Palm Sunday
John 12:20-43
Their brother had just died. They were overwhelmed with anger, sadness, and confusion. How could this have happened? What should they do now?
They had called for help, but no one came. Have you ever felt this panic before in your life?
The pain of death has started to take hold. Have you felt this fear? Has death touched someone close to you? Your brother, your husband, your wife, your parent, your child? In these moments, nothing else seems to matter. Everything that once existed in life is now gone.
This is how Mary and Martha felt when their brother, Lazarus, died in the chapter right before the Gospel reading at the very beginning of our service today. They were overwhelmed with sadness and disappointment. Jesus was their friend, but he didn’t arrive when they called for him. He didn’t even appear for the funeral.
Have you ever felt the loneliness of Mary and Martha? Have you ever been angry or confused with God? Have you walked through a cemetery, looking at the dates carved into the stone markers, realizing it has been a long time since the graves of your brothers, sisters, husband, wife, or children were closed? It has been a long time since something has happened. It often seems like no one is coming to help.
Jesus made Mary and Martha wait. Why?
To show them that he weeps with them, shares their sadness, but also to reveal his power over death, which is the power of the resurrection in him. He answers the pleas of God’s children at the right time, but that time is unknown to us.
So what does the Gospel reading about the raising of Lazarus have to do with today’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem?
Everything.
It was those crowds that witnessed Jesus calling Lazarus out of the tomb, who couldn’t stop talking about this great sign. Others couldn’t help but run to see this miracle worker, this man, this King, who called Lazarus by name, raised His friend from the dead, and gave him life.
This is why crowds gathered on Palm Sunday. They lined the streets to celebrate the One who is the resurrection of the dead.
This raises the question: why have you come and entered this sanctuary today? Why do you gather around the One who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey? What were you expecting when you drove to church this morning?
Well, when you come to church, you bring everything that weighs you down—your sorrow, sadness, and guilt. The challenges of marriage and raising a family, losing a job, being betrayed by a friend, a cancer diagnosis, and the endless confusion and grief over losing a loved one. So, what can this Jesus on a donkey do about all of that? Would your life be different if you met the One whose name we sing about today?
The death and decaying body of Lazarus remind us of the sin we carry. Our lives are filled with disappointment, the stench of our sinful ways, and decaying bodies.
Our first parents, Adam and Eve, reached out and grasped for control of their lives in the Garden of Eden. They ate what was forbidden. They tasted what they believed to be good and brought sin into the world through their disobedience to God’s command. But how much more do we not only taste what is bad, what is sinful, but also feast on it as we turn away from God’s Word and the gathering with His saints in the worship of His Son, the King? How often do we find ourselves caught up in sin and in the grave of spiritual death?
But this is exactly why Jesus entered the world and into Jerusalem in today’s Gospel — to save sinners, to redeem them, and to remove the stench of death that clings to your flesh.
Through death, He becomes the life for all the living.
This is why He came — to raise the dead and give you His life!
And this is what the Word of God does: it proclaims and grants you the forgiveness of sin and gives life to those who have died in Christ Jesus.
This morning, we dedicated a Gospel Book in memory of Kevin Franks. The book’s beauty and adornment highlight the true beauty of God’s Word. Just as the Gospel nourished Kevin with the Good News, forgiveness, and the life of his Savior, Jesus Christ, throughout his life, Jesus continues to speak to us through this same Word today. A Word that calls us to gather, turn, and line the aisle of this sanctuary so we might hear the voice of our Savior, just as Kevin heard this same voice as he gathered with his family and his brothers and sisters in Christ every Sunday, to hear and receive the words of eternal life and resurrection joy.
In fact, it’s precisely for this reason that the crowds lined the streets of Jerusalem with their joyful hosannas. The good news of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead through His Word spread quickly. Those who saw this miracle couldn’t stay silent; instead, they were compelled to fill the streets with their cries. And for this, they also shouted, “Hosanna,” loudly and passionately, because they longed for a King who would save them, grant forgiveness, and give eternal life.
Hosanna means “Save us now.”
Hosanna was the battle cry of those who lined Jerusalem’s road. The cry of Hosanna remains your petition and prayer today. When life feels overwhelming, the prayer of Hosanna is your plea to God for deliverance from what oppresses you. Therefore, you are given this word of Hosanna to pray, just as those who lined Jerusalem’s road did, to ask God to save you and grant you deliverance from whatever continues to enslave you today.
But Hosanna is much more than a word to be sung only on Palm Sunday. It is more than just a theme for Holy Week. Yes, it certainly guides us through the week ahead, but Hosanna points us toward Maundy Thursday, also called Holy Thursday, when our Lord gives us a new commandment to love one another as He has loved us. This love continues today through the sacrament of Holy Communion, where He offers His flesh and blood for the forgiveness of your sins. Hosanna also points to the Passion of Good Friday, when another crowd gathers and cries out, “His blood be upon us and our children.”
His blood is on us as our sins are on Him. We are guilty, and for our sins, He went to the cross.
But on the cross, we see our victory. In the cross, we see our Hosanna, our Savior. The one who was sent to crush the head of the serpent and bring life and salvation to all who hear the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is, after all, what the name of Jesus means: to save people from their sins.
It’s this name that is given to you in the saving waters of Holy Baptism. This name is your Hosanna, your petition, and your lifeline to God when sorrows surround you. Yet, this cry of Hosanna also becomes your song of joy. It is your song of joy because on the cross, Jesus is the victor, the Savior, the One who dies in your place. He is the one who rose for your justification, the forgiveness of your sin. In Him, you may never doubt but always hope for the things to come, a resurrection not only for Lazarus and Kevin, but also for you.
So, come, my friends, and gather around the Gospel of Jesus this Palm Sunday and Holy Week, sing Hosanna, and pray “Save us, Lord.”
These words are your confidence throughout all the days of your life. Hosanna is your song of gladness because you know what Jesus has already accomplished in His death and now gives you life.
Hosanna is your song of gladness because Jesus has scattered the darkness of sadness, anger, and abandonment, and has given you the light of His Word to guide and comfort you.
Hosanna is your song of gladness as you sing in the Sanctus and prepare to receive the flesh and blood of your Savior for the forgiveness of your sins.
Hosanna is your song of gladness, your confidence to journey to the cross, to rest with Him in the tomb, and to know that just as He has risen from the dead, He has triumphed over the grave and will call you as He called His friend Lazarus to come forth from your graves on the last day.
So sing Hosanna, what a beautiful song, because in Jesus, your salvation has been won, and your sorrows will be no more. +INJ+
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Pastor, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Website: www.goodsheptomah.org
The Shepherd’s Voice Podcast: https://goodsheptomah.podbean.com/
