Who is This?

Today is Palm Sunday! A day on which we look back to a significant moment in biblical and world history. It was on this day… that Jesus made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem before His death on the cross and resurrection from the grave.

We know the story… and I will read it in a moment from Matthew.

There are elements that make it unique… there are elements that make it an answer to prophecy… and there is an element that we will focus in on tonight that I want you to see.

Matthew 21:1–11 NLT

1 As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. 2 “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.” 4 This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said, 5 “Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.’ ” 6 The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it. 8 Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in highest heaven!” 10 The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked. 11 And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

I’m not sure that anyone could have guessed that the Son of God would make His entrance into Jerusalem riding on the back of a donkey!

Even if they were aware of the prophecy this may have come as a surprise! Why? Because He is the king of kings and lord of lords! However, the prophecy spoke clearly regarding the nature of His arrival.

“He is humble, riding on a donkey-riding on a donkey’s colt.”

This prophecy comes from Zechariah 9:9

Zechariah 9:9 NIV

9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

This prophecy was written well over 400 years before Jesus came on the scene!

And now… here he is… doing what Scripture said He would be doing! And the crowds.... the crowds responded with rejoicing and praise!

But there is something in this story that stands out to me… As Jesus is riding into Jerusalem and the crowds are singing His praises… the community is… perplexed. Those who are unaware of Jesus… were in an uproar according to Matthew 21:10.

Why were they upset? Because of the perceived chaos taking place.

Have you ever ventured into a situation you were unaware of that kind of made you feel unsettled?

We have found ourselves in places and events that took us off guard. We didn’t know what was going on and confusion began to set it.

That is where the community of Jerusalem was… that is what caused the uproar… and that is what spurred the question, “Who is this?”

They didn’t know Jesus AND they didn’t understand what all the hubbub was about! Maybe they were trying to get down the street, maybe the large crowd made them feel nervous, maybe the loud praise disrupted their day.

Whatever it was… they wanted to know who was responsible for all the commotion. And the answer they are given… surprises me a bit. Look at it again in Matthew 21:11

Matthew 21:11 NIV

11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Now I’m curious tonight, church… does anything strike you as odd about this answer? Remember… this answer just came from the crowd that is singing praises in the street?

Is there anything wrong with this answer? No… not at all.

The man riding on the colt was in fact, Jesus.

Jesus was identified in Scripture as a prophet.

Jesus was from Nazareth in Galilee.

So pastor… what’s the big deal? Why does the response of the crowd to the community strike you as odd?

Because the crowd is technically using right words… but they missed the point of who Jesus is!

Many of those in this crowd are the same people that:

Jesus set free from darkness.

Jesus set free from oppression.

Jesus set free from sickness.

Jesus set free from deception.

Jesus set free through deliverance.

Many of these people had experienced a personal touch from the Lord and yet their answer regarding who Jesus was… was impersonal at best.

They could have said:

This is Jesus, He my healer.

This is Jesus, the giver of new life

This is Jesus, He brings freedom to the captives.

This is Jesus, He brought light to my darkness.

This is Jesus, my deliverer.

What strikes me as odd in their response is that they knew the truth about Jesus… but their response showed a lack of experiencing His truth or living His truth in their own lives.

One commentator said it this way, “They have all the right notes and none of the music.” One social psychologist once said of university students “It is possible to make an A+ in the course on ethics and still flunk life.”

Here’s where my heart sinks: The crowd is in the streets praising Jesus as He makes His triumphal entry into Jerusalem… but they miss the heart of who Jesus is and what He was coming to do.

How can I make such a declaration? Because in a very short amount of time… the crowd that was singing His praises in the streets… is the same crowd that would later cry for His crucifixion.

Here’s the problem I see in this passage… the crowd had received their “fix” from Jesus… but they had not received Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Remember, when Jesus came, He came not as conquering King as many thought He would. His ministry and time spent on the earth was not marked by a crown, but by a cross.

So the crowd knew who He was… but remained on the sideline when it came to their faith and commitment.

And if we are not careful… we can end up in that same place.

Which brings me to this question tonight...

Who is Jesus… To You?

Pastor, do we really need to ask this question at serve team night? We are serving in the church… how can we serve someone we do not know?

Well, the people in the streets were praising the One the would later condemn. We need to be very careful that we do not stop and knowing who Jesus is… but we continue to experience who Jesus is.

Jesus IS the Son of God. Jesus IS the Messiah the world had been waiting for. Jesus IS our redeemer and friend. And I pray we do not miss the heart of these statements. Who is Jesus… to you?

