04-10-2022 - Who is This?

OPENING

Today is Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday is the celebration of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of His final week leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection. We often connect Easter specifically with His death, burial, and resurrection. But His triumphal entry into Jerusalem is an important and integral part of the Easter story. It is so important, that it is recorded in all four Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all record different aspects of this moment in Jesus’ earthly ministry. This morning, we are going to use Matthew’s account as our Scripture text, but we may pull some of the details from the other accounts as well. So turn in your Bibles with me to Matthew Chapter 21.

SCRIPTURE

Matthew 21:1–11 NKJV

1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” 4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 5 “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” 6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. 8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” 11 So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

MESSAGE

As Jesus entered into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, some of those in the crowd in Jerusalem asked, “Who is this? What’s all the excitement about? Why all the shouts of praise and adoration? Can you tell us more about this Man? Who is He? Who is this?” And some in the the crowd replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Many people still give the same answer today. When they are asked the question about Jesus, “Who is this,” they might respond that He was a great prophet, or an amazing teacher, or a powerful healer. And all of those things about Jesus are true, but I’m glad today that we know that Jesus is more than just a prophet. He is more than just a great teacher. He is more than just a healer. There’s an old song that says, “He’s more than just a story, He is the King of Glory, I’m glad I know who Jesus is!”

I hope you can truly say this morning that you know who Jesus is! I hope that you can say that He is more to you than just a story in the Bible. I hope you can truly say this morning that He is your Lord, your Savior, and your King! That’s really what Palm Sunday and Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem is all about. It’s about responding to the question, “Who is This,” by recognizing Him as our Eternal King!

The Preparation for Jesus’ Arrival

Jesus arrived at the Mt. of Olives, just outside Jerusalem, on the first day of the week (Sunday). He immediately tells His disciples to go into one of the villages outside Jerusalem and find a donkey and its colt and bring them to Him. Luke’s Gospel gives us a little more detail on this part of the story:

Luke 19:29–34 NKJV

29 And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. 31 And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing it?’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.’ ” 32 So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them. 33 But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you loosing the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of him.”

First, Luke tells us that the colt had never been ridden. Then Luke gives us the conversation between the two disciples and the owners of the colt. Mark gives us another piece of information regarding how the owners responded:

Mark 11:6 NKJV

6 And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go.

In other words, they willingly let the disciples take the colt.

This part of the story is significant for several reasons:

(1) This event is significant because it was a bold announcement by Jesus that He was claiming to be Israel’s Messiah and King. The people would have known exactly what this event represented. We read in the book of Kings where Jehu is anointed as king and rides into town on a donkey as the people spread their clothes along the road in front of him.

(2) This event is also significant because traditionally no one else was allowed to ride on a king’s horse. This donkey had never been ridden. That’s what makes the way the king honored Mordecai in the book of Esther so significant.

(3) Jesus riding in on a donkey demonstrated His humility. He didn’t ride into Jerusalem on a large, powerful war horse, because He was not coming to Jerusalem to start a physical war or to establish a physical kingdom. He had come to establish a spiritual kingdom.

(4) This event is also significant because traditionally the only person who had the authority to seize someone else’s property was a king. So Jesus, by seizing this donkey’s colt and preparing to ride into Jerusalem, is announcing Himself to be the King of Israel!

(5) This was also a surprising move on Jesus’ part. Up to this point, He had gone out of His way to keep His ministry as low key as possible. Throughout His ministry, He often told people not to spread news of Him. Why was He now willing to make such a public announcement of His claim to be King? The answer is that Jesus knew His hour was now come. He knew that it was time to accomplish what He left heaven and came to earth to do.

The Prediction of Jesus’ Arrival

This moment of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem was not just an random event, it was the fulfillment of Old Testament biblical prophecy.

It begins in Genesis where it is embedded in the blessing Jacob spoke over his son Judah:

Genesis 49:10–11 NKJV

10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. 11 Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes.

We know Jesus was descended from the Tribe of Judah. He rode a donkey’s colt as a symbol of both His humility and divine royalty and then shed His blood on the cross.

Then we find the words that the crowd shouted that day prophesied in the book of Psalms:

Psalm 118:25–26 NKJV

25 Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.

The words “save now” here are the same as the word translated “Hosanna!” in the Gospels. The crowd shouted “Hosanna!” or “save now!” They shouted “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” fulfilling this ancient prophecy concerning the coming Messiah!

Then in Zechariah we find the very specific prophecy of the way in which the Messiah, the King of Israel, would enter into Jerusalem:

Zechariah 9:9 NKJV

9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.

