Palm Sunday 2023
Notes
Transcript
Who is this?
Who is this?
When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
“Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Do we know who Jesus is? The real Jesus.
Have you ever done that thing where you think you know someone but you aren’t sure, so you look at them and then look away so they don’t see you. Then you look at them again, if you are in a restaurant you may hide behind your menu or if you are in the grocery store you may duck into an isle or hide behind a head of lettuce, just trying to confirm that it is who you thought it was, because there’s not much worse than calling someone by the wrong name or not knowing their name when they come up to you.
Here lately we have been asking the “who is this?” question alot here at church. We have had several visitors and it can be hard to keep track at times. So it is often the case that during staff meeting or throughout the week the questions arise “who is this?” or “who is that?” It will be the same this week no doubt, that someone will ask the question “Who is this?” just like the people did in Jerusalem some 2000 years ago in reference to Jesus.
Did you catch that? the last verses of our scripture reading.
When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Jesus has come into Jerusalem riding on a donkey with great fan fair and a parade of sorts and while many people know of him. They’ve seen the miracles or heard the teachings. There are still some that don’t and so they ask “Who is this?” and the response…
“the crowds said, “this is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
and just like that we are back in the grocery, store or the restaurant. We know we know this person. We went to high school with them, they are from Longview, they grew up off of 4th street. Their momma sings in the choir at the Baptist church, but what’s their name? “who is this?”
Now the crowd knew the name Jesus, they knew his home town Nazareth of Galilee, which was almost like a last name in Biblical times, but they still didn’t know his identity. They didn’t know who he really was. They said, “this is the prophet Jesus.” When is the last time you called Jesus a prophet? Probably never unless you were referring to how another religion views Jesus. When we talk about Jesus usually we go with “Son of God” “Son of Man” “The Christ” “The Lord” all of these words and titles that indicate who he truly is. This divine being that is both fully God and fully Man and savior to all that want him, know him, and call upon His name.
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Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
The Wesleyan Bible Commentary, Volume 4: Matthew–Acts a. Coming into Jerusalem (21:1–11)
Only Matthew relates that when Jesus reached Jerusalem, all the city was stirred (v. 10). People cried, Who is this? This all-important question was answered by a simple statement of fact, with no interpretation: This is the prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee (v. 11). Evidently people were afraid to say, “This is the Messiah.”
The Gospel of Matthew 3. Arrival in Jerusalem (21:10–11)
For the most part, for Matthew ‘prophet’ reflects something of Jesus’ significance and impact but falls short of marking a proper recognition of his identity.