Palm/Passion Year A – 2026
M. Campbell-Langdell
All Santos, Oxnard
Matthew 21:1-11
Ride on, King Jesus! In today’s readings, we have Jesus,
riding into Jerusalem on a donkey and a colt, something that sounds a bit more
acrobatic, with palms strewn along his path and Hosannas sailing up to the sky.
The people were desperate. And here came a savior. Desperate
like us in a year of war, when leaders seem to be crumbling around us, even as
we look hopefully, praying for the end of this moment, we are still hanging on,
some of us by the skin of our teeth. And what greets us, but more violence?
And what greeted Jesus, but more violence? The shouts of the crowd turned from
praises and requests for assistance to “Crucify him!”
Because it is important to remember that Hosanna isn’t just a
word of praise, it is also a request for help. As Steve Garnaas-Holmes says:
“Hosanna” doesn’t mean “Hooray!”
It means “Save us!”
It’s not a cry of triumph,
It’s a plea of desperation.
Of course, aimed at a leader who can protect us,
It becomes an affirmation.
Our Hosannas signify victory
Only because Jesus has saved us
In our desperate weakness.
This is no time to strut
But to kneel,
To bare our tender need,
In honest pleading
That we still need saving
And in awe and gratitude
For the grace we are continually given.
Maybe “Hosanna” is more like
“Wow! Thanks. We needed that.”
on steroids.[1]
These are such true words. The people were reaching out to Jesus in the midst
of their distress as a people over-taxed and without representation in their
empire. But we know desperation can go both ways. And in fear, we can take the
freedoms we have been given and turn them into instruments of hate. We have
seen this scarily reflected back to us in recent times, as immigrants, gay and
trans people, Muslims, and more have been vilified. This is what people did by
turning Jesus in to be killed. The possibility that he was the Messiah was too
scary. More likely, they thought he was a hack that needed to be made an
example of.
But the amazing part of all this is that God used it to save us anyway. Even
when we did our worst, Jesus was at his best. He saved us. In his death, but
more importantly, in how he brought life to us all, eternal life.
In the garden, the Gospel of Matthew shows Jesus moving from
the Last Supper to his time in Gethsemane. And there he says those heartbreaking
words: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I
want but what you want.” And in giving of himself, in pouring out his life, he
filled the cup of our salvation.
A familiar hymn says: “What language shall I borrow / To
thank thee, dearest friend?” How can we thank Jesus? I think we can get on our
knees and ask for help. Help to solve the problems related to violence,
including violence against women, and bigotry in our world – to reach out to
the disaffected to get them help, but also to limit how others can harm the
most vulnerable. We must reach out to Jesus for wisdom. Because Jesus knows all
about unbreachable chasms. He came from death to life again. For us. He loves
us and wants us to live and flourish. Let us be faithful in asking Jesus for
help. And then let us follow him, even if the terrain is scary or unfamiliar.
He is our trusted friend. He has been through hell and back and will lead us
through to a time of abundant life, not just in the next world but in this
world too, if we are willing to follow.
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