This morning we are going to concentrate on the question

“Who is this?”

And make some progress in also answering the question

“Who am I?”

Who Jesus is the key question of history. In this country at this time that question has taken a series of turns. The last few days have seen the church of Rome and the church of England enthrone new leaders. Both  have centred their remarks on pointing to Jesus as being the one to follow. The scandals have been put aside for a moment and the aggressive secular anti-church anti theists have been silent. The church of Jesus Christ has , for once promoted Jesus and declared him as Saviour and Lord. Today we celebrate Jesus entry into Jerusalem , his most explicit statement of  who he was he ever made in public. So when the crowds asked “Who is he?” They were asking the question Jesus wanted them to ask.

 

 Before we get into looking at the answer Jesus gave to this question, lets look briefly at the disciples and the crowds.

If you are a Christian, then you are a disciple and so this story adds to your understanding of yourself.

 

Jesus sent two disciples to fetch the donkey and its foal.

·        Sent ones

It is important to see that they were sent to do routine jobs as well as preaching and healing. We all like the idea of being prophets and teachers but Jesus needs donkeys collected, Passover to be prepared, feet to be washed, basic routine tasks week in week out. We are the body of Christ and each of us are members of that body. No one is exempt from service. This morning’s service involves more than 12 people to do a whole variety of tasks, praying, preparing the service, setting up chairs, printing notice sheets, preparing the music, playing, welcoming, making teas and coffees, organising and doing Sparklers, all-stars and Lasers. We depend on each other to work together so that together we are encouraged and built up by meeting together each Sunday. Do not ignore the basic tasks they are just as essential as the show-case tasks.

·        Two – not alone but not the lot.

God uses us all in different ways at different times according to his gifting and purpose. Today we ask, if you are able, to deliver 50 -100 leaflets. Next week you will be busy in the family, at work, here at church doing a whole variety of tasks for the kingdom of God. The tough jobs are those that you do alone. God intends us to work in small groups but modern society isolates us. We need to pray particularly for those living out the kingdom alone in the home, alone in the workplace or school.

 

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. That is our response to the love of God. Do what the Saviour asks of us.

 

They were also part of the crowd. Not aloof from it. They were joined by the crowd as the rumours got around. Being in your family, your workplace, your team, society or whatever else you belong to, puts you in the crowd. Crowds can carry you where you do not want to go but opting out is not the role of the follower of Jesus. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them. So seek the welfare of the society in which we live and be light to a dark world telling of a different way of living.

 

 The crowds caught the excitement and joined in. They enjoyed the singing and the excitement of worship. They even talked the talk they recognised Jesus for who he was as King and Prophet. The irony is that the crowd within a week were calling “Crucify him; ‘ Not this man but Barabbas” It is not that they are hypocritical, it is the problem identified in the parable of the sower, either they forget or the pressures of life submerge or the trials of life weaken their faith but in a week’s time they will have ‘moved on’ even while the king is bringing them salvation.

 

 Jesus. Who is he?

First he is the Lord. Notice that the message is not Rabbi. Jesus has authority which is accepted by these unknown donkey owner.  The arrangements that Jesus made for this Passover are quite complex. He planned a donkey today and an upper room for the Passover on Passover night. They stayed in Bethany rather than camping outside Jerusalem, which was heaving with its population swelling many more times its usual. But Jesus had organised his itinerary. And now to carry it out he organises his disciples and his friends. He is not just a titled Lord, the likes of an English Lord, he has authority based, not on power of coercion, but the power of love. He is the one who says “ If you love me, you will obey me.” And we obey because we love him or we do not obey at all because he calls us to love. To live God, to love one another, to love our neighbours and even to love our enemies.  So whatever we don’t know about the donkey owner we know he offered his donkey out of love for the Lord Jesus. Even though it is apparent that the disciples did look a bit suspicious untying the donkey.  ‘The Lord needs him’ made sense to those who were watching.

