You. Please forgive me, save me, and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Help me to follow You from this day forward. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”
If you just prayed that prayer for the first time and meant it from your heart - the Bible says you are safe - saved for all time and eternity. Sealed by the Holy Spirit. You've made Jesus Lord of your life and King of your heart. I encourage you to find a good Bible based church to learn and grow in your Christian walk.
Welcome to Jerusalem ... welcome to the City of Peace. Peace in your heart.
Does it mean you won’t have any more problems? No ... Jesus reminded us all before He ascended to Heaven - He said ... in John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." It is only in Him that we can too!
If you have any questions – about Jesus and the salvation He came to bring to you personally – reach out to me through either this blog in the comments section or through our contact page email form - and I’ll try to answer your questions as best as I can.
I guess my main point in writing this is ... that you would know that God - really does love you – and loves you ... “so much” – that He was willing to (step down off His Heavenly throne) come to earth – live a humble sinless life and die – (the lamb of God) to pay the wrath we had coming for our sin.
Why? He did it ALL for love!
John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
– He desires (at the end of your time here on earth) that you be with Him in heaven – where He is now – alive for all eternity.
We’ll see this great Love for us - unfolding as this Holy Week plays out … and while things look pretty bleak by Good Friday’s Cross … Sunday’s Empty Tomb has the final say!
Amen!
Shalom & Blessings,
Bob
HOPE Blog ... Pastor Bob DeFelice
Sometimes random - sometimes not - some things I think - measured against scripture.
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
~ 2 Timothy 2:15
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
~ 2 Timothy 2:15
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