Who Is He?

This morning's sermon scripture reading comes from Matthew 21, verses 1 through 11.

Matthew 21:1–11

The Gospel of Matthew, and you follow along in your bulletin or pew Bible.

Hear now the reading of God's holy and fallible word.

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 see, you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her.

Untie them and bring them to me.

If anyone says to you, you shall say, The Lord needs them, and he will send them at once.

This took place to fulfill what the 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 fall 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 sat on them.

He sat on them.

Most of the crowds 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 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 crowd said, This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.

Would you pray with me?

O gracious Father, King of Heaven, we thank you for the ability to come and to hear from your voice this morning.

Lord, we pray in ask that you would give us bread from heaven this morning, that you would nourish our souls, that you would feed us and sustain us, that you would raise dead souls to life.

Lord, all of this is within your power.

And so we pray and ask for this in all in your son's name.

Amen.

Well, I've always found it to be an interesting thing to observe different cultures and how they tend to relate to status or people and places of prominence.

I've noticed that here in America, and this is a broad generalization, but generally speaking, we tend to have an eager fascination with people in this regard.

There seems to be an interest in knowing people or knowing about people who have status.

Your Jeff Bezos's and Kate Middleton's of the world.

And to some extent, applaud them in their ability to achieve such status.

On the other hand, in my former countries, there tends to be more of a disinterest or even a contempt toward prominence.

Rather than elevate someone, they prefer to see people of prominence as normal or ordinary.

There's this concern that no one is seen as more worthy of attention than the guy next door.

And to some extent, we see these same groups on display here in the passage we just read.

We have, on the one hand, the Pharisees and scribes who are indignant toward Jesus' fame.

And on the other side, the crowds who are somewhat enthralled at this man, who this man is from Nazareth.

One side somewhat curious, the other contemptuous.

And then there's another group who are neither merely curious nor contemptuous, but who know who this is, and who rightly offer him homage and praise.

And all of this surrounds the question who is this?

Who is this man who demands such attention?

So we see in the midst of this landscape, Jesus in a crowning moment of his earthly ministry.

We come to a time when he actually allows attention to be drawn to himself.

If you're familiar with Jesus' ministry, oftentimes we see him directing the attention away from himself.

Whereafter healing people, you know, he tells them to be quiet, not to tell anyone else.

Or we find him withdrawing to another place when too much spotlight is cast upon him, like after the feeding of the 5,000.

But here we see Jesus allowing and even further creating the situation so as to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah uttered centuries beforehand.

And so for some time he has been making his way up to Jerusalem, where he'll later be killed.

And at this time, Jesus instructs two of his disciples to go ahead of him and grab a donkey along with its colt with a secret password of sorts.

Now I don't know about you, but if Jesus had issued me the instructions that he issued to his disciples, I would certainly be somewhat curious to see how this whole thing played out.

I mean, this has the hand of God all over it.

It's quite remarkable when you think about it.

Thanks for the donkey, you know.

Wait a minute.

What are you doing?

That's okay, the Lord needs them.

We'll return them back to you.

Oh, okay, sure thing.

Yeah, you can have them.

I mean, people don't just trust strangers with their stuff.

That's remarkable.

And so the two disciples get this donkey and this colt and they bring them to Jesus.

But then they notice that there's nothing mounted on the donkey.

And so holding Jesus in higher regard than to see him ride beer back, they begin to put their cloaks on him, on the donkey, for him to sit on.

Likely so he can ride side saddle.

And at this point, the other disciples begin to grab their cloaks and they spread them on the road before him.

And this isn't your nicely paved, red-carpeted center aisle, but a dusty path.

And as he advances, people begin to join in and cut branches from the trees.

And they begin spreading them over the road as an indication of there being in the presence of royalty.

And they pay homage to him with shouts of praise, shouting, Hosanna to the Son of David.

And the commotion starts to build and gets louder and louder as they approach the city of Jerusalem.

And as you can imagine, as they enter into Jerusalem, this loud praise and activity creates a sense of wonder about who is at the center of all of this.

And so they begin to ask, Who is this?

To which they reply, This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.

An amazing and yet a very odd display of triumph.

Amazing in the sense of who he is, and yet odd in the sense of how he did it.

Notice the profound irony.

A moment of triumph.

And yet it left many people in the city of Jerusalem asking, who is this?

The ruler of the universe comes to his own.

The majestic God of creation comes down from heaven to dwell among his creation, and people are questioning who he is.

We can't seem to see the glory in this man.

It doesn't make any sense to our natural minds.

It's foolish, even.

Who is he?

And I think this is one of the greatest questions one can ask in life.

Who is this?

Many, and it grieves me to say it, are not concerned to ask this question today.

If anything, they're more concerned with the questions of what than of who.

What can I do with my time to bring meaning?

What should I do about the problems in my life and in society?

What can bring me satisfaction?

What should I do about all the problems, all the confusion in and around me?

All these are questions of what?

People are looking for a pragmatic what to answer their questions.

And yet the solution to our problems and the problems we face in society and in the world begins with the blessed question of a who.

