21 When they had approached Jerusalem and had come 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 there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold your King is coming to you,
Gentle, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, 7 and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats. 8 Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. 9 The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,
“Hosanna to the Son of David;
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;
Hosanna in the highest!”
10 When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.” Matthew 21:1-11 [NASB]
Jerusalem was filled with visitors come to celebrate the Passover. Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem stirred up the people to such an extent that people were asking, “Who is this?”
This is one of those questions which matter most in life. When confronted with the person of Jesus, the most important question is: Who is this? You are free, of course, to answer any way you like – but your very life is in the balance.
The immediate answer of the crowd with him is that this is Jesus, a prophet from Nazareth. They are identifying him to the people in Jerusalem rather than making a religious statement.
However, in the mouth of someone living nearly 2000 years later, this would be a religious statement. To say that Jesus is a prophet is to say that Jesus is only a prophet. This brings us into the realm of those who think that Jesus was a good man – even the best man who ever lived – but just a prophet.
However, the crowd with Jesus that day had already made a religious statement about Jesus. They had already identified him and hailed him as the Son of David and the One who comes in the name of the Lord. They had identified him as a king in the line of King David, and as the Messiah who would come in the name of the Lord.
If Jesus is a king, then he must be obeyed as such. If Jesus is the Messiah, the One sent to deliver or save his people, he must be trusted to do so.
So… who is Jesus? Is he the one you trust as Saviour? Is he the one you obey as king? Or is he nothing more to you than a great prophet?
– SSXG