By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Crucifixion wasn’t what the fans and followers of Jesus expected when they heralded his arrival in Jerusalem for Passover a couple thousand years ago. We Westerners refer to that day as Palm Sunday.
No, those first-century Jews were shouting “Hosanna!” (Oh, save!) They thought Jesus was going to rescue them from Roman oppression and make Israel great again. And they were thrilled about it. After all, he had the name.
They all knew what Jesus meant, whether translated Yeshua, Joshua, or Jeshua: “the Lord saves.”
And I imagine some of those eager revelers had heard the account of the angelic visit preceding Jesus’ birth more than thirty years before: “And you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people…” (Matthew 1:21).
Things were about to change.
Just not in the way they expected.
If the angelic messenger recorded by Matthew had stopped after “for he will save his people,” the announcement would have made complete sense up to that moment in time.
But it would have completely missed the point and purpose of Jesus’ arrival.
Jesus—in any language—came to save his people, including us, from much more than an invading nation’s pillaging and plundering. He came to do much more than improve bad economic times or level the societal playing field.
The last three words of the declaration made all the difference in the world –
“…from their sins.”
No one but God could do that.
And that’s why we Westerners remember. Because there is hope.
Because Jesus was born to die, and three words made all the difference.
Three words made all the difference. Click To Tweet“It is finished.”
“None of us deserve it, Betsy. It’s a gift.” ~An Unexpected Redemption
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(c) 2018 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
