When I was a young boy in Sunday school I learnt a song that was popular in my church at the time and is perhaps still well-known in Jamaica. It included the following words: “Everybody ought to know (some people don’t know) who Jesus is?” One day I will teach it to you if you don’t yet know it. The song brings to mind the text from the gospel of St. Matthew which we are reflecting on today, Palm Sunday.
All four gospels have versions of the account of Jesus riding on a donkey into Jerusalem on that momentous day but Matthew includes in his version of the event a simple statement at verse ten (10) which reads, “When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, Who is this?” (St. Matthew 21:10 NIV)
This question has been the question of the ages that is as relevant today as it was then as people sought to define or understand who really was Jesus of Nazareth, the boy who according to the gospel of St. Luke was born in controversial circumstances to parents who had not yet consummated their marriage. It’s the same question asked by the disciples when he quieted a raging storm on the Sea of Galilee as reported by the three Synoptic Gospels and it is the same question that has spawned intense debate and arguments among varying religious groups over the centuries resulting in the two most well-known Creeds the Nicene and Apostolic Creeds. The same question was asked by Jesus himself of the disciples in the Synoptic Gospels when he asked them first, “Who do people say that I am?” and after hearing their responses he asked them directly, “What about you, who do you say that I am?” (See St. Mark 8:27-29 NIV)
As we return to the scene on that momentous day as Jesus rode into Jerusalem, we observe that there was great excitement and wonder among those who followed him and even among those who were looking on from a distance with skepticism or even scorn. In Luke’s gospel we read that some Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke his disciples (St. Luke 19:39) while in John’s gospel, the Pharisees commented with derision and perhaps disgust, “Look how the whole world has gone after him.” (St. John 12:19) It was evident that no one was able to quell the excitement on this grand day. We could well ask of all those following him and waving their palm and other branches, who Jesus was to them. It would be really interesting to hear what their answers would have been. But the question comes after Jesus entered Jerusalem and the whole city according to Matthew’s account was “stirred”.
It is important to pause and grasp what Matthew is saying here by the city being “stirred”. It is as if everyone was gripped with interest about this man. The root word for stirred in the Greek language is ‘seio’ from which we get the word ‘seismos’, the same word which translated into English means ‘earthquake’.
If you have ever experienced an earthquake, especially a more violent one high on the Richter scale of 7 or more then you will have a great idea of the picture that Matthew is describing about what was happening in Jerusalem as Jesus rode into it on a donkey. This was quite an extraordinary scene indeed. Everyone was enraptured by the sight and the wonder of this man. As a result of all of this the question comes ringing out on everyone’s lips, “Who is this man?”
It could either indicate a genuine desire to know who he was or as Jesus suspected with many people when he asked the question who do people say that I am, it was just that they were caught up in the whole excitement of the day.
This question is yours and mine today right here in Cottam United Church. Who is Jesus to you? We are reminded as we reflect on the question, that we can only know a person by having a relationship, a close friendship or a deep bond with that individual. Anything else is just superficial. We may know about someone but don’t really know that person intimately. It is quite impossible to know everyone that we have ever met on a deep personal level obviously because such a knowing of someone takes time and personal investment of self and feelings. Nobody does that for every person they meet, even among our own relatives and friends. We all have varying levels of relationships with people and that is quite natural.
With Jesus however, we are being asked to know him at a level that far exceeds any other relationships that we have. We are being challenged to engage in a relationship with Jesus that must be the closest bond that we have with anyone or anything else in this life. That sounds terribly difficult, doesn’t it? That’s why we have the Holy Spirit with us and in us.
Is your relationship with Jesus one in which you are simply caught up in the excitement and curiosity of the