Hosanna!

John 12:12-19 Key Verse 13: So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

1. Look at verses 12-13. Describe the scene: What was the crowd doing? Why were they bringing palm branches and crying out Hosanna? What does Hosanna mean? What could the palm branches signify?

   1. How do these actions show that the people truly wanted Jesus to come to them and be their king?

   2. How can we cultivate hearts that welcome Jesus in this way?

2. V14-15. What is the significance of Jesus riding in on a donkey? What is he bringing with him? (Zechariah 9:9)

   1. Contrast Jesus riding in on a donkey during his first visit with his second visit in Revelations 19:11-19: How is Jesus different on his second visit? What can we learn from this?

3. V16. what didn't the disciples understand? When did they gain understanding? What helped them get understanding?

   1. Why might we not understand something God is doing in our lives and how can we gain understanding?

4. V17-19. What did people do after Lazarus was raised from the dead by Jesus?(17) Why did crowds come to welcome Jesus in today's passage? (18) How did the Pharisees react when they saw crowds welcoming Jesus as their king? What were the Pharisees trying to gain? What does this show may happen when we try to gain the world?

Hosanna is a combination of two Hebrew words:

Yasa = Save

Na = Now or We pray now please

Zechariah 9:9

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your king is coming to you;

righteous and having salvation is he,

humble and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Revelations 7:9-10

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands. 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

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