Who is This?
- David Fairchild
- Mar 28, 2010
- Series: Topical
Who Is This?
Matthew 21:1-10
David Fairchild
March 28, 2010
Regardless of your religious background, Jesus is hard to ignore. More songs have been sung, more paintings have been painted, more movies have been made and more ink has been spilled about Jesus than any other figure in human history.
More than two billion Christians claim to follow Him, and more than one billion Muslims honor Him as a prophet. His image can be found in Hindu temples, and all major religions have something to say about this person named Jesus. Even those who claim no religious affiliation at all have strongly held opinions about this man from
Yet, despite all the attention most people have little idea of who He truly is. When we see depictions of Jesus, He often comes across very odd. He sometimes appears as a tanned, blue eyed, feather-haired
Palm Sunday describes Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and provides us with an amazing look into this luminary person.
Matthew 21:1-10: “Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 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. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, “The Lord needs them,” and he will send them at once.’ 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.”’ 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 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!’ 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, ‘Who is this?’”
As you can see, our cultural confusion about Jesus is not recent. Though we have God’s word which describes His true identity, confusion continues because we have preconceived ideas about Him. The same was true in the time of Jesus. Cultural opinion and religious expectation kept many in His day from embracing Him on His terms. Instead of accepting His self-disclosure, they wanted to shape Him into their own image to fit their own agenda.
But Jesus knew who He was and what He came to do. He was enacting history and fulfilling prophecy. He was accomplishing His Father’s plan for the world in their midst. The drama of Scripture, written by God Himself, was nearing a climactic moment as His main actor, Jesus, came to the city of Jerusalem to declare himself king.
The Israelites were desperate for a Messiah who would free them from Roman rule. They had the land, but they still didn’t have true freedom. For 500 years, God patiently dealt with His people by raising one nation after another from the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and now Romans, to be used as an instrument of judgment against His adulterous people. God sent one prophet after another to come and tell them to turn from their idolatry. He is a jealous God and didn’t want to share their worship with false gods.
Their political and national condition matched their spiritual state. They kept forgetting their God and turning their affection from what is lasting and permanent, to what is temporary and changing.
They thought their problems were mostly political and physical and only partly spiritual. They wanted God to change their circumstances but God wanted to change their hearts. God was doing something much greater than defeating their Roman oppressors. God wanted to give His true children a freedom that would last forever, regardless of circumstances.
This was God’s true Exodus, God’s true Passover, and nothing could stop Jesus from achieving the liberation planned for His people. The powers of evil were arrayed against Him like Pharaoh and the armies of
So here’s the scene: Jesus sends His disciples to go and get a donkey and her colt so that He could ride into Jerusalem. He knew exactly what He was doing. He knew He was fulfilling what the prophet Zechariah promised:
Zechariah 9:9-11: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of
The Israelites knew what this meant. They realized that Jesus was declaring himself King to bring peace and righteousness. That He was putting down oppression and had salvation in His hand.
So the people began to line the street with their cloaks and palm branches as they rolled out a make-shift red carpet for the entry of their new king. They started to shout, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!” Hosanna meant, “save us!” as they addressed Jesus as the Son of David, the promised King that was coming to establish a permanent throne that no one could remove and a permanent Kingdom that no one could defeat.
Can you imagine what this meant to them? ‘Finally God is coming to save us. Finally God is freeing us. Finally, everything we hoped for is happening before our eyes. God will break the backs of our enemies and bring His Kingdom reign! Save us! Save us great King!’
They were so right and at the same time so very wrong. Jesus was the promised son of David. Jesus was the promised Messiah. Jesus was bringing salvation. Jesus was coming to defeat their enemies. Jesus was bringing peace, but in ways that they did not expect or understand.
So what was it that everyone wanted? What kind of King was everyone expecting? Turn with me to Revelation 19.
Revelation 19:11-15: “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.”