And your answer to this question is extremely important as members of a ministry team. Why? Because who Jesus is to you will greatly impact how you tell others… about Jesus!

The crowd wasn’t wrong in their response… but they missed the heart of who Jesus was. And this can happen for various reasons.

We miss the heart of who Jesus is… when we follow Him from a distance.

I find it interesting that we are living in days of sever Bible illiteracy. And some of the excuses I hear are amusing. People tell me they can’t remember. People tell me they don’t have time to read. People tell me they aren’t getting “fed” in the church.

And yet… these same people can tell me what is canon regarding Star Wars or Lord of the Rings or Marvel or DC films. People tell me stories from the news and tragedies from around the world - in detail. People tell me about movies, songs, books, and other cultural forms of media.

Listen, don’t stand there and quote Yoda to me and then tell me you don’t have time to memorize words of Jesus! The problem is… you’re trying to follow Jesus from a distance.

We miss the heart of who Jesus is… when we fail to connect faith with action.

Jesus didn’t talk about setting people free… Jesus SET PEOPLE FREE! Our faith in Christ ought to lead us to move and act like Christ. I sometimes worry that the enemy is gaining so much ground today not because he has become more powerful… but because believers have become more indifferent.

The love of Christ compelled Him to act with compassion toward the very crowd that missed the heart of who He was. They received from Him and knew the truth… but didn’t act on it.

And… we must be careful not to slip into the place of action… with no faith. Can there be such a thing? Yes… and Jesus even gives warning of it in Matthew 7:21-23.

Matthew 7:21–23 NIV

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Yes… we can stand in a church, hear the Word, and even worship His name… and miss the heart.

Faith must come with action… and action with faith. What we do must line up with what the Lord wills.

We miss the heart of who Jesus is… when we fall short in our witness.

I almost didn’t include this one, but God laid this so heavy on my heart. Looking back on the main text, the community was in an uproar regarding the presence and celebration of Jesus.

The original word translated as uproar literally means… shaken… a cause of great anxiety. The community overall was nervous about what was going on. It was abnormal behavior.

And we see this kind of reaction today from the secular culture around the church. Many see the works of Jesus as… abnormal. Many reject the truth regarding supernatural moves of God. So when something miraculous takes place… our world becomes vocal about it.

And such is the time for the church to respond… not through anger… but through witness. And maybe it isn’t the presence of Jesus that has our world shaken up… maybe it’s the presence of darkness. Regardless… NOW IS THE TIME FOR OUR TESTIMONY OF JESUS. Don’t stop at giving the basic info… TELL YOUR STORY! Let the world know what Jesus has done in and through you!

What we teach, what we preach, the lessons we give, the testimony we share is all impacted by the answer to our question: Who is Jesus… to you?

What is Your Answer?

Maybe you find yourself in one of the three issue areas we talked about. Maybe you find yourself in another place we haven’t brought up yet… and it’s a big one.

We can miss the heart of who Jesus is… by listening to fear and doubt.

Maybe the issue is fear. Maybe the issue is doubt. Maybe things haven’t gone the way you expected and fear has gripped your heart. Maybe things are more difficult than you imagined and you are beginning to doubt.

The enemy will use these things to bind you and distance you from the Lord.

So what is the answer… to getting to the right heart of our answer?

We remember what the prophecy said about Jesus… about the one that would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey.

This Jesus… is our King! This Jesus… is righteous and victorious! This Jesus… is humble… and is the one you have been waiting for!

This Jesus… came to deliver you and to set you free! He IS our healer, our redeemer, our Lord and Savior. He IS the One who brings life, victory, freedom and truth. He IS the One who overcomes and offers peace to troubled hearts. He IS the One who conquered sin, death and the grave and brought salvation to our lives! He IS JESUS!

And in response to who He is, can we stand to our feet and begin to shout hosanna to the One who comes in the name of the Lord?

Let’s draw closer to Him that we might never forget who He is and what He has done! Let’s not settle for simple knowledge of Him, let’s press in and know Him personally! And let’s give thanks that we can have this amazing relationship with Jesus!

And lastly, if you are struggling in one of the areas we mentioned… I want to pray with you.

Maybe you are struggling in following Jesus.

Maybe you are struggling in acting by faith or placing action to faith.

Maybe you are struggling in your witness.

Maybe you are struggling with fear or doubt.

If that’s you… Jesus wants you to know who He is tonight. He wants to break through the struggle and fill your heart with His presence.