Who is Jesus Christ? There are many options but only one truth.
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[Luke 19:28-48]
Who is Jesus Christ? There are so many options.
There’s Jesus the Socialist which comes from scriptures that encourage wealth being redistributed to help the poor.
There’s Jesus the Capitalist which comes from passages that encourage property rights and individual responsibility.
There’s Jesus the Superhero which come from passages that emphasize his amazing powers and strength.
And there are many, many more options. While they all contain some elements the truth these versions of Jesus often end up becoming distortions used by some group or another who want to use Jesus to promote their particular agenda, but don’t necessarily want Jesus himself.
But a biblical view of Jesus should be more than just something to attach to a cultural or political cause because Jesus is meant to be worshiped.
There’s a lot at stake because if we have a distorted view of Jesus we have a distorted view of the Scriptures, of salvation, of worship, and who God is.
Jesus said to him, “Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
To know who Jesus is to know who God the Father is.
So let’s look at these 3 sections in chapter 19 of Luke to answer the question “Who is Jesus?” and perhaps just as important, who is he not.
Separately, the three examples we just read give us an incomplete picture, but taken together, we get a more accurate view.
A Humble Jesus
Starting in verse 28 we’re told of the very well-known story of Jesus’ arrival into Jerusalem.
His arrival seems to be prearranged. Jesus sent his disciples ahead to get a young male donkey (a colt) and take it to the place where the procession would begin. If they meet any resistance they’re to say, “The Lord needs” which seems to be some kind of secret password that the owner would understand.
Then they brought it to Jesus, and after throwing their clothes on the colt, they helped Jesus get on it. As he was going along, they were spreading their clothes on the road.
So at the designated place Jesus is helped up on the donkey and he proceeded along the route. They throw their garments on the road to honor him.
Luke doesn’t mention the palm branches, unlike Mark and Matthew, but they’re putting those on the ground too. And they’re praising God joyfully because of all the miracles they’d seen Jesus perform.
In their eyes Jesus is a superstar. He’s a miracle worker. He’s powerful king and able to bring peace. So they shout out:
Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven!
So they see Jesus as the most powerful person in the land. No one should mess with a king who comes in the name of the Lord.
Now, Jesus is the king but let’s not miss the significance of the donkey. All of the Gospel writers go into great detail about the donkey because they want us to know the kind of king Jesus is.
How did Jesus ride in? He rode into Jerusalem humbly, just as Zechariah predicted:
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you; he is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
So what kind of king? A humble king. Jesus was not a zealot. He was not interested in overthrowing the corrupt Roman government. He was not marching on the capital to replace Herod.
The crowds celebrated the arrival of king Jesus but he was not the kind of king they wanted. They wanted a military leader but instead they got a humble king riding on a donkey.
And the people didn’t understand. The way Jesus arrived into Jerusalem on a donkey should have been a clue to the kind of king Jesus is. But the crowds didn’t fully understand. John 12:16 says not even the disciples understood these things at first.
But the crowds worshiped him anyway, even though they were worshiping the idea of freedom from the Romans more than than Jesus, himself. The crowds got so loud that some of the Pharisees told Jesus to quiet them down.
Luke 19:40 “He answered, “I tell you, if they were to keep silent, the stones would cry out.””
That’s true and Jesus’ response is another way of acknowledging that he is the king, God even, and capable of making inanimate objects worship him. But he is not the kind of king they think he is.
So, first we see a humble Jesus and, secondly, we see a weeping Jesus.
A Weeping Jesus
As he approached and saw the city, he wept for it, saying, “If you knew this day what would bring peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.
Jesus knows they people cheering for him don’t get it. He knows they don’t understand who he is, even though they worship him, and he weeps openly.
Those around him probably thought now that’s not a very manly thing to do. First you ride in on a pathetic donkey and now you’re crying?
But Jesus is weeping because they don’t know what will bring peace. The people want peace but they don’t know how to get even though the way is standing right in front of them. So he grieves not just because of the suffering they’re going go through but because so many will miss their opportunity for salvation.
They will crush you and your children among you to the ground, and they will not leave one stone on another in your midst, because you did not recognize the time when God visited you.”
Jesus’ attitude toward violence isn’t that it’s necessary and good. He weeps over the loss of life that comes as a result of their ignorance. They didn’t recognize Jesus for who he was when he visited. They weren’t expecting a a humble, weeping Jesus.
Now, in this last section, we get to the kind of Jesus that everyone was looking for, or do we?
The Bold/Uncompromising Jesus
He went into the temple and began to throw out those who were selling,
All right! Now this Jesus I like! But remember, this event occured within just a few hours, perhaps the next day, after just arriving in the city humbly on a donkey and weeping over their lack of understanding about who he is and what he came to do.
So Jesus goes to the Temple and the commercialization shocked him even though he knew what he was going to find.
Both Isaiah and Jeremiah (Isa 56:7, Jer 7:11) had predicted the temple would become a den of robbers.
Jer 7:11 “Has this house, which bears my name, become a den of robbers in your view? Yes, I too have seen it. This is the Lord’s declaration.”
Now the problem wasn’t in selling doves so the poor could make sacrifices, the problem was in the exorbitant prices they were charging and the lack true worship. Again, the people had no idea what they were supposed to be doing because they didn’t really know God.
So both the sellers and the buyers were responsible for turning the temple into a commercial center. Everyone was either focused on making the most money or on getting the best deal. No one had come to the temple to get close to God in prayer.
And that was very upsetting to Jesus. Enough is enough!
Now, John says that Jesus made a whip but on close examination of the text its likely that Jesus only used on the animals and not on the people. That interpretation fits with the text but it also fits with what we know about Jesus.
Jesus wasn’t a violent man and he never condones it. When Peter used a sword to defend him Jesus rebuked him.
So Jesus is Bold and Uncompromising but he is also Humble and Gentle. He weeps with a broken heart for those who are lost.
So is this the Jesus we believe in? Or have we taken an aspect of Jesus that we like and essentially turned it into an idol?
In the name of Jesus, Christians all over the world have done and are doing all kinds of unbiblical things. Putin and politicians around the world quote scripture to justify going to war and attacking their neighbors.
Instead of humility, many Christians encourage pride and division. Instead of weeping for sin, it’s condoned when it serves a greater good. Instead of being bold and uncompromising in the context of humility and weeping, some are outright promoting literal violence towards those they disagree with—in the name of Jesus.
Many Christians around the world, and in America, are not worshiping the God of the Bible and that’s what was so upsetting to Jesus in the temple.
So when we picture Jesus do we see him riding on a donkey? On a clumsy, gloomy, stupid animal? Jesus didn’t enter Jerusalem in a Cadillac. He didn’t have a war horse. He comes to us with grace offering us peace and mercy.
Who is Jesus? There are many options but only one truth.
Who do we worship? Do we worship a militant Jesus who’s on the verge of slaying his enemies? Or do we worship the true Jesus, the humble, tearful Jesus, who brings judgement upon those who profess to know him, but really don’t?
Let’s think about these things as we prepare to celebrate his death and resurrection.