SUNDAY OF THE PASSION, MATTHEW 21: 2 “…and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. ; untie them and bring them to me.” The ride into Jerusalem has long been called Jesus’s victory lap. I think there is something of deeper significance going on here. In Jesus’s time when king or general led his troops into battle he always rode on a horse. The horse was the mount for battle. The surrender protocol was for the conquered king or general was to ride out on a donkey to surrender to the winner. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem he was surrendering to evil. He was going to give up, to sacrifice his life for sinful humanity. This was not a victory lap it was more a funeral procession. The word hosanna means: help, save, rescue me.” Jesus was coming to Jerusalem to surrender himself in order to help, save, and rescue sinful humanity from sin and death. “HOSANA! SAVE ME JESUS!” AMEN