Crowds shouted, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” when Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. All of the Bible’s New Testament Gospel books – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – record that event, which points back to Psalm 118:26, a verse from the Old Testament. The declaration “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” is spiritually significant, so it’s vital to discover what it means and why it’s important.
What Is the Context of This Verse?
This verse is a prediction in Psalm 118 that came true many years later – exactly as predicted – when crowds in Jerusalem welcomed Jesus as the Messiah (world’s savior). King David, who wrote the Psalms, expressed a prophecy God had given him about how the world’s savior would enter Jerusalem one day. The savior would be welcomed with open gates, as described in Psalm 118:19: “Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.” Then, crowds of people would shout hosanna (a Hebrew word that means “God saves”). Psalm 118:25 references that: “Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success!” Finally, Psalm 118:26 describes how the people would bless the savior at his arrival: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you.”
More than 1,500 years later, crowds celebrated Jesus’ arrival to Jerusalem – on a day that is now known as Palm Sunday. They opened the city’s gates and laid palm leaves (symbols of faith and victory) down in front of Jesus’ path as he rode into the holy city on a donkey. Then the people shouted the same statements predicted in Psalm 118, fulfilling the prophecy. Just a few days later, Jesus would be crucified for the sins of all humanity, becoming the foundation stone (the cornerstone) of our faith – which Psalm 118 predicts in verses 21-23: “I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice made it possible to sinful humans to connect with a holy God. By doing so, he brought spiritual light into spiritual darkness. Psalm 118:27, the next verse after the one that features the phrase “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” spotlights Jesus’ role shining spiritual light on humanity: “The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us.”
Jesus himself predicted how crowds would welcome him into Jerusalem by shouting, “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” When he talked with Jewish religious leaders called the Pharisees during an earlier visit to Jerusalem, Jesus lamented their lack of faith, saying in Luke 13:34-35: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
All four Gospels describe the Palm Sunday event that fulfills the prophecy related to the statement “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”: Matthew chapter 21, Mark chapter 11, Luke chapter 19, and John chapter 12. Matthew, Mark, and John all contain that exact phrase, while Luke quotes the crowd saying, “blessed in the king who comes in the name of the Lord” (Luke 19:38). Matthew 21:9 describes the scene this way: “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!’”
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What Does “Blessed Is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord” Mean?
The phrase “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” proclaims that Jesus came to earth fully vested with all of God’s authority to save humanity. It is a statement of praise that celebrates Jesus’ role as the world’s savior.
Why Is This Important?
This highlights the core message of our faith – that Jesus is God, and he came to earth to save us from our sins because of his great love for us.
Jesus has “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). God granted that full authority to Jesus for an important purpose, as John 17:2 reveals: “For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.” Jesus uses his authority in variety of ways, including to judge all people (John 5:27), to forgive people’s sins (Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12, and Luke 7:48), to spiritually cleanse people (Mark 1:21-28, Luke 4:31-37, etc.) and places (Mark 11:27-33), to control nature (Matthew 8:23-27), and to raise dead people back to life (Luke 7:11-17, Luke 8:49-56, and John 11:38-44). Jesus teaches with God’s authority, so he is much more than just a good human teacher. Mark 1:21-22 records: “They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.” In John chapter 5, Jesus tells the Jewish leaders that they should trust his God-given authority by placing their faith in him. Jesus points out that he has come in God’s name, saying in John 5:43-44: “I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”
Saying “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” is a way of expressing our faith in Jesus as the world’s savior and praising him for it. It is an act of worship. Just as crowds of people welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem by shouting this statement of praise to him, we too are moved to worship Jesus when we encounter the wonder of his redemptive work in our lives. My book Wake Up to Wonder shows how wonder moves us to worship and how worship leads us to experience wonder. It describes research that shows how that powerful connection works and explains how praising God is welcoming his personal presence with us. Psalm 22:3 tells us God inhabits (or is enthroned on) the praises of his people. When we worship God with praise, God meets with us, and we feel the awe of his presence among us.
Jesus tells us that he has willingly chose to serve as our savior. He chose to endure suffering beyond anything anyone else has suffered in order to pay the price for the sins of all people and give everyone who trusts him eternal life. In John 10:17-18, Jesus says: “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” Thanks to Jesus coming to us in the name of the Lord, we can enjoy eternal life with God if we choose to trust Jesus.
Conclusion
The phrase “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” is a statement of faith that celebrates Jesus’ role as our savior and praises him for his authoritative work redeeming humanity. When we read the Bible’s reports of how crowds in Jerusalem welcomed Jesus by shouting that statement, we can be inspired to welcome Jesus enthusiastically into our own lives.
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Whitney Hopler helps people discover God's wonder and experience awe. She is the author of several books, including the nonfiction books Wake Up to Wonder and Wonder Through the Year: A Daily Devotional for Every Year, and the young adult novel Dream Factory. Whitney has served as an editor at leading media organizations, including Crosswalk.com, The Salvation Army USA’s national publications, and Dotdash.com (where she produced a popular channel on angels and miracles). She currently leads the communications work at George Mason University’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. Connect with Whitney on her website at www.whitneyhopler.com, on Facebook, and on X/Twitter.