“They took branches of palm trees and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”. John 12:13
As we celebrate Palm Sunday today, the day of Jesus’ triumphal entry at Jerusalem, I want to make sure we don’t miss something important.
John 12:1 says, “Six days before Passover…” Jesus visited Lazarus, Mary, and Martha in Bethany. Skip to verse 12: “The next day the great crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting:“Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”
In verse 12, hone in on “the next day,” which would be five days before Passover, or Nisan 10 according to Old Testament timelines. Exodus 12:3-6 gives instruction for the choosing of the Passover lamb, whose blood would be put over the doorpost of their homes as a sign and would save them. Exodus 12:13, “The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.”
On Palm Sunday that Nisan 10, Jesus entered Jerusalem as the lamb without blemish and final Passover sacrifice. The crowd’s shouts of “Hosanna,” which means, “Save now,” were exactly right. His blood would save us!
On Nisan 14, just as lambs were being sacrificed according to God’s instruction in Exodus 12, Jesus would suffer crucifixion, His blood offered as the atonement for our sins. No more sacrificial system necessary, thanks to God’s great gift of Jesus.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