The prophecy said that the Messiah, the King of Israel, would come in humble means riding on the colt, or foal, of a donkey. This had been prophesied hundreds of years before.

And if that is not enough, God recorded in Scripture a prophecy in the book of Daniel so exact that it predicts the actual day that Jesus would ride into Jerusalem. We call it Daniel’s 70 Weeks Prophecy.

Daniel 9:24–27 NKJV

24 “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. 25 “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. 26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”

Daniel’s 70 Weeks Prophecy is complex. We don’t have time to go through it all in detail here today. We spent some time discussing in during a Wednesday night Bible Study a while back. But let me just give you a summary of it to demonstrate the power of God’s Word.

In Daniel’s 70 Weeks Prophecy, each of the 70 prophetic weeks represents a period of 7 years. So the total prophecy covers 70x7 or 490 years. The 490 years is broken down into three separate periods: 7 prophetic weeks (49 years), 62 prophetic weeks (434 years), and the final prophetic week (7 years).

The “going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem” is told to us is Nehemiah Chapter 2. Artaxerxes issued this command on the 1st day of Nissan in 445 BC. Converting that date to our current calendar system gives us March 14, 445 BC. The completion of the work to rebuilt Jerusalem was completed exactly 49 years later in 396 BC (which fulfills the first 7 weeks of the prophecy). Then there is an additional 62 prophetic weeks (434 years) until the coming of the Messiah for a total of 69 weeks (483 years) from March 14, 445 BC. The total of the first 69 prophetic weeks (483 years), based on the Jewish calendar system, represents a total of 173,880 days. If we add 173,880 days to March 14, 445 BC, we arrive at April 6, AD 32, which was a Sunday, and not just any Sunday, but Palm Sunday, the exact Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem riding on the colt, a foal, of a donkey!

This prophecy of the arrival of the Messiah in Jerusalem to be “cut off” or executed was fulfilled in Jesus to the exact day! There can be no doubt that Jesus is the Messiah! He is the King of Israel and, more than that, He is the King of the Universe!

That’s powerful! But if you say, well what about the final week of Daniel’s 70 Weeks Prophecy, or the final 7 years? We’ll you’ll have to come back because we’ll answer that in a couple weeks.

The Purpose of Jesus’ Arrival

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the crowds took garments and tree branches (John’s Gospel specifically tells us they were palm branches), and covered the road ahead of Jesus. It was like “rolling out the red carpet” for royalty, but in this case it was a green carpet! And, as we’ve discussed, they shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

They were crying out for a Savior! They were crying out for a Messiah to rescue them! They wanted salvation, but they wanted to be saved from the oppression of the Roman government. Their idea of a Messiah was an earthy king who would lead a military rebellion against Rome and re-establish the Davidic kingdom in Jerusalem. They were now hoping that Jesus was the one they had been waiting for! They were hoping that He would deliver them from Roman oppression and usher in a time of political peace and economic prosperity.

But that is not the type of kingdom that Jesus came to establish at this time. He came to establish a spiritual kingdom. He came to open up the way of salvation, not from Roman oppression, but from the oppression of sin and death. He came to destroy the works of the devil. He came to redeem humanity from the curse of the Fall. He came at this time not to setup His Kingdom on earth, but to setup His kingdom in the hearts and souls of every single person who would call on His name and take up their cross and follow Him!

But the crowds missed the whole point! They asked, “Who is This?” And some replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” But Jesus is so much more than just a prophet from the town of Nazareth! He is the King of Glory!

Psalm 24:8–10 NKJV

8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah

Lift up your heads! See Him as your King! Jesus has already paid the price for your redemption. Open up the doors of your hearts to Him! And the King of Glory will come in and dwell with you!

And one day, those who have accepted Him as their King and Savior in this life are going to dwell with Him for eternity in Heaven.

Revelation 7:9–10 NKJV

9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

John the Revelator saw an innumerable multitude of souls in Heaven praising Jesus with palm branches in their hands! One day we are going to re-enact Palm Sunday at the heavenly coronation of the king of Kings! We will no longer cry, “Hosanna!” or “save now.” Our salvation will have already been completed and we will give Him the glory and praise for eternity for what He accomplished for us at Calvary’s Cross!

CLOSING

Who is this? I hope you can say today that Jesus is truly your King, your Savior, your redeemer! I hope you can say that He is more to you than just a story! I hope you’ve opened up the door of your heart and invited Him to come inside! I hope that you have made the decision to follow Him! If not, open up your heart to Him today! Make the King of Glory, the King of your life! Let Him forgive you of your sins! Let Him grant you eternal life in Him!

ALTAR CALL