We have two scriptures used today. The first is John 12:12-16 followed by the Old Testament passage that was the basis or prophecy behind the New Testament passage. There are interesting aspects to each. Let’s get those out there now.
12On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
13took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.”
14Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written,
15“Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”
16These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him.
John 12:12–16 (NASB95)
1The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners;
2To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,
3To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
Isaiah 61:1–3 (NASB95)
I also want to include this passage that wasn’t in the sermon but occurred to me. I’m not picking this one apart beyond the note that it also references Isaiah 61.
16And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.
17And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,
18“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed,
19To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”
20And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
21And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Luke 4:16–21 (NASB95)
Isaiah 61:1
Let’s start with the John passage.
My first note is to wonder why palm branches or fronds? The simple answer is that they were a Jewish sign of victory or celebration. They were also everywhere and easily obtainable. Jesus spent three years moving around, performing miracles, and explaining who He was. He knew His death was near, and it was time to fulfill the last of the prophecies so everyone would know who He claimed to be. This public and visible display was so that even people like me who can’t take a hint would understand who Jesus claimed to be. Only the willfully ignorant or those with purposeful agendas counter to God’s would see Jesus as something other than the Messiah. That is still true today.
My next note was to better understand the word “Hosanna.” I’ve never understood why that word was used or what it really meant. The Greek and Hebrew behind this word is very helpful. Let’s take a look at those definitions now.
Greek Strong’s Number: 5614
Greek Word: ὡσαννά
Transliteration: hōsanna
Phonetic Pronunciation: ho-san-nah’
Root: of Hebrew origin <H3467> and <H4994>
Cross Reference: TDNT - 9:682,1356
Part of Speech: interj
Vine’s Words: Hosanna
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
Hosanna 6
[Total Count: 6]
of Hebrew origin [<H3467> (yasha`) and <H4994> (na’)]; oh save!; hosanna (i.e. hoshia-na), an exclamation of adoration:- hosanna.
James Strong, “Ὡσαννά,” Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
The Hebrew words behind the Greek are next.
Hebrew Strong’s Number: 3467
Hebrew Word: יָשַׁע
Transliteration: yāshaʿ
Phonetic Pronunciation: yaw-shah’
Root: a primitive root, Greek <G5614>
Cross Reference: TWOT - 929
Part of Speech: v
Vine’s Words: Deliver (To), Save (To)
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
save 149
saviour 15
deliver 13
help 12
preserved 5
salvation 3
avenging 2
at all 1
avenged 1
defend 1
rescue 1
safe 1
victory 1
[Total Count: 205]
a primitive root; properly to be open, wide or free, i.e. (by implication) to be safe; causative to free or succor:- × at all, avenging, defend, deliver (-er), help, preserve, rescue, be safe, bring (having) salvation, save (-iour), get victory.
James Strong, “יָשַׁע,” Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
And this part interacts with the Hebrew word above.
Hebrew Strong’s Number: 4994
Hebrew Word: נָא
Transliteration: nāʾ
Phonetic Pronunciation: naw
Root: a primitive particle of incitement and entreaty, which may usually be rendered: “I pray,” “now,” or “then”, Greek <G5614>
Cross Reference: TWOT - 1269
Part of Speech: part
Vine’s Words: None
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
now 3
I beseech … 1
I pray … 3
Oh 1
go to 1
[Total Count: 9]
a primitive particle of incitement and entreaty, which may usually be rendered I pray, now or then; added mostly to verbs (in the Imperative or Future), or to interject, occasionally to an adverb or conjunction:- I beseech (pray) thee (you), go to, now, oh.
James Strong, “נָא (1),” Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
Am I classically educated in the Greek and Hebrew languages? Nope. I just read. Does that mean I can be wrong? Yep. But, I read and contemplate with the Holy Spirit in my heart. I’ll take what God gives me as mine and if it helps you too, great. I’m certain some will disagree with me.
However, for me, this was very enlightening as to the use of Hosanna, meaning salvation as a shout of praise that prayers had been answered as the crowd saw it embodied in the person of Jesus entering into the city.
My next note on the John passage was on verse fourteen, which said, “as it is written.” Where is it written? It is written in Zechariah 9:9.
9Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zechariah 9:9 (NASB95)
That essentially is verse 15 from John 12. Verse 16 recounts that the disciples, as they were going through this triumphal entry, did not comprehend they were fulfilling prophecy. They did after the crucifixion, but they did not see the hand of God in the events of the day.
Let’s move to the Isaiah passage, which is a scriptural prophecy of the coming Messiah. Verse 1 is simply an explanation of authority. The person of Isaiah is declaring it is not by his authority that he says these things, but by God’s own spirit moves him to speak.
