Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem at the beginning of his final week of mortal life.
The people hailed him a king, waving palm branches and shouting ‘Hosanna!’
Palm branches were symbolic of victory and triumph, and hosanna means ‘save now.’
This man who had raised a man from the dead must be the Messiah, come to save them and grant them victory over their oppressors.
And He was!
Little did they know, however, that His salvation and triumph would be over enemies far stronger than Rome or any other earthly power.
They turned quickly when He didn’t give them what they expected.
Ezra Taft Benson said: “Just as a man does not really desire food until he is hungry, so he does not desire the salvation of Christ until he knows why he needs Christ” (“The Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants, Ensign, May 1997).
Seemingly blinded by their temporal need, most of them missed the larger victory He came to accomplish.
Sin and death and the Enemy of our souls, the effects of the Fall and the stagnation of the impossibility of growth and change.
The monsters over which none of us had any hope of triumph.
Obliterated and overcome! Once and for all!
And without even knowing, they waved the branches of victory and shouted the praise of salvation for Him who came to offer those things eternally.
We don’t use the same symbolic acts very much anymore.
And yet, His victory is worthy of all of our praise and recognition and adoration.
When we recognize our need for Him, how will we show our gratitude, our love, our awe, our joy?
Maybe not with a parade or shouts.
But we can by receiving what He came to give.
Trusting what He came to do and His power and desire to give it.
We can speak and sing and pray our praise.
And, most of all, we can LIVE it.
A life full of Hosannas and figurative palm branches as we honor the gift and the giver.