 

 Secondly, he is a king. He rides into Jerusalem as the King of the Jews. It is a challenge to the authority of the establishment, it is the reason Pilate saw for his execution, He was claiming to be the Son of David. He was not so much a prophet as the fulfilment of prophecy. Jesus talked a lot about the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God. Here he makes a rare recognition of his identity. The kingdom of heaven is where he rules, where his will is obeyed , where people identify with him. But his kingship of not of this world. In the dialogue with Pilate Jesus makes this quite clear. His disciples are not terrorists, trained in the deserts, ready to rise up and seize power. Jesus had trained them to go and tell the good news of peace. There weapons were weapons of healing, their message a message of hope and salvation. They were going to spread the good news throughout the known world and be martyred with the exception of John who died of old age in prison. This king rides into Jerusalem on a donkey because he is not challenging the military might of Rome, he is challenging the world to live differently. Not by dominance and conflict but by peace and reconciliation. To claim that Christians can fight a ‘holy war’ is a lie. The crusades and the Holy Roman Empire were not about following Jesus but about earning salvation by violence and intimidation.  There is a case for a ‘just war’ but we do well to recognise the failure of war to solve the problems of the Falklands, Iraq, Afghanistan and today Syria. The real followers of Jesus are spread across the world telling the Good News, often persecuted, rarely newsworthy. It is a sign of a healthy church that it is missionary minded, seeking the well being and salvation of other in its own community and throughout the world. The king is among us and we need to listen to his commands and follow him.

 

 He is the Son of David.

He is the messiah, the long awaited saviour. Matthew quotes one prophecy, the people’s song refers to many psalms and prophecies about an eternal king, righteous and bringing salvation, chosen by God, anointed by the Holy Spirit. The Son of David is the one on whom all our hopes and aspirations hang. But he is a bitter disappointment to those who were looking for the wrong sort of Messiah. Read the Dead Sea Scrolls and you will find fanciful descriptions of a warrior king and how his armies were to be organised. A second Messiah who was a prophet and a third who was the great High Priest. The idea of a Messiah who would be all three was beyond their understanding. The idea he would reject the military route to power no one understood. The idea the Son of David would die for the sins of his people, even though it was in the Scriptures, was unthinkable even to his disciples.  

 

And yet they crowds cry “Hosanna” which has its origins in “God saves”. We all want to be saved but we like to minimise our sin and pretend that it is a trivial thing which would not require such an act of love. Our sin is our greatest problem and God sent Jesus to save us at it cost him his life and separation from God so that you could be brought into the place of grace and peace and fellowship with God.

¹⁰ When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

¹¹ The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

 

 He is Jesus or Joshua because he will save his people from their sins. He is the prophet because when he speaks, he is speaking the very words of God. God says to you and me “This is my beloved Son, listen to him.”

 

 the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.

First, they knew him. This is classic identity. Second he was different. In John 1:46 we read  “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.

Essentially it was a no-place. It is not mentioned in the Old Testament, and was sort of a town in Galilee. That was it. So there is an element on nonentity except that Jesus came from Nazareth.

Who is he?

He is the one that gives identity to others. He is the “I am”. And when you ask yourself, Who am I? the answer that will last is that you are loved and saved by Jesus. Where you were born may be interesting, Your genealogy maybe fun digging up, your status at work significant while you have a job, but your real identity lies in your relationships.

  First, with Jesus, secondly with others. Your family relations, your work relations and your friends give you identity and meaning but ultimately it is God who brings any sense of eternity into your life.

The crowds had all the right words, but they did not know what they meant. They did not see that they lived in momentous times. They did not realise that the Lord of life was entering Jerusalem to lay down his life and take it again so that we might have life. They dreamed of a political solution when God had a far better plan. So when the dream failed, they turned on Jesus and cried “Crucify”.

 

 The western world is turning on Jesus because he does not fit with the dream of freedom to explore every excess and perversion. He calls us to follow him into abundant life not the confused self-interest life of our culture. His prophecy is about loving God, sacrificial forgiveness, grace and peace. If Jesus entered London today, expect the crowds to enjoy the spectacle and then turn against him when he teaches about life in the Kingdom. Jesus is knocking at the door of your life. What is your reaction? To enjoy the fun but dispense with the obedience of love? Go with Jesus, with all the risks, worship him, cry ‘hosanna!’ because he has saved. Look forward to his return or wait with hope for death and resurrection.

Return to top