I find it interesting that Isaiah explains he is preaching to the “meek.” We take that today to mean weaker people, but I think that is a misnomer and a disservice to all the other people that word includes. Let’s look at the Hebrew word behind “meek.”
Hebrew Strong’s Number: 6035
Hebrew Word: עָנָו
Transliteration: ʿânâv
Phonetic Pronunciation: aw-nawv’
Hebrew Word: עָנָיו
Transliteration: ʿānāyw
Phonetic Pronunciation: aw-nawv’
Root: from <H6031>
Cross Reference: TWOT - 1652a
Part of Speech: n m
Vine’s Words: Poor (person), Weak (Person)
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
meek 13
humble 5
poor 5
lowly 2
vr meek 1
[Total Count: 26]
or [by intermixture with <H6041> (`aniy)] anayv, aw-nawv’; from <H6031> (`anah); depressed (figurative), in mind (gentle) or circumstances (needy, especially saintly):- humble, lowly, meek, poor. Compare <H6041> (`aniy).
James Strong, “עָנָו ,עָנָיו,” Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
It starts off with “depressed.” That isn’t necessarily a weak person. That’s someone who is mentally in anguish and sees no way out of what they perceive as a smothering blanket of bad. It also includes those who are humble. People walking a righteous path with skill and ability but also humility would not be considered “weak” but instead would be thought of as very capable within their gifts. The English conversion of “meek” to mean weak is inaccurate, though we do that with that word. I think Isaiah tries to convey the scope of who Messiah is here for through the inclusion of “brokenhearted,” “captives,” and “prisoners” too.
My next reference is the “acceptable year of the Lord” in verse 2. This is a reference to the year of Jubilee. That was the time in scripture when the slaves were set free, debts forgiven, and captured land returned. It was a time of rejoicing as declared in Levitical Law.
8‘You are also to count off seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of the seven sabbaths of years, namely, forty-nine years.
9‘You shall then sound a ram’s horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land.
10‘You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family.
11‘You shall have the fiftieth year as a jubilee; you shall not sow, nor reap its aftergrowth, nor gather in from its untrimmed vines.
12‘For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You shall eat its crops out of the field.
13‘On this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his own property.
Leviticus 25:8–13 (NASB95)
Verse 2 adds, “and the day of vengeance of our God.”
17Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.
18If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
19Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
20“But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:17–21 (NASB95)
vengeance Deuteronomy 32:35
Feed your enemy 2 Kings 6:22 and Prov 25:22
Verse 3 is interesting because it gives us a list of exchanges between bad things for good things. It also gives us a reason for why God is making these exchanges. That comes at the end of verse 3: "That they might be called trees of righteousness.”
We do not get this relief; this exchange of good things for bad simply to make our lives better. That is a byproduct of why God does it. We get this exchange so that we might live in such a way, do things in such a way, and be seen in such a way that those impacted by our lives would declare that we are “trees of righteousness.”
As Christians, it is important to understand that we are not righteous.
10as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one;
11There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God;
12All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.”
Romans 3:10–12 (NASB95)
Psalm 14:1-3 and Psalm 53:1-3
That word “good” needs to be dug into, too. It doesn’t mean we don’t do good things, though that is how the English reads. The Greek word behind it changes that one English word.
Greek Strong’s Number: 5544
Greek Word: χρηστότης
Transliteration: chrēstotēs
Phonetic Pronunciation: khray-stot’-ace
Root: from <G5543>
Cross Reference: TDNT - 9:489,1320
Part of Speech: n f
Vine’s Words: Good, Goodly, Goodness, Kind, Kind (be), Kindly, Kindness
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
goodness 4
kindness 4
good 1
gentleness 1
[Total Count: 10]
from <G5543> (chrestos); usefulness, i.e. moral excellence (in character or demeanor):- gentleness, good (-ness), kindness.
James Strong, “Χρηστότης,” Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
It means no one does righteous deeds, those deeds that are filled with “moral excellence.” Why is that? Because God is the author of what is Good and what is Evil. Only He knows the full nuance of that thing. We, as His created being, only know what we internalize from reading, studying His Word, and our life experiences. We may strive to do good and do well, but we cannot completely understand what it is to be “morally excellent” as God is pure goodness. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try, but it does mean we should try harder to adhere to His idea of what “morally excellent” behavior looks like. We get that from reading and studying His example through Christ’s life on earth and nothing else. Oh, we can use secular material to make connections with God’s Word, and I believe the Holy Spirit does that, but only God can define what is good or evil, not Man.