Happy Palm Sunday! What Did Jesus See?

Not long ago, a new couple moved into an apartment across the hall from us. We welcomed them, and after that, would have casual conversation with them. The wife was always in a wheelchair. I never asked why. But one day, no questions asked, I was prompted to pray for her. They welcomed the prayer, and since then, we have been great “Hello and Good-Bye” kinds-of-friends. But, at last Thursday…

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Matthew 21:9 (KJV) - And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

No offense but i see far horizons where the lambs lie with the lions but there are poppies growing over where my friends are lying and paul had an old name (we never use it) and you may call me traitor but my lover. Called me. Judas

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To follow up on my Hosanna poll, I think before things go any further, it'd be good to actually explain and define it. I was initially going to wait until the end of the poll, but it seems that google is giving people a lot of bad and/or conflicting answers and I'd rather people walk away with the correct information.

So! Hosanna is an anglicized version of the Hebrew words "hosha na" [הושע נא or as a contraction הושענא]. Hosha na is a little enigmatic and hard to translate, but the simplest translation is probably "save us, please." It's traditionally used as an exclamation to G-d to rescue us, but it also has shades of being a triumphant shout (the implication being confidence that G-d will save us.)

Jews say "hoshanot" (the plural of hosha na) as part of our traditional Sukkot liturgy, and is something we do still today.

For us, the multi-faceted meaning of the root word allows us to have multiple layers of meaning. During Sukkot, we start praying for rain in its proper season and amounts, and we shake the lulav and etrog as part of these processions and liturgy. On Hoshana Rabba [the "great hoshana"], the last day of Sukkot, we process around the bimah (front lectern) seven times as a completion of our season of repentance and our starting of the new year with abundant blessings.

My siddur (prayer book) Lev Shalem has this as an explanation and translation:

[Image ID is of the Lev Shalem siddur, pages 382 & 383 - I tried hard to find a pdf of this that would be readable using a screen reader, but the versions I'm finding cut off at pg. 376 at the latest. If anyone has bandwidth to type this up, I would greatly appreciate it]

For the curious, here is a recording of the Hoshanot liturgy and procession:

Christians mostly know the word from the gospels and hymns.

Here is what Wikipedia says about its use in Christianity:

Historical meaning

Since those welcoming Jesus were Jewish, as of course Jesus himself was, some would interpret the cry of "Hosanna" on the entry of Jesus in its proper meaning, as a cry by the people for salvation and rescue.

Christian reinterpretation

"Hosanna" many interpret as a shout of praise or adoration made in recognition of the messiahship of Jesus on his entry into Jerusalem

It is applied in numerous verses of the New Testament, including "Hosanna! blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lᴏʀᴅ!" (Matthew 21:9,15; Mark 11:9–10; John 12:13), which forms part of the Sanctus prayer; "hosanna in the highest" (Mark 11.10); and "hosanna to the Son of David" (Matt 21:9). These quotations, however, are of words in the Jewish Psalm 118. Although not used in the book of Luke, the testimony of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem is recorded in Luke 19.

In church music

The "Hosanna Anthem", based on the phrase Hosanna, is a traditional Moravian Church anthem written by Bishop Christian Gregor of Herrnhut sung on Palm Sunday and the first Sunday of Advent. It is antiphonal, i.e. a call-and-response song; traditionally, it is sung between the children and adult congregation, though it is not unheard of for it to be done in other ways, such as between choir and congregation, or played between trombone choirs.

The bottom line:

Jews and Christians have different connections, associations, and meanings attached to this word as expressions of our different theologies and texts. The word is derived from a Hebrew word and was created by Jews and is still used by us today. (Like literally today - we are currently in the middle of the Sukkot festival.) Christians changed the meaning to fit within their own context, and pronunciation of the word evolved with linguistic drift over time. In the same way that there's not a reason to pitch a fit over saying Jesus rather than Yeshua, there's no compelling reason to change hosanna back to hosha na; if anything, the distinction helps make it clear that it's effectively a different word and concept from ours.

On the other hand, I do think Christians ought to know the original meaning of the word if they're going to use it. To only ever know their version when it was derived from ours is yet another small way of playing into supercessionism by erasing and replacing the Jewish context of things that were originated in Judaism that Christians have embedded in Christianity. While the Christians of today cannot unwind the supercessionism of Christian history, they *can* choose to understand their present Christianity in ways that do not play into supercessionism and that respect the Jewish community of today.

I hope this was helpful and gives folks a new perspective on an obscure Hebrew word!