That’s what they were hoping for. They wanted a royal champion. They wanted a rider on a white horse who would come in righteousness and judgment and make war upon their enemies. They wanted an army to be assembled and swords drawn so that God’s fury and wrath would pour out upon
Instead, Jesus’ first triumphal entry into Jerusalem could hardly be called triumphant. We know the story. We know what’s going to happen next. This is the last week of Jesus’ life. In just a few days Jesus is stripped of what little clothing He has, His friends all scatter, and He’s condemned as a traitor and blasphemer. He’s mocked, beaten, whipped and then nailed to a Roman cross, stuck on the highest hill so everyone can see what happens when you mess with
This doesn’t look victorious. This doesn’t look liberating. This looks like utter failure. This looks like
But God promised both triumphant enteries. He prophesied both scenes.
Look at the contrasts in prophecy from Zachariah 9:9-11 and Revelation 19:11-15:
Zech 9:9: “Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, mounted on a donkey”
Rev 9:11: “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True”
Zech 9:10: “I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off,”
Zech 9:10: “and he shall speak peace to the nations;”
Zech 9:10: “his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.”
Rev 19:14: “And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.”
Rev 19:15: “From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations,”
Rev 19:15: “and he will rule them with a rod of iron.”
Zech 9:11: “As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,”
Zech 9:11: “I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.”
Rev 19:13: “He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood.”
Rev 19:15: “He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.”
The difference couldn’t be more substantial. Instead of Jesus coming into
These two scenes, with two kings, riding on two animals, with one speaking grace and the other judgment, one coming in peace and the other war, couldn’t be more different.
Is God going to set His people free? Is God going to defeat His enemies? Is God winning?
What is God up to in this story?
First, we have to see that God’s solution is often different than our own. God is creating a new people who will worship Him in Spirit and truth. He wants more for His people than a change in circumstance; He is after their hearts.
Even though they outwardly proclaimed Him as the Son of David, Jesus knew what they wanted. Even in their shouts of joy they were still rejecting Him. They laid down cloaks and palm branches, but held onto their own agendas. He knew what they wanted and it wasn’t Him. He was simply currency so that they could purchase their real idols.
We know what this is like, don’t we? We are happy to have Jesus change our circumstances and fix our problems, but not our hearts. We figure if we could just get this, or just fix that, that we’d be fine. So we do what we think is necessary to pay homage and honor to Jesus so that He’ll give us what we really want. We use Jesus to get our real god. Maybe Jesus can fix my marriage, so I’ll pay Him respect, but if He doesn’t come through, I’m out of here. Maybe He can fix my financial problems, so I’ll go to church but if He doesn’t, I’m out of here. Maybe He’ll give me a spouse, so I’ll go to church, but if He doesn’t give me what I really want, I’m out of here. We want Jesus to get us out of a bind and so we’ll happily pray whatever prayer and do whatever religious thing we think we’re supposed to, just so that we can have what we want.
Like the Jews, we are quick to proclaim a King that we think can give us what we want. But the moment we realize He’s not giving us what we hoped for, we’re done with Him.
We can tell who is Lord over our hearts by what we give our allegiance to. If Jesus calls us to give something up to follow Him and we refuse, then He isn’t our Lord, that person or thing is. If Jesus takes something away and we despise Him for it, Jesus isn’t our King, that thing or person is. If Jesus keeps us from getting something we want and we walk away from Him, Jesus isn’t our Savior, that thing is.
Our hearts are held up and shown what they’re made of when Jesus gets close and asserts His authority as King.
Peter was perfectly happy following Jesus and promising he’d give up his life for Him until he realized that to do so would cause others to socially reject him. When peer approval was threatened, Peter denied Jesus and refused to be associated with Him.
Judas was perfectly happy following Jesus as long as He could profit off of His relationship with Him. When he realized there was a plot to kill Jesus, he willingly sold Jesus out and betrayed Him for 30 pieces of silver.
Herod had no problem with Jesus as long as he could be entertained by Him. The moment Jesus didn’t give Herod what he wanted, he wanted nothing to do with Jesus.
Pilate could find no faults with Jesus, but as soon as the crowd threatened his position, he willingly gave Jesus up to be killed.
The crowd had no problem worshipping Jesus and accepting Him as King as long as He did what they wanted. The moment they realized Jesus had other plans, they turned from shouting “Hosanna, Son of David!” to “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”
Where are you in the crowd? Whose face shows your reflection?
