"Who is this?"

Today is Palm Sunday, the day that for Christians marks the beginning of the end, in a manner of speaking.  It is the day where we remember Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and the unfolding of the last week of his life.  The story is found in each of the Gospels.  It is in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  The four accounts have some points in common and also some points in which they differ.

I have read some things online about the different messages that were preached this morning around the Palm Sunday story.  I chose to preach from Matthew's account, and I was drawn into the question-and-answer of verses 10 and 11 as the key point of Matthews story:

"And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”"

Who is this?  This is Jesus.  That answer, that name, pointed me back to Matthew 1:21, where Joseph, Jesus' father, is visited by an angel, who tells him that his fiancée will have a baby, a baby conceived not by him but through the Holy Spirit.  And verse 21 says this:

"She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

Who is this, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey? 

This is Jesus…the one sent by God…to save his people…from their sins. 

He continues to save today, and those He saves He holds forever. 

If you don't know salvation in Christ I invite you to pick up a Bible, or follow this link, and over the course of the next few days to read Matthews account of the last week of Jesus' life. 

Don't just read it though, but ask God to help you understand as you read.  And my prayer is that by next Sunday, Easter morning, that God gives you the gift of salvation in the finished work of His Son, Jesus.  Amen.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.