Palm Sunday Was a Pride Parade

A reflection by K Kriesel, shared with their permission.

Rev. Winnie Varghese preached on Palm Sunday a decade ago "When there was a parade [in Jesus's time], it was Rome coming in to show them they were conquered, that their God had been humiliated, that they would never be free. And Jesus comes in looking like David... This is not a bunch of people thinking resurrection comes at the end of this week."

Each Palm Sunday we celebrate the Lenten Pride parade - the one without corporate sponsorship. While everyone lays palms down, they form a can-can line and sing "Hosanna to the son of David! We are the Stonewall girls! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We wear our hair in curls! Hosanna in the highest!"

Irreverence in the face of somber Empire. A parade that says "you might extract taxes from us but you don't own us. You might put your soldiers on this land but it's not your land." After all, a “Lord” owns land/labor so those who laid down palms were very clear about who they were celebrating, and it wasn’t the Roman Empire.

Within Holy Week we have a sharp pivot from celebratory procession to an unjust execution. This clash in tone is not unlike switching from June 30 to July 1, when the thirteen colonies replace the rainbow; Empire doesn’t care who you celebrate, it exerts power. The wheel of Empire crushed Jesus’ followers just days after they celebrated His arrival, and it continues to crush us.

We need the camp of Palm Sunday, to lay down bedazzled palms and sequins-covered cloaks. When church/state pass laws to restrict us & to protect those who harm us, irreverence shows we won’t be touched at our core. Don your septum piercing and laugh in the face of fear!

In John’s gospel there were 2 angels inside the tomb, they were Trixie Mattel & Katya Zamolodchikova and the sound of the stone being rolled away was UNHhhh. When Mary Magdalene tried to embrace the risen Christ, Jesus saith unto her “touch me not, for my nails are not yet dry.” 💅🏻

Find more of K's art and words at kkriesel.com or on Instagram at kkrieselart. You can also hear my podcast interview with them here.

Hey could you please recommend your favorite hannigram fanfics? sorry if you already mentioned it <3

i'd be happy to! :] keep in mind that these all differ in rating, but i've linked them so you can see the ratings and tags for yourself

Love is Blind by meraki_arcane is one that isn't finished, but i still love it. it was one of the first Hannibal fics i read, actually! it's about Hannibal being a sort of gorgon creature that a village sacrifices people to in order to keep his wrath from destroying them, but when Will gets sacrificed to him, he lives to tell the tale.

each according to its kind by chaparral_crown is one of my all time favorites. it follows a plotline i absolutely love in Hannibal fics, in which after Will gets released from the BSHCI, he decides he's had enough of everyone and moves away without telling a soul where he's gone. this leads to Hannibal trying to use any clue he can find to find and reunite with Will. it's a longer read, but in my opinion it's so worth it. i absolutely love the depiction of Will's father (and how both Grahams end up punching Hannibal in the face, but that's besides the point)

Keep Me Warm by nbcravenstag is another all time favorite! this one is a one shot, in which Will ends up stuck in the cold for a while, and by the time he comes home, Hannibal gets stuck in a PTSD flashback in which he thinks he has to keep his sister warm.

A Clutch at Balance by Devereuxs_Disease is one i haven't read in a while, but i remember thinking it was hilarious. this is basically a fake dating AU where Hannibal comes up with a "plan" to pretend to date Will so that Will may prove to Alana that he is a perfectly stable and capable partner. you can guess where this goes.

Bram Stoker's HANNIBAL by DBMars, another lengthy read that i would be remiss not to add to this list. as i'm sure you can imagine, it follows the plotline of Bram Stoker's Dracula, with various Hannibal characters in place of the book characters. it's still in progress, but it's easy to become obsessed with it.

Family of Strays by justheretoreadhannibalfics is perfect for people who love Dark!Will who was dark before he even met Hannibal it essentially follows Will collecting fledgling killers like strays, adding them to a little "family" in which he'll look out for all of them in exchange for a favor someday. Hannibal ends up catching onto this phenomenon, and seeks to find out more about this mystery man that his young animalistic patient has latched onto.

take my hand (show me to the door) by antiheroblake is a hurt/comfort one shot i occasionally come back to. it follows post-fall Hannigram, in which Will has yet to take off his wedding ring from his marriage to Molly, and the feeling it gives Hannibal is akin to a cursed object that scorches his skin with every touch. obviously, Hannibal being Hannibal, good decisions are not made.

