Hosanna in the Highest
Sermon April 13, 2025 Luke 19:28-40
Hosanna in the Highest
Pastor Fred Okello
Imagine waking up one morning to the sound of jubilant shouts echoing through your neighborhood. You rush to your window and see a crowd gathering, waving palm branches, laying down their coats, and chanting, “Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!” At the center of it all is a humble man riding a donkey.
Your heart is stirred. Something is happening. You feel drawn into the moment. You can’t help it—you join the crowd.
This was the scene on that first Palm Sunday. A spontaneous celebration. A king arriving—not with fanfare or soldiers, but with humility and grace.
“Hosanna” is not just a word of praise; it is a plea: “Lord, save us now!” It comes from Psalm 118:25–26:
“Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Hosanna is both a cry for help and a shout of praise—a beautiful tension between desperation and adoration.
And when the people cried “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were recognizing Jesus as the promised Messiah—the one who would save them.
Jesus' entry into Jerusalem fulfilled Zechariah 9:9:
“See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey…”
He could have come on a stallion like a military hero, but He came on a donkey—a symbol of peace. Jesus was making a statement: “I am the King—but not the kind of king you expected.”
The people expected a warrior to overthrow Rome. But Jesus came to conquer hearts, not empires. He came not to take lives, but to lay down His own.
On Sunday like today, the people shouted “Hosanna!” By Friday, they would shout “Crucify Him!”
The same lips that praised Him quickly turned against Him. Why? Because He didn’t meet their expectations.
The phrase “Hosanna in the highest” is not just about Jerusalem. It’s a call to heaven to glorify the King of kings.
It echoes Luke 2:14:
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.”
And it points us forward to Revelation 7:9-10, where the redeemed from every nation cry out:
“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Palm Sunday is a glimpse of eternity—when all creation will worship the Lamb. What Is Your Hosanna? Is your “Hosanna” a cry for help? Is it a shout of praise? Is it both? Let it be sincere.
Lay down your cloaks—your pride, your plans, your comfort.
Wave your palms—symbols of surrender and celebration.
Welcome the true King, even if He comes in a way you don’t expect.
Jesus is not only worthy of our songs, but of our surrender. Palm Sunday begins with joy and ends with a cross. But the cross is not the end of the story. This journey leads to resurrection. To life. To victory. To salvation.
Paul reminds us in Philippians 2 that though Jesus humbled Himself to death on a cross,
“Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name…”
Friends,
Will you receive Jesus as He is?
Will you worship even when your expectations aren’t met?
Will your “Hosanna” echo from your lips every day, not just on Sundays?
Let us join the heavenly choir and say together,
“Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Amen.