The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”  “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Matthew 21:6 – 11

Somehow the Jerusalem crowd got excited as the disciples, lacking a saddle, took off their lovely robes and placed them on the back of this bewildered but obedient donkey.  Jesus climbed onto the back of the donkey and proceeded to enter Jerusalem.  The crowd got so enthusiastic that they took off their robes and spread them before the feet of the donkey as their deed of homage. Some cut branches from palms that grew along the way and spread them.  This was an unexpected scene on the streets of Jerusalem leading up to the day of Atonement.

As they passed through the gates of the city they shouted ancient scriptures and hopes that promised such a day, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”  This was not an organized choir but a crowd that felt it was the song to sing.  I do not think any prominent priests or rabbis were among them, it was just an outburst of hope – the hope of children, women, workers, all who looked forward to the promised coming of the Messiah.

This unplanned procession caught the attention of Jerusalem.  They were astonished and asked, “Who is this?”  The crowd around Jesus knew, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”   They knew him as prophet, but he was much more, he was the Messiah that all Israel hoped would someday come.

So, the drama heightens.  It was not long before the Jewish leaders pled for the Romans to arrest this man who claimed to be the Messiah and put him to death.  In four days Jesus hung dying on a Roman cross.  That should be the end of the story, but it was, in fact, just the beginning, with much, much to follow.

It is hard to believe.  Is Jesus of Nazareth the promised Messiah? Maybe children might believe that, but not us skeptics.

Whether people believe or not, the ultimate, the eternal, question remains and all destiny rests on the answer, “Who is this?”  I answer it with all my heart, it is Jesus!   Look and live!  Jesus is alive, he is Savior, Son of God Almighty, the promised Messiah.  Bow with me in adoration and praise.