Who is this, they said?

Who is he that he receives a welcome reception from many?

We see the same question by Andrew, a disciple of John the Baptist.

He hears John the Baptist's pronouncement, behold the Lamb of God.

And so Andrew follows after Jesus.

And then Jesus, testing his motives, turns around and asks, What are you seeking, Andrew?

Very subtle.

It cuts to the heart.

Not who are you seeking, Andrew, but what are you seeking?

And Andrew answers Jesus.

He says, Where are you staying?

In other words, Jesus, I want to know who you are.

I'm not after a what, but a who.

I want to hear from you.

I'm after a person, and not just any person, but the Messiah.

Because I believe that he has the power to grant salvation and transform my life.

And so Jesus welcomed him.

And he stayed with him.

Perhaps you've come here this morning seeking a pragmatic what.

I'm here to tell you, I'm concerned to give you something far greater.

I'm concerned to give you a who.

The King of heaven, that you might know him.

Here we have it.

Not seeking a what, but a who.

We see this confusion surrounding the who.

And yet we see the same confusion today, don't we?

There are some today who are quite happy to conclude that Jesus entered into history and seems to have done a great deal of good at that point in time.

They're happy to conclude that he's a prophet, even.

But what relevance he has for today is quite another story.

The idea is that we have modern problems to deal with.

We have societal issues, complex issues, and the belief is that none of this seems to address or speak to any of that.

And so a prophet who spoke into his day is fine, but we need new prophets, new leaders of rhetoric, with words of power to speak into the present day's problems, issues, and concerns.

And so they pay him little regard.

Spiritual life is vital.

And yet many aren't even concerned with this question: who is this?

Oh, how I wish to see the facts of the gospel narrative fulfilled spiritually before our eyes.

To see many born to see and treasure this King of glory and yield to him in the present.

To be given the eyes to see, the mind to know him, the heart to commit, trust, and love him.

God can do it.

Pray earnestly, friends, that the Spirit would give people in our eye and our day eyes to see his glory where they cannot see it.

His immense worth.

The one to whom every knee will bow.

He has the key to the chamber of the heart and can set people free according to his will.

As Martin Luther once commented, at this point in time, Christ is present to some.

And to others, he is to come.

To all who believe, he is present.

But to those who are yet to believe, he is not yet come.

Did you get that?

Is Christ present to you spiritually, or is he someone who is merely to come?

I pray that we would see a great stirring of people who are renewed in their interest to ask this question: who is he?

But having posed this question, let's move on to ask what it is about him that is worthy of our worship and love.

Why ought we to love him?

Because of his sovereign grace.

Everything is his, all creation is his, redemption is his.

So Jesus fulfills the prophecy of Zechariah.

Listen to it.

Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming to you.

Alright?

Here we have God in the person of the Son, entering into human history, and who comes to us.

That's the good news of the gospel.

Your king is coming to you.

This is personal.

We don't choose God, he comes to us.

That's good news.

Why?

Because in our natural state, we have no taste for God.

No desire to seek him.

No affection to be in fellowship with him.

And in such a state, you and I would be without hope.

But he came to us.

Your king, it says.

In love he came for you.

He pursued you.

That's why it's something to behold.

That's why this gospel is worth paying attention to and worth healing.

That's why what gives this man from Nazareth called Jesus significance.

Because God sent him to save sinners when they wanted nothing to do with him.

Who is he?

They said.

I mean, you can see their ignorance before the king of heaven, lost in sin, captive to the powers of evil, chained in their blindness and rebellion.

And God in his sovereign mercy sends him to triumph over it all.

Jesus came to us.

Oh, how amazing it is that the King of heaven would welcome us into his royal presence.

It's a blessed position.

Friends, we are those who have been brought into the kingdom of light from the kingdom of darkness.

He has great plans and purposes for you.

He desires to use you.

And so are we exercising our allegiance to the king by the way we conduct our lives?

Are you actively serving the king?

Because there are professing Christians who today who aren't even willing to give the cloak off their backs for the good of the king.

The donkey is in the stable, sheltered, hidden, discreet, not ready to be released.

They have been given great resources, and yet when the king needs them, they leave his servants empty-handed.

They're doing little nothing for him.

I agree with Spurgeon's expression of abnormality at such a person.

He says, A Christian sluggard, is there such a being?

A Christian man not working for his Lord?

How shall I speak of him?

A Christian man on half time?

Time does not tarry.

Death does not tarry.

Hell does not tarry.

Satan is not lazy.

All the powers of darkness are busy.

How is it that you and I can be sluggish if the master has put us into his vineyard?

Well said.

Convicting word, Mr.

Spurgeon.

And let me just say in response to that, that there are some people who can be thrown into ministry too quickly.

And we mustn't do that either.

Service for the king is not a way of trying to earn the king's favorite.

Forget the offering plate.

Forget the ministry to-dos.

All of this is of no benefit unless you have come to know the king to be for you.

There is no freedom in using the gifts and resources God has given unless it comes from a heart that has been set free.

A heart that has come to live under his grace.

