Jesus entered Jerusalem as was prophesized, meek and humble, riding upon an ass. The King entered the city and was recognized by those who have seen or heard of the wondrous works and words of Jesus. They welcomed Him by making a pathway for the ass with their own clothing and branches from the trees. Most importantly, however, they welcomed Him with the salutation "Hosanna". St. John Chrysostom tells us that this word is translated to mean "we beseech You save us." The people cry out to Jesus as their King greeting Him with a welcome that is also a prayer and plea.
To indicate to us that this plea was not for worldly or material things, we read further that they cried out: "Hosanna in the highest." The highest is not in this earth but in Heaven. They are asking for a spiritual and eternal salvation. God's grace is with them, because this is precisely what Jesus desires to do.
It is not long now and Jesus will open up the gates of Heaven so that men may enter in. The Hosanna in the Highest is about to take place. The means for this to be accomplished is hidden from the view of the people. What they have envisioned and what God envisioned are two vastly different things. The people of Jerusalem are expecting a worldly material kingdom to be established that will be eternal. They expect Jesus to rise up and put down all His enemies with Divine power.
Jesus keeps His divinity hidden from them and from the devils. If the devils were aware what the Sacrifice of Jesus was to accomplish, they would rather have desired that Jesus should never make It. As the populace later witnessed Jesus captured and imprisoned and doing nothing to protect Himself, they began to doubt Him. (Even St. Peter, who had seen Jesus in all His glory as He was transfigured upon the mountain, faltered.)
The ultimate sacrifice of the Divinity is beyond our comprehension. It seems that it was even beyond the comprehension of all the demons of Hell. In crying out for His Blood, the devils sought to put an end to the good that Jesus was doing. The devils were succeeding in making people doubt, deny, and even turn away from Jesus. Many were led so far as to cry out for His Blood.
This great evil of Deicide was in the Divine plan. It is God's will that Jesus should suffer all this. From this, perhaps greatest of evils of mankind, God has drawn forth the greatest blessing and good for mankind.
The devils and their human counterparts willed and acted to commit Deicide, and God accepted their desires for the deed. They are therefore guilty and culpable of this great crime. They, however, did not nor could they kill God. Jesus' life was not taken away from Him. He freely laid down His life, and he freely took it up again.
We have followed Jesus this season of Lent in our own mortifications and sacrifices. The devils have brought forth their attacks and temptations against us. Some of us have faltered or doubted, and maybe even fallen under this assault just as our ancestors in the faith had. Let us not fear or hesitate in this assault, but rather take courage. The victory of Jesus is already complete. We know that at the end of the world Jesus will return in all power and majesty. The demons and all those who followed them will be cast forever into Hell. The outcome of this war is certain. Heaven wins and Hell loses.
The only question is: where will we find ourselves on that last day? The apparent success of the world will prove to be just that: "apparent" and not real. Will we find ourselves among the just in Heaven or among the unjust in Hell? Will we be among those who love God, or among those who will forever hate Him?
While there is still life in our bodies we are given the choice and chance to choose which side we wish to be on. The assaults of the devils, while they may appear to destroy us and beat us down, will turn out to be the very instruments that God will use to lift the just up and exalt them. As soldiers of Christ, we must not fear this attack, but rather take courage and consolation from the assault; knowing that we must be heading in the right direction or else the devils would not be trying so hard to turn us around.
May we therefore today cry out with the ancient Judeans: "Hosanna in the Highest," and resolve not to be turned away from Jesus, no matter how great the assault becomes against us. Let us not fear, but rather trust in God. He promised us that all things work for the good of those who love Him.