“And when He entered
Jerusalem the whole city was stirred up saying, ‘Who is
this?’”
By Pastor Mark
Thompson, Zion Lutheran Church, Lincoln |
“And when He entered Jerusalem the whole city was stirred up saying,
‘Who is this?’”
- Matthew 21:10
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[December 16, 2016]
Anyone
encountering Jesus eventually asks the question, “Who is this?”
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 When Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday the crowd of people
with Him laid cloaks and palm branches on the ground before Him.
Those people who went before Jesus and followed after Him shouted,
“Hosanna (a Hebrew word meaning save us now), hosanna in the
highest.”
When Jesus entered Jerusalem the whole city was in a state of
agitation.
The appearing of the ‘King of the Jews’ may bring salvation, or it
may bring the wrath of Rome upon the people.
This was not the first time that Jesus brought a state of agitation
to the city of Jerusalem. After His birth a caravan of star-gazers
and sign readers, ‘Wise Men,’ appeared from the East looking for the
newborn King of the Jews (Matthew 2:2-3). A challenge to Herod, the
sitting king, could mean freedom from that paranoid tyrant or it
could mean death to many.
 Holy Scripture tells us that all Jerusalem became anxious and
distressed.
Who is this newborn king?
At other times and in other places the name of Jesus caused
commotion. Shepherds heard the announcement of the birth of God’s
Savior. Angels proclaimed to them that Christ, the Lord, had been
born that very day.
Hustling through Bethlehem, knocking on doors looking for a newborn
baby boy certainly must have stirred up that small town. (Luke
2:15-18) In fact, this time the people of Bethlehem marveled,
wondered in their minds and conversation at what was said by the
shepherds concerning this child.
When confronted by Jesus, be He in a manger, riding on a donkey, or
nailed to a cross, every person is confronted with the question,
“Who is this?”
Is Jesus, for you, an excuse to have a celebration, the “reason for
the season” if you will. When confronted with Jesus do you see Him
as merely a means to the ends you have in your mind? Do you see in
Jesus a better year, a better life, a cosmic fountain of wealth and
earthly blessing? Do you consider that you just might have to die
for Him?
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 Does Jesus bring you a troubled mind? Who is this? Do you battle
Him a bit afraid that Jesus might just be exactly who He says He is;
God in the flesh. When you meet Him are you a bit agitated, a bit
concerned and troubled in your mind, even distressed?
It is Christmas and that is much more than baby Jesus birthday. Come
look upon Jesus through the words of the Bible and see Him. Come and
see that Jesus is God in the flesh, look and see that He has come to
you.
Jesus has come to save the world and repair our relationship with
God the Father. He has come to make peace. Those who do not
understand Him are, indeed, agitated when they meet him.
Those who know Him, marvel at and admire Him. Indeed, they worship
Him. He is Jesus, the Savior sent by the Father.
It is Christmas and indeed we cry out when seeing the infant in the
manger: “Save us, save us now!
Save us, Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the
Lord!
Save us, O Lord of heaven, our King!”
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