WHO
IS THIS MAN? (Matthew 21:1-10)
Introduction: This morning, we turn our focus from an
unknown and unseen virus to a mysterious man. You might be wondering who this
strange man is? Well, to find out who he is, we must travel back into the near
and ancient history and find out who he was.
I. His Birth…
His
birth was questionable and happened under unusual circumstances. His mother was
a teenager when she conceived him under the power of the Holy Spirit. Some
theologians call it "The Immaculate Conception." His birth was
announced first to a group of innocent pageants who were taking care of their
sheep in the field of Palestine.
A star in the East directed a group of royal
astrologers first to a palace in Jerusalem then to a house where the child was.
These wise men offered expensive gifts and bowed before him in his honor. The King
and the entire city of Jerusalem were troubled by his birth. Are you wondering who this man was who
commanded such respect and caused terror to some?
II. His Childhood
& Adult years...
At
age twelve, he challenged the wisdom of the learned in the temple of Jerusalem.
But he was obedient to his parents in learning his father's trade of carpentry and
helping his mother in household chores. At age thirty, he was baptized in the
river of Jordan.
After
gathering a group of twelve other men, he went around the region of Galilee,
healing the sick, casting out demons, feeding the hungry, loving the outcast, and
raising the dead. He preached a straightforward yet powerful message, "Repent
of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near." Who was
this man, are you still wondering?
III His Call &
Carrier…
He
was a terror to the establishment. He was the cause of a revolution. Scholars
couldn't stand his wisdom and authority and wondered, saying, "Is he not
the carpenter's son? His mother, brothers, and sisters thought he was out of
his mind, and they tried to take charge of him. His opponents couldn't tolerate
his popularity, so they labeled him," drunkard, glutton and
demon-possessed, yet the demons were fully aware who he was and obeyed Him.
For
his followers, he was their beloved, deliverer, teacher, Lord, and even God.
For the crowds, he was a miracle worker, healer, and provider of food. They
wanted him to be their King and rule them. For sinners he was a friend. How strange some
people's behavior is? When their wish is met, they hail you as King; if not,
they will nail you as a criminal.
Are
you still wondering who this man was and is? Let's follow a group of people who
were coming out of the fields. I see them waving freshly cut palm branches in
their hands. They are laying their garments on the road, and amid the crowds, I
see a gracious man riding on a donkey. I hear the crowds shouting in Jubilance.
Let's pay close attention to their shouting.
Matthew
21:9, "Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all
around him were shouting, "Praise (Hosanna, literally means "save
now." God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name
of the LORD! Praise God in the highest heaven!"
The crowds saw a prophetic fulfillment in
Jesus, and they shouted in Jubilance, whereas the citizens of Jerusalem may
have seen him as a threat. In their astonishment, they said, "Who is this?"
The crowds replied in Vs. 11, "It's Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in
Galilee."
The
crowds gave away the answer to who this mysterious man is? He is Jesus. The
crowds saw Jesus as a king and a prophet. Zechariah 9:9, "Rejoice, O
people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your King is
coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a
donkey riding on a donkey's colt."
As
they saw Jesus coming on a donkey, they perhaps thought here is our King from
the family of David. He is going to deliver us finally from the tyranny of the
Roman empire and establish his Kingdom of Peace and Prosperity. Were they wrong
to think that way?
Probably
not, if you and I were in their place, perhaps we too might feel that way. It
is all about perception. The way you see Jesus determines your response or lack
thereof to him.
IV. How He was Perceived
by others…
For
the next few moments, let's look at how in the past, some angels, people, and
including the devil perceived Jesus. And how their perception dictated their
response. When Jesus was born, the
angels declared, "The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born
today in Bethlehem, the city of David!" Luke 2:11.
John
the Baptist inquired, "Are you the Messiah we've been expecting, or should
we keep looking for someone else?" After seeing the miracles, the crowds
wondered, "Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?"
Matt12:23. Here is an interesting admission by the devil himself. During Jesus
‘forty days of fasting and temptation, the devil tempted Him three times,
saying, "If you are the son of God? Matt 4:1-7.
Zacchaeus
climbed a tree because he wanted to see who Jesus was. Jesus came to where he
was and revealed His true nature and his purpose of coming. Luke 19:3 After
seeing Jesus rebuking a sudden storm with three words, "Silence! Be Still,"
his disciples were amazed and asked one another, "Who is this, man?"
Matthew 4:41.
A
woman with a chronic issue of blood saw Jesus as a healer and thought If I can
just touch his robe, I will be healed." Immediately the bleeding stopped."
Mark 5:28-29. Yet a lot of people misunderstood who he was and even challenged
His authority. At a dinner table, Jesus forgave a woman of her sins who was
perceived by others as a sinner.
His
power to forgive sins caused a stir among the guests; they said among
themselves, "Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?"
Luke 7:49. In an even more sinister way, the teachers of the law misinterpreted
his authority to forgive sins. The said to themselves, "Who does he think
he is? That's blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!" Luke 5:21.
V. How he was
perceived by His followers…
On
one occasion, Jesus wanted to find out what the crowds were thinking about him.
So, he called his disciples and asked them, "Who do people say I am?"
"Well," they replied,
"some say John the Baptist, some say
Elijah, and others say you are one of the other ancient prophets risen from the
dead." Then came one of the most challenging questions by Jesus, followed
by a well thought out response by Peter, who was considered to be hasty. Jesus
asked, "But who do you say I am? "Peter replied, "You are the
Messiah sent from God! “Let’s pause here and think it over again, "Jesus
is the Messiah sent from God."
All
our questions and quests of wanting to know and see who this Jesus is, must
lead us to one and only one conclusion, that is "Jesus is the Messiah or
Christ both means, "The anointed One."
VI. Who Is This
Man?
On
this Palm Sunday, are you wondering who this Jesus is? How do you perceive
Jesus? Do you see him only as a good moral teacher, a miracle worker? Or do you
see him as the Messiah, the one sent from God to save sinners like you and me?
Your
perception determines your response, and your answer determines your future. We
are here to help you respond rightly and secure hopeful eternity. One of the
things Jesus said, when he was on the earth, "I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." John 14:6 We
are living in uncertain times.
There
are hopelessness and death all around us. We once thought we were invincible
but not anymore. We only have wishes but no guarantees. In the midst of such
despair and helplessness, Jesus promises the hope of eternal life. Do you know
where you will spend your eternity if you were to die today? Do you have the
assurance that you will go to heaven?
If
you don't, you can find that hope today as the scripture says, "There is
salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we
must be saved." Acts 4:12 On the first Palm Sunday the crowds shouted,
Hosanna (save us now) for Jesus to save them. On this Palm Sunday, I encourage
you if you haven't yet been saved, shout Hosanna to Jesus; He will come to you
and save you and fill your heart with Peace and Joy. Amen!
