A Study of Matthew: They Still Can’t Bring Themselves to Say It
A Study of Matthew • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him.
And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?”
They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”
And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.
Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
saying to them, “Go into the village in front 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, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.”
This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.
They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.
Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”
And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
Today is Palm Sunday. We are one week away from Easter. Today, we remember how Jesus came into Jerusalem on a donkey, with everyone throwing down their robes before Jesus, waving palm branches in the air and proclaiming, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
We have just read this passage, but I wanted to start just a bit before that. Before coming to Jerusalem, Jesus had been in Jericho, teaching and doing miracles. As he was leaving Jericho, two blind men began calling out, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” When the crowd told the men to quiet down, they cried out even louder: “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” They don’t stop until Jesus comes to them and heals them.
This is immediately followed by the story of Jesus coming to Jerusalem. He sends his disciple to a certain place to get a donkey, which happens to be waiting for them when they get there. Then Jesus rides the donkey into Jerusalem through the Eastern Gate, with the crowds cheering. They are also calling Jesus the Son of David. It all seems so wonderful.
But look at our last two verses again.
And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”
And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
Throughout this entire gospel, Matthew has been answering the question, “who is Jesus?” We have seen the disciples ask this question after Jesus miraculously calmed the storm at sea.
And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
John the Baptist asked the question:
Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples
and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
And, of course, the priests and Pharisees were constantly questioning who Jesus was and by what authority he did all that he did.
But, scattered throughout Matthew’s gospel, we see those who saw Jesus for who he was. People like the three wise men in chapter 2:
saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
There were the demon-possessed men in chapter 8:
And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
And then there were the two blind men we just read about in our opening passage.
And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
And that brings us back to the Palm Sunday passage. Jesus comes into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey. This isn’t just some thing Jesus decided to do. It meant something to all the Jews.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
By riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, Jesus was declaring himself to be their king, their Messiah. This is why the people were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Everything they are doing says that the recognize him to be their Lord and King.
But then, we read that some people didn’t know what was going on. When they ask the crowd, they get the reply,
And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
Do you see what is going on? Jesus is passing by on the donkey, and everyone is yelling, “You’re the Son of God, alright!”
But as soon as someone else asks who he is, they are like, “He’s a prophet.”
Not that there is anything wrong with being a prophet. God’s prophets were important men and women, to be honored and respected. But they just called Jesus the Messiah to his face. Why did they have a hard time acknowledging him as Messiah to others?
What we are looking at today is how people did respond to Jesus, and how we still respond to him today.
We all have to face the question of “Who is Jesus?” It’s a valid question—a question whose answer has eternal significance. It’s a question we cannot afford to get wrong.
There are those who honestly want to know the answer. When Jesus reveals himself to them, they are happy to receive him.
There are those who are searching, but they have been hurt to the point that they become jaded and distrustful. Jesus is patient with those people, showing them that he is faithful. Just like with the disciples of John the Baptist, Jesus tells them, “Don’t just take my word for it. Look at my actions. Do I act like Son of God?”
There are those who don’t even want to ask the question. They have their own agenda, and they have already decided that Jesus doesn’t fit into their plans. They try to mold God into their image, justifying their actions and attitudes, while rejecting what the Bible says about Jesus. And while we are so quick to think about people blatantly living in sin, scripture points out that there are very religious-looking folks painting a picture of Jesus that is completely false. They teach that the cross is not enough to pay for your sin. You have to jump through all these other hoops to get into heaven.
And then there are the folks like the people standing around Jesus at the Eastern Gate. They are happy to take part in the program. They have seen Jesus do amazing things. They will join in with the crowd, proclaiming Jesus Lord—for the moment. But, deep down, they can’t commit.
“Who is that?”
Oh, that’s Jesus.
“Did I hear you call him Son of David? That would mean he’s the Messiah, right?”
Well, I don’t know about that. Maybe you could call him a prophet.
REALLY? A prophet?
What more does Jesus have to do for us to acknowledge him?
Is there anyone in this room who can say, “Jesus has never done a single thing for me”?
Maybe that’s too harsh. Is there anyone who would say, “I honestly don’t know if Jesus is real. I don’t know if he is the Son of God”?
Acknowledging Jesus is hard, because if he’s real, then the Bible says he is not just our Savior. He’s our Lord.
Some people don’t want to admit that they need saving. There are a whole lot more people who don’t mind savior Jesus, but want no part of Lord Jesus. The irony of that way of thinking is that you can’t be part of a kingdom if you refuse to submit to the king.
The people in that crowd were happy to cheer for Jesus and tell him what they thought he wanted to hear. But when it mattered, when they were asked by others who Jesus was, they couldn’t bring themselves to say it.
Right now, I am asking each and every person in this building: if someone were to come up to you and ask you who Jesus is, what would your answer be?
Would you say something like, “I don’t know”?
Would you try to change the subject or say, “I don’t like to talk about religion”?
Maybe something like, “Oh, I go to church. I believe in God.” That doesn’t really answer the question though.
If someone were to ask you who Jesus is, would you be able to look them in the eye and say, “He’s the Son of God”? Would you be able to tell them, “Jesus is real. He’s my savior and my king”?
Today, I am asking you. Who is Jesus, and who is Jesus to you?
If you don’t know how to answer those questions, it’s ok. What I would ask you then is, are you willing to take a chance and let Jesus prove himself to you?
If that’s you , then I want you to pray right now, “Jesus, if you are real, show yourself to me. Help me to believe in you.” The Bible promises that if you really are looking for Jesus, you will find him.
Maybe you can answer, “Jesus is the Son of God.” You believe that part. But you’re having trouble answering the question about who Jesus is to you. Because it’s no use believing in Jesus if you don’t accept him as your king. The demons know who Jesus is, and they will still face judgment for rejecting him as their Lord.
This is what I have to say: Jesus is the Son of God. He is perfect and pure. He died on the cross for my sin. He is my savior and Lord. I don’t always follow him as well as I should, but he is merciful. With his help, I will follow Jesus forever.”
