From Hosanna! to Crucify Him!

This sermon was preached for Palm Sunday by Pastor Ted Carnahan on April 12, 2025.

Grace, mercy, and peace be with all of you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Importance of Palm Sunday

What do you preach about on Palm Sunday? I just read two chapters of the Bible. If we were to go into great depth on it, we’d be here for the next five hours. It’s only the most important story about the most important person who’s ever lived. It demands our attention.

This attention is what we intend to give to this incredibly important reality over the next week as we journey through Holy Week yet again. For some of you, it will be your first time experiencing the love of God and Jesus through Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday at the Vigil as we prepare for Easter Sunday. We celebrate these great days on which our Lord Jesus died and rose from the dead.

The Simplicity and Tragedy of Palm Sunday

The Palm Sunday story is beautiful in its simplicity. As Jesus comes into Jerusalem, the people are waving their branches and laying them before Him, saying, "Hosanna, Hosanna to the King of Kings, Hosanna in the highest."

If only that’s where the story ended. Imagine if Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem, given authority over everything, if they kicked out the Romans, rose up against Herod, and established God’s kingdom on earth. Picture Jesus beginning to rule as king from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth, with the Word of God going forward, saving us just as the people proclaimed on that beautiful day. Wouldn’t that have been neat?

The Human Tendency to Fail

Sometimes I’ve heard it put another way. People say, "If only I had been there at the crucifixion, in the crowd, I would have been the voice of reason. I would have cried out, 'Wait, wait, what are you doing? Why are you letting these rich, elite religious leaders manipulate you into crucifying a man who is absolutely innocent while releasing an actual insurrectionist, a bandit, and a murderer?' If I had been there, maybe things would have been different. I’m not like those sheeple who were coerced and manipulated into doing this terrible thing. I would have been one of the righteous ones there."

Well, maybe. We know that there were some righteous individuals present. Joseph of Arimathea is a great example of someone who knew what was happening but was basically powerless to stop it. He was deeply in the minority, and there was nothing he could do to oppose it in any serious way. So, the death of Jesus went forward, even with his objection.

But the reality is, as much as you think you would have been that voice of reason, that strong voice to stand up for what’s right, let’s face it, you probably wouldn’t have. Honestly, I don’t think I would have either. As ordinary people, just like you and me, the crowd calling, "Hosanna, Hosanna to the King of Kings," is so quickly and easily manipulated into shouting, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" They no longer care about who this Jesus because His interest for them has worn off. He’s no longer giving them what they hoped He would provide.

Fans or Followers of Jesus?

Are we fans of Jesus or followers? I know some of you are Twins fans this year. God bless you; it’s not easy, is it? What are they now, 5-8? Not a great start to the season. I can’t say I’m a big baseball fan myself. I’m kind of a congenital Cardinals fan. Mostly, I’m just happy when the Cardinals win, and they’re happy I’m not attending their games in person because whenever I do, they lose.

For me, being a Cardinals fan mostly means if they play the Cubs, I want the Cardinals to win because I always want the Cubs to lose. Maybe it’s the same with the Royals. Then we have the Twins, and I don’t have a strong opinion on them except that I’m happy when you all are happy. I know we’re not very happy right now with how that’s going.

Yet you persevere, don’t you? Maybe it’s not baseball for you. Perhaps you’re not a Twins fan. Maybe you watch the Vikings or follow college sports with all their varieties, or even our local Huskies.

Here’s the difference between being a fan and a follower:

• A fan cheers when things are good, pleasant, and easy.
• A follower stays committed even when things are hard.

We are not merely called to be fans of Jesus but followers. We are to follow Jesus not just when things are easy but when they are hard.

The Example of Peter

The reality for you and me is tied up in the story of Peter—poor, misguided Peter. Peter very much meant every word that night when he said, "Jesus, I will follow You wherever You go. I will suffer with You. I will even die for You." He meant it with every fiber of his being, with every drop of marrow in his bones.

But when the rubber hit the road, suddenly Peter was saying, "I don’t even know the man. I don’t even know the man. I don’t even know the man." Jesus meant something to root for, not just something to wave our banners in the air for and say, "Hosanna, Hosanna."

Jesus’ Unexpected Salvation

Jesus came to give us something we didn’t deserve, to open a door for us that we could not unlock, to give us a gift we could never earn by our own effort. He substitutes our unrighteousness for His righteousness. In baptism, He has given us His life and taken upon Himself our sin.

As He goes into Jerusalem and the people cry out, "Lord, save us," you can imagine Him thinking, "I am about to save you in a way that you don’t even realize and most of you don’t even recognize." As Jesus rides in on that path of coats strewn on the ground, with palm branches waving at the feet of the donkey, entering like a conquering king while people cry out to Him, "God, save us," He is about to do exactly that which we ask of Him—but in a way we could never expect.

Our proper place in this story is not Joseph of Arimathea but much more like Peter—not just among the crowds waving our banners in the air saying, "Hosanna, save us," but in reality, with our lips and lives, joining the crowd and shouting all the more, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Give us the murderer and the insurrectionist instead."

Christ’s Unwavering Love

Yet, knowing already all that would transpire—knowing the love of the crowd would quickly turn and be manipulated toward murderous rage, knowing that Peter, such a steadfast apostle of Jesus, would deny Him just a few short days later, knowing that you, a baptized child of God, would still continually turn from Jesus and cry out for His blood with your sin—knowing all of that, Jesus Christ still went to Jerusalem.

He still gave you the Lord’s Supper that we will discuss on Maundy Thursday, and He gave the gift of foot washing as a symbol and sign of the servant love He expects from His people. He goes to the cross on Good Friday and suffers as an innocent man, His blood shed upon the ground for you, for the forgiveness of your sins.

He takes your place on the cross and dies. Then early Sunday morning, He rises from the dead—vindicated, proven that He was exactly who He is: the One through whom all life, healing, forgiveness, and salvation can come for those who trust in His name.

This is why the story of the Passion is the most important story ever told—all the more important because this story is true. It was not done just for people a long time ago and far away but for you, for me, for all who would call upon Him and believe in Jesus’ name. Amen.