What is keeping you from experiencing more of your King’s love for you? Is it fear? Is it approval? Is it comfort, security, power, control, self-righteousness, your agenda, your plans, your feelings, your circumstances? What is it that has kept you from having Jesus as Lord and King as well as Savior in your life? What is competing with Him for your allegiance?
But the heart of our God is on display in the last few days of Jesus’ life. Luke 19 shows us that as Jesus drew near the city, He stopped and wept over it. His heart was so moved that she wouldn’t receive Him for who He was.
In Matthew 23, just a couple of chapters later, we see Him crying out over the city:
Matthew 23:37: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!”
All of our failures, all of our guilt, all of our sin, and all of the multiple ways we’ve sold Jesus out, he stands over us in pity and cries out “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem…”
What are we to do? How can we begin to see our allegiances weakened to other lords?
Look again at Matthew 23:37. Jesus says, “How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings…”
Do you hear that? If only we would turn to Him, He promises to gather us together under his wings as a hen gathers her chicks. It’s easy to miss what He’s saying because it sounds like such a comforting little scene.
Jesus speaks of farmyard life where if a fire were to break out, the hen would gather her chicks under her wings and protect them. When the workers came to clean up they would find a dead hen, scorched and blackened, and live chicks sheltered under her wings. She would literally give her life to save her babies. This is a vivid and violent image of what Jesus was coming to do in
Still, how can the one who is coming to judge be the same one who comes in mercy? How can the One who makes war be the same one who comes in peace?
We have a strange relationship with mercy and justice. We want mercy for our sins and failures. We desire others to be patient with us for our sins against them and against our God. But when someone hurts us we want justice and get angry at God when we feel like they’re getting away with it. We don’t really want Him to be merciful to others but just. How can these two traits be found in the same person?
The answer is found at the cross. Jesus’ triumphant entry was triumphant because He alone was able to make judgment and mercy kiss. He alone was able to bring together righteousness and grace. He alone was able to make tragedy a triumph and exchange beauty for ashes.
How? At the cross, in His body, He fulfilled Zechariah 9 and Revelation 19.
The sharp sword of judgment reserved for us, was plunged into the side of Jesus’ body so that God could give us mercy.
The iron rod of authority came down upon His back, so that God could be our King.
The War declared against us falls upon Jesus so that He could become our peace.
His crown of jewels is replaced with a crown of thorns so that He could give us crowns of faithfulness.
Instead of our blood splattered upon His robe in judgment, He sheds His own blood so that we can receive robes of righteousness, white and pure.
Instead of being trampled under His foot in the winepress of God’s wrath, Jesus is crushed under the weight of the cross so that we receive the love of God.
In every way that Revelation speaks of our judgment, Jesus stands in our place as our substitute, and like the mother hen, gathers us under His arms as He endures everything our sins deserve.
He is the humble Prince of Peace AND the Mighty King of war, at the same time. Nowhere else can you find someone like Jesus. No other religion speaks of such Holy justice and yet such perfect mercy. No other way is as honest with your sin and as affirming of God’s grace.
Who is this man named Jesus? He is no less than the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world.
In Jesus’ humble entry into Jerusalem we are welcomed into a life of humility as we take up our cross and follow Him. Our pride has been forgiven and we can now thank Him for His grace by demonstrating His grace to one another and to our neighbors.
In Jesus’ final judgment we are welcomed into a sure victory. We don’t have to be afraid any longer. Jesus wins! Now we can live with boldness as we deal honestly with one another and with the world that needs this kind of Savior.
Rejoice greatly Kaleo, shout aloud children of God! Behold your King has come, humble and was nailed to a cross so that He could bring righteousness and salvation. He extends a hand of friendship to all who humble themselves before Him and receive His pardon.
Worship Him Kaleo, He’s coming soon and is riding a white horse! He is called Faithful and True. He brings righteous judgment to make war upon His enemies. His crown has many jewels, His eyes are a flame of fire, His mouth is as sharp as a sword, and His robe is dipped in blood.
This is who He is!
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