Making the Way

Then the crowds who went ahead of him and those who followed shouted: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven! Matthew 21:9 CSB

Holy week begins and we look once more to the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy. The establishment of an atonement sacrifice was something set down in the time of Moses and something the nation of Israel would come to know for generations. Jesus was sent by God to show the people how to live and defeat death so that all who choose to walk in God’s way will be heaven bound. Would it be surprising to learn that he actually had experience in this?

We are going back all the way to Exodus 23: 20 & 21 to see where this experience can be found. “I am going to send an angel before you to protect you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. Be attentive to him and listen to him. Do not defy him, because he will not forgive your acts of rebellion, for my name is in him.” Most scholars believe that because this angel of God is presented as an extension of the LORD himself that this is the preincarnate Jesus. How do we see that paralleled? First, look at what the crowd said in Matthew (which I referenced in the opening) during the triumphant entry to Jerusalem: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” and then Exodus 23:21 “for my name is in him.” Let’s look also at the transfiguration in Mark 9:7, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him,” and back to Exodus 23:21, “Be attentive to him and listen to him.” Now look at the warning given in Exodus 23:21, “he will not forgive your acts of rebellion,” notice it says he will not forgive meaning he is in a place to offer forgiveness. What did Jesus say was the unforgiveable act? “Therefore, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” (Matthew 12:31) Speaking “against the Holy Spirit” (vs 32) is rebellion against God and the point of no return for Jesus to show forgiveness.

You might be wondering why I’m laying out the evidence to tie these two personifications together. With nearly 1,000 years between these events, I want us to see the unfailing character of Jesus. As the angel of God, a preincarnate Jesus goes ahead of the Israelites to ensure they know the way they should go and to guide them in establishing a kingdom of priests as spoken of in Exodus 19:6. He would strike down the enemies of God’s people and make sure they are settled in the promised land. Come in human form as God incarnate, Jesus ensured we know the way we are to go and to establish a kingdom of priests as spoken of in 1 Peter 2:4-5. He strikes down the evil forces who war against God and defeated death itself. By his sacrifice, Jesus made sure we are able to enter into the promised land of God: heaven.

In the Old Testament, the embodiment of God passed between the divided animals in Genesis 15:17 to show that He would fulfill the promise to Abraham. From that experience of seeing God’s plan fulfilled, and knowing He cannot fail, Jesus stepped into his “angel of God” role; this time in flesh. God was sending His own approved atonement sacrifice to take the place of all earthly ones. Instead of passing between a divided animal to be symbolic of him taking of the burden to see the promise fulfilled, Jesus hung between two divided brothers on the cross. Unlike his efforts in the Old Testament to see this through, ensuring God’s people can enter the promised land of the New Testament would be fulfilled in pain and suffering. Knowing how faithful and humbled Jesus was to see God’s plan made complete, I don’t see how any believer can help but shout “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”