Save us from sin and injustice. Save us from war and violence. Save us from those who rule in their own name: Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, the new Ayatollahs, and Vladimir Putin.
On Palm Sunday, the crowd was clear about what they wanted. They called to be delivered from Herod and Rome, corruption and military rule, death and the cross, and betrayal and denial. Hosanna of the highest order. Please save us now. Recovering what we have lost, removing what is holding us down, and finally making things right.
From crowds shouting “Hosanna” under Roman rule to today’s Silicon Valley engineers who promise to conquer death, people have always been waiting for a savior. On Palm Sunday, the crowds greeted Jesus with words that meant “help me,” a supplication hidden in praise, and called him the long-awaited King. They laid cloaks and branches for rulers. However, within a week, many turned against him because he was not the savior they had expected.
Today, this yearning manifests itself in many ways. Some billionaires promise to create a virtual afterlife and build a superhuman future. They are celebrated through government contracts, public benefits, and increased trust in technology for people. The details have changed, but the basic desire remains the same. We still want to be saved on our terms.
We praise the Savior we want and reject the Savior we get. The AI can be a demon or a demigod. So are our leaders.
“No Kings” will be echoing again this weekend – today it’s “Hosanna”. Jesus moves away. Another leader will take his place. Allegiances change. After revolutions, passionate liberals, even conservatives, often become the guardians of the status quo.
If Jesus had been the king the people wanted, Rome might have fallen, but another Rome would probably have taken its place. Even democracy can create its opposite as authoritarians learn to use its language and claim its name.
When Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of God, he does not mean a perfect system run by some harsh heavenly ruler or expert. Instead, it’s a way of life that challenges authority and fundamentally changes things. In the Bible, Gideon’s army is small so that victory is not mistaken for human strength. The chief apostle Paul describes his suffering as follows: “When I am weak, I am strong.”
We don’t glorify victimhood or today’s buzzword, “vulnerability.” This speaks in lieu of strength without ostentation, power without domination, and a life not dependent on victory.
Henry Kissinger asked peace activist and Yale University chaplain William Sloan Coffin, “What kind of foreign policy is that?” Mr. Coffin replied, “Justice is not a policy. Peace is not a program. It is what policy should serve, not replace it.”
Archbishop Desmond Tutu faced public anger and even made Nelson Mandela nervous about the way he led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. After years of brutal apartheid, he insisted the country’s future was not built on denial or revenge. “Without forgiveness, there is no future,” he said, urging both victims and perpetrators to tell the full truth.
Tutu did not go on stage. He rejected the easy authority of applause. He used his influence to say, “Those who have harmed others should come forward.” Let’s bring what is hidden to light. Now let’s see if forgiveness can last.
The committee listened to hundreds of stories, usually without tales of revenge and always with a sense of moral seriousness. The pardon was given for complete honesty, not as an excuse, but as a risk to our common future.
Some of those who later confessed supported a new South Africa, something they had previously opposed. Not all accounts were resolved in this process. It did something more difficult. He refused to allow justice and reconciliation to cancel each other out.
And the screams remain. It’s not a slogan or a program, it’s a plea for us not to outgrow our growth. Hosanna still means “save us.” The question is not whether we ask questions, but what answers we receive, and whether we recognize the answers when they come.
notes and reading
donkey mosaicMadaba is an ancient Jordanian city southwest of Amman, best known for its 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land preserved in St. George’s Church.
palm sundae—Matthew 21:1-11 (Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-44; John 12:12-13). In Western usage, the day is often the title “Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion” In the Roman Catholic and some Protestant traditions. The story of the Passion (Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion) is read in parallel with the triumphal entrance, bringing praise and crucifixion into a single liturgy, consistent with Desmond Tutu’s argument. Truth and reconciliation must be faced at the same time. Not one after another.
(passover festival– fell just after Palm Sunday. A Jewish event commemorating the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and freedom from slavery. Christians have often taken up the theme in celebrating Easter, but the tradition remains unique. The next day in 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his final speech, now known as the “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech. )
Without forgiveness, there is no future—Desmond Tutu (2000). Tutu’s most thought-provoking and essential book. It depicts a defining moment in his life when he chaired South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
god has a dream: A vision of hope for our time—Tutu (2004). A statement that distills his vision.
Let’s build a house in this bright darkness: Mysticism, art, and the path of the unconscious—James K. A. Smith (2026). Faith lived without conviction. “Hosanna” is used here to make clear that it is not a program, but a continuing supplication.
Confession of the Antichrist (Novel)—Addison Hodges Hart (2020). A literary warning against confusing salvation with worldly powers, the temptation behind “hosannas,” and the urge to make the gospel straightforward, practical, and reliable.
return of resurrection
just be careful
Approximately 2+2=5
Source: 2 + 2 = 5 – williamgreen.substack.com