But oh, once it has been set free.

You say, Send me.

You want to have the privilege of doing something, anything for the king.

I remember as a teen being so self-conscious in worship and life in general.

But in worship, I was concerned about what I would look like when I sang.

Concerned for what others thought of me.

Concerned for what they were doing, where their attention was focused.

I also lacked the desire to give of the resources entrusted to me with any real joy.

But friends, all of that begins to change when the light of the King's majesty is increasingly exalted in your soul.

In the light of his sovereign grace, you become more bold.

When the light of the King's glory shines into your heart, you don't worry about self.

Fetch the colt, the donkey, the palm branch, spread the cloak.

It doesn't matter.

You're focused on him.

Paying him homage.

Oh, how pleasing it is to be of any use to the King of Kings.

What an honorable position.

Are you using the resources entrusted to you in response to his sovereign grace?

What is it that you might offer to him?

That's the first thing.

The next thing is that he is worthy of our love and worship because of his humility.

See how he chooses to ride on the back of a donkey and colt, the fall of a beast of burden.

What a remarkable way to enter into triumph.

He is the king of all creation, and yet he comes not in the form of a high-spirited war steed with chariot or a slick, lively stallion, but on a colt from a beast of burden.

He comes as one who is gentle, meek, peaceful, and gracious, not vindictive, condemning, and violent.

God, the divine warrior, comes not by force.

Or coercion, but to bring peace.

And so we see Jesus lament and tears as he draws near to Jerusalem because they lack the things that make for peace.

Scholar Scott Haffman comments on the Roman procession people were accustomed to in contrast to Christ's lowly procession.

He writes, The highest honor any Roman Caesar or general could receive would be to lead one of these parades.

Conversely, to be led as a prisoner signaled one's utter defeat.

The role of those led in triumph was to reveal the glory of the one who had conquered them, ultimately through their public execution and death.

At the end of the parade, the Romans publicly slaughtered as a sacrifice to their god or gods those prisoners who had been led in procession, or at least a representative sample, selling the rest into slavery.

Though a gruesome thought to us, what better way to magnify one's victory while at the same time offering a sacrifice of gratitude to the gods than to kill publicly the leaders and the most valiant of the vanquished warriors as the final act of triumph over them.

This was a gruesome spectacle over one's enemies.

And here's the scandal of the cross.

Jesus came not as one to slaughter his enemies, but as the one who came to be slaughtered on behalf of his enemies, for the sake of his enemies.

He bought peace not by conquest and subjecting his enemies to shame, but by riding to his own death on behalf of sinners, himself being shamed on a tree.

That's how the rulers and authorities were disarmed.

That's how he triumphed over them.

How do we find peace in the midst of great confusion and hate and even death?

The problem still exists.

And the answer is to be made right with God, to be reconciled to God, to know and remain in the favor of God toward us in Jesus Christ.

He is our peace.

There's no true peace without him.

Listen to the Apostle Paul in nearly all of his letter introductions.

Grace and peace to you, he says.

Grace must come first before peace.

Adam and Eve lived in a land of peace, and they still failed to obtain it.

It must go deeper than circumstance.

I don't know what turbulence exists in your life right now.

But there is a deeper peace that can anchor you in the midst of it all.

God's favor must penetrate beneath all other turbulence in our lives.

Into the inner recesses of our souls.

And that favor comes to us through the precious blood of Christ.

There is no other agent of cleansing that will suffice.

Oh, how much needless suffering do we encounter by attempting to apply other cleansing agents?

How much energy is expended by attempting to use the scouring pad of self-reliance on our consciences to no benefit.

How much grano of guilt and anger must one drink before looking to the crucified Christ who promises to cleanse and freely pardon?

Let's not settle for false remedies.

Christ's blood speaks.

You know that?

It speaks.

What does it speak of?

It speaks of forgiveness.

It speaks of triumph over sin and death.

But it speaks of even more than that.

It speaks of loving acceptance by your heavenly Father.

There's only one thing that can cleanse the soil stain of sin on our conscience and give us confidence before the holy and living God, and that is the precious blood of Christ.

That's what can give you and I true peace and assurance.

And know of his love and favor toward us.

The Apostle Peter says it.

Not bring us to a change in circumstance or bring us superficial happiness, but to bring us to God.

To know more of him, to be in his presence and to know of his peace and favor toward us.

Receive and rest in the Father's love and favor over you.

What's left to condemn?

Here we see the ultimate triumph.

Sin nailed to the cross.

His wounds he bore for us.

And the powers of darkness and authorities, what are them?

Disarmed.

Made a public spectacle of.

That's where true peace is found.

That's why he's worthy of our worship.

And we have it in this Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.

Amen.

Let us pray.

O gracious heavenly Father, we thank you so much for the gift of your precious Son.

The one who is worthy of being exalted in our hearts and minds, the one who is Lord over all creation, and yet the one who in his humble and sovereign grace has come to live and abide in us.

O Lord, we thank you for your tender love and mercy toward us.

We praise you and thank you for this immeasurable gift.

Amen.