Who Is This?

Matthew 21:1-11

The Lord Jesus reached the Mount of Olives near the city of Jerusalem.

He sent two of the disciples to bring Him a donkey with its colts.

The animals could have belonged to a follower of the Lord Jesus.

The man responded immediately to the disciples’ words, “The Lord needs them”.

There is a lesson for us: We must respond immediately to needs in God’s work which we are able to meet.

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The Lord Jesus went into the city of Jerusalem, riding on the young donkey.

There are two reasons why.

• It was to fulfill the Scripture. The events were foretold by the prophet Zechariah. The waving of the leafy branches from palm trees is associated with joy (Leviticus 23:40). The Lord Jesus was welcomed as the messianic King, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy (Zechariah 9:9).

• He went to Jerusalem to die. He did not go secretly into Jerusalem to avoid being arrested. He went openly because it was God’s time for Him to go to the city. He went to Jerusalem to die on the cross as a sacrifice for sinners. He died as the Lamb of God to take away sin.

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The entry of the Lord Jesus into the city of Jerusalem made such an impact that the Passover pilgrims asked, “Who is this?”

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

The people acknowledged that the Lord Jesus was no ordinary man. He was a prophet. But they did not see Him as the King who would save sinners through His death on the cross.

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How about us?

Do we only acknowledge the Lord Jesus as a prophet?

Or do we know Him as our personal Lord and Savior?

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Who is This?