Mark 11:9
And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
The verse records the welcome given to Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem on the first day of the week in Passover season, with a large enthusiastic multitude going before and following behind, spreading garments and palm branches in His path and crying out in swelling praise that echoed from the hills. Their shout welcomed Him as Messiah and King, the Son of David and promised King coming in the Lord's name to His people. It fulfilled the prophecy given five hundred years before that the lowly King would come to Zion riding as Israel's kings rode, as He who had long refused royal honors publicly accepted homage as heir to David's throne. The disciples and crowd took it as proof that He would then take an earthly kingdom on David's throne at Jerusalem, drive out the Romans and free Israel, forgetting in the glad triumph that He had repeatedly told them of His certain suffering and death. That joyful following with bounding hopes drew public attention to Him just before His sacrifice and faintly prefigured His future glory as Zion's King, standing in sharp contrast to following the disgraced Jesus to Calvary in fear and despair until His resurrection fulfilled the welcome in a way they had not expected.
The Triumphal Entry Scene
The welcome was given as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the first day of the week, in the most beautiful season of the year when many had come for the Passover feast.
Those crying before and behind were a large enthusiastic multitude, including those who had flocked to see Him at Bethany and were now accompanying Him eager to witness His reception, pilgrims on the way to the city to keep the Passover, and many moved by His raising of Lazarus and eager to see Him.
New life and joy animated the people as the hope of the new kingdom was again springing up, while all nature seemed to rejoice with trees clothed with verdure and blossoms shedding fragrance.
He purposed to enter as King riding humbly on an ass and its colt, after having always traveled on foot.
The colt, on which never man had sat, was obtained from strangers by sending two disciples with minute directions and the plea that the Lord had need of them, and the shout of triumph broke out as soon as Jesus was seated upon it.
The disciples spread their garments on the beast and seated Him upon it.
The people without costly gifts and without royal standards spread their outer garments as a carpet in His path and strewed leafy branches of olive and palm in the way.
They cut down spreading palm boughs, nature's emblem of victory, and waved them aloft with loud acclamations, raising leafy branches and laying foliage in His path, while a large multitude of men, women and children honored Him by kneeling and bowing.
The same honor was given as garments and branches were spread before Him on the way into Jerusalem.
Those shouting were unlike the train of mourning captives that marked earth's famous conquerors, for they were the glorious trophies of His labors of love for sinful man surrounding Him as they cried Hosanna.
They were captives rescued from Satan's cruel power praising God for deliverance, the blind to whom He had restored sight pressing on and leading the way, the dumb whose tongues He had loosed shouting the loudest hosannas, and the cripples He had healed bounding freely and most active in breaking palm branches and waving them before Him.
Widows and orphans exalted His name for His works of mercy, lepers cleansed by His word spread their untainted garments in His path and hailed Him as the King of Glory, and those awakened by His voice from the sleep of death were there, including Lazarus whose body had seen corruption in the grave and now in restored full strength guided the humble beast Jesus rode.
The shout was repeated again and again by the eager throng, taken up by the people afar off and echoed from the surrounding hills and valleys and from hill to hill and valley to valley.
It continually swelled as new accessions constantly joined the procession and, with few exceptions, caught the glad inspiration of the hour, the vast multitude seeking to excel one another in responding.
Thousands from Jerusalem gathered for the Passover went forth with waving palm branches and sacred song to meet and conduct Him to the city, so that few responded to the priests' trumpet for evening service and the rulers said in alarm that the world had gone after Him, while spectators asked who He was.
The cry of Hosanna and blessing on the one coming in the Lord's name welcomed Him as Messiah, King, Son of David and promised King coming to His people.
It was joyful acclamation, praise, homage and worship of happy hearts, expressing expectation of His kingship and a plea for the Saviour to come.
At Israel's harvest festivals this festal cry of joyful song accompanied sacrifices that expressed gratitude for God's promised Saviour and the truth that forgiveness required the shedding of the Son of God's blood, of which Christ was the foundation represented by the ceremonies, yet when He stood among the people they did not recognize or receive Him though their words called for the Saviour while He was present among them.
The triumphal welcome drew public attention to Him before His approaching sacrifice and faintly prefigured His future glory as Zion's King.
Promise, Misunderstanding, and Call
The shout marks the fulfillment of the prophecy given five hundred years before His birth that the lowly King would come to Zion, to Israel. He came riding in keeping with the Jewish custom for a royal entry, upon the animal ridden by Israel's kings, He who had long refused royal honors now coming as the promised heir to David's throne. In this entry He publicly accepted homage as Messiah and King which He had never before permitted. His disciples took that acceptance as proof that their glad hopes would be realized by His being acknowledged at Jerusalem as King of Israel.
The disciples and the crowd looked for His prosperous reign on David's throne and for Him to take possession of it at Jerusalem. They believed He would then take an earthly kingdom and reign as a temporal prince, that the hour of emancipation was at hand when He would drive the Roman armies from Jerusalem and make Israel an independent nation again. Their glowing expectations spread far and near and raised the expectations of the people to the highest pitch. Although He had repeatedly told them of His certain suffering and death, they forgot His sorrowful words in the glad triumph of the hour.
The triumphal welcome drew public attention to Him just before His approaching sacrifice. The rejoicing was but a prelude to the suffering and death of their Master, yet faintly prefigured His future glory as Zion's King. It took place even as Jerusalem was approaching doom, and it was the setting for His last pleadings of love and compassion for the city. That joyful following with bounding hearts and cheerful hopes stands in sharp contrast to following the weak, disgraced Jesus to Calvary with fear, despair, and blighted prospects. Within days the disciples saw Him die and be buried so that their hopes seemed to perish, until His resurrection revived them and fulfilled the public recognition of Him as King in a way they had not expected.
Children singing hosanna praise in the temple courts shows that the same public honoring belongs to children now. Their voices will be raised to give the last message of warning to a perishing world by joining all others in medical missionary work for the sick and suffering to win souls to the truth.