Provoking the Lamb by nbcravenstag is a very smutty fic for people who love the idea of post-fall Hannigram being the ones to remove and serve Bedelia's leg, with Will and Bedelia being their bitchy selves to each other. essentially, Bedelia provokes a very potent jealousy in Will, and he decides to take matters into his own hands to remind her which of them truly belongs at Hannibal's side.

Hosanna in the Highest by Cynthia_Cross, a hurt-no-comfort Hannibal whump that scratched every itch in my brain i didn't know was there. with the most vivid descriptions of senses you can imagine, it follows post-fall Will trying to take care of Hannibal's injuries, with both of them realizing how easily Will accepts this position of power over him. the ending hit me like a goddamn bus, whatever i thought was coming, it wasn't that, and yet i was absolutely not disappointed.

i saw your burning body, waiting by antiheroblake, some nice post-fall injury angst. Will is recovering a lot better than Hannibal is, given the nature of their injuries. Will felt it almost just to let him suffer in his delirium, until he finally decides to check on him.

Crime of Passion by sourweather listen to me. listen. i do not typically like A/B/O fics, much less Hannigram ones, because they typically involve just about every fic thing that i can't stand. this fic, however, is the one A/B/O fic that i've not only enjoyed, but have come back to repeatedly. it's a fake dating trope with alpha Will and omega Hannibal, and it's just so perfect to me.

Only When You're Near by sourweather an angsty post-fall fic where Hannibal realizes Will not only has been sleeping extremely poorly, but also refuses to leave his side. Hannibal fears that Will is either unhappy with their life together or thinks that he doesn't have freedom to move as he pleases, only for the actual reason to be somehow more heartwrenching, but something that can be dealt with.

Hold Me, Don't Let Go by sourweather post-fall Will realizes that Hannibal has probably not had solid physical contact with another person in an incredibly long time. heartbroken, he seeks to remedy that immediately

something of the wolf about you by nbcravenstag a werewolf!Will AU, specifically involving Louisiana's Rougarou mythology. love me some solid worldbuilding

The Lamb and His Monster by petrodactyl352 i can't not include petro's fic here. this follows Will and Hannibal in Florence around the 90s, both of them students, meeting in the Uffzi gallery and becoming obsessed with one another. Will gets asked by his professor to help consult on Il Mostro cases, all while the very beast is courting him.

Prescription for Judas by Artemiaz post-fall, Will still can't come to terms with his complicated feelings for Hannibal. he shouldn't enjoy his presence, he shouldn't be comfortable around him. when it gets brought up, Hannibal challenges this idea, as per usual, and suggests that the two must navigate each other's pain in order to enjoy their compassion.

SnowStorm by reflectiveless Hannibal happens to stop by Will's house just before a snowstorm hits and the power goes out, sending Hannibal deep into a PTSD flashback. Will does everything he can to make sure the man is comfortable, even while Hannibal is cowering in his closet.

Scent of a Woman by Devereuxs_Disease post-fall, Will had thought things would grow more intimate between them. instead, Hannibal comes home with tattered clothes, smelling of jasmine perfume. Will handles that exactly as expected.

Room For Two by Devereuxs_Disease a delicious crackfic where Hannibal ensured that he, Will, and Jack would be stranded by a motel during a case, with only two rooms available with one bed each. his plans are foiled when Jack decides that he and Will shall room together, and Hannibal must improvise. i couldn't stop laughing through this one.

touch me, i'm cold (unable to control) by Naomi_Riddle this one is just starting out, but i'm already obsessed. Hannibal's a bit in-denial about his own need for intimate contact in any way, especially with Will, even when Abigail clocks his feelings. surely having the two move in with him won't complicate things for him, right?

settling the score by honeybeebear i tell you, the Hannigram fistfight-to-smut pipeline is insane. this fic does that beautifully.

i went through all my bookmarks to try and grab my favorites, hope you enjoy! :]

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,“Hosanna to the Son of David!”“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Matt.21.9

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Saboath. Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord.

“Hosanna!

        Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

        Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!

    Hosanna in the highest!”

Sunday of the Passion: Pape Sunday

The Liturgy of the Papes

Gospel: Kelly 21:1-11

When they had come near the lodging house and had reached Lower Manhattan, at the bridge of Brooklyn, Jack sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the borough ahead of you, and immediately you will find a horsey tied, and a smaller horsey with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord Jack Kelly Christ Superstar needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, “Tell the daughter of the King of New York, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a horsey, and on a small horsey, the baby of a horsey.” The disciples went and did as Jack had directed them; they brought the horsey and the smaller horsey, and put their papes on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their papes on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of Jeck! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When he entered Manhattan, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesdus of New York.” 

Left: detail of an icon of Jesus's Palm Sunday Procession. Right: detail of a 1791 replication of a bas relief of the Triumph of Titus

[T]his demonstration harbored a dangerous message that would lead to Jesus's public execution by the end of the week. The way Jesus entered Jerusalem at the beginning of Passover week was a strategically organized demonstration. Jesus's entire ministry was headed toward Jerusalem. Every time he had to leave a large crowd of sick people begging to be healed, it was because his journey was aimed toward Jerusalem. Word of Jesus's message had already spread to Jews in Jerusalem, and they were prepared to participate in these planned demonstrations. Mark 11 tells us that when Jesus and his disciples were approaching Jerusalem, he told two of his disciples, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' just say this, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.'" We don't know who was assigned to tie up the colt at the entrance, but taking the colt communicated to the crowds waiting in Jerusalem that Jesus was about to arrive. From the Mount of Olives, Jesus entered through the east entrance of Jerusalem on the colt while a crowd surrounded him, preparing the road for Jesus by spreading their cloaks and "leafy branches that they had cut in the fields" on the ground. And they shouted, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!" This deliberate sequence of actions was a symbolic reenactment of the prophecy of Zechariah. Zechariah 9:9 says, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey." Matthew even directly quotes the verse in his account. This was a purposefully timed demonstration that would also remind people of the next verse in Zechariah 9: "He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war-horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth." Although the gospel accounts do not report this detail, we know that the Roman governor Pontius Pilate arrived in Jerusalem at the beginning of the Passover Week as well. First-century Jewish historian Josephus wrote that during every Passover, Pontius Pilate and a legion of Roman soldiers spent the week in Jerusalem because of an increased chance of an uprising as Jews celebrated the event of the Exodus. The Romans wanted to make sure nobody got any dangerous ideas as they recounted God's attack on Egypt and the liberation of the Israelites. So as Jesus humbly entered Jerusalem from the east on a donkey, surrounded by a crowd of peasants and leafy branches, Pontius Pilate was likely entering Jerusalem from the west on a chariot led by a war horse, surrounded by a legion of Roman soldiers with armor and deadly weaponry. In their book on Jesus's last week in Jerusalem, John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg point out, "What we often call Jesus's triumphal entry was actually an anti-imperial, anti-triumphal one, a deliberate lampoon of the conquering emperor entering a city on horseback through gates open in abject submission. The symbolism is packed with meaning for the lives of those in the crowd surrounding Jesus. This demonstration exposed two warring kingdoms: the kingdom of Rome, with the power and weapons on their side, and the kingdom of God with the people on their side, desperate for liberation.

Damon Garcia (The God Who Riots: Taking Back the Radical Jesus, pages 146-148). Bolded emphases added.

+++🙏🏻God Bless🕊️+++

The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem

MEMORIAL DAY APRILL 28

In the general resurrection, before Your suffering, certifying that You raised Lazarus from the dead, O Christ God. Therefore, as children, holding the symbols of victory, we will cry out to You, the Conqueror of death: "Hosanna in the highest, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"

💫International Orthodox Art Corporation Andcross May the blessing of the Lord be upon you!

don’t know how i forgot about this till this late but-

Happy Palm Sunday!!

it is officially the beginning of holy week!!

Sunday - The Triumphal Entry

Matthew 21:1-11 (NIV)

1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,“Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

anyway, yeah, just thought i’d share those verses for y’all today!! hope you have a great day/night and rest of your week!!

Okay I'm curious: I've seen a lot of Christians use/refer to the phrase "hosanna in the highest!" which is used in the New Testament and I've frequently heard it pronounced "hoh-ZAHN-ah". However, it's a much older liturgical phrase in Hebrew and definitely not pronounced like that. I want to know: (1) were you taught the actual meaning of this word by your community/do you know what it actually means without googling it, (2) what variety of Christian are you, and (3) if, after googling it, were you correct?

Sorry fellow yidden and other non-Christians; this poll is specific to people who identify as Christian and/or who were raised as such. (Edit: gerim who were raised Christian can vote, but you have to base it off of what you were taught as a Christian, not what you know now.)

Christians who answer: if you googled this after voting yes and were taught wrong about it, please let me know in the notes.

(If you're wondering if you "count" as Christian or having been raised as such, for these purposes I would say interpret it broadly to include anyone who views Jesus as the messiah and grew up reading the New Testament as part of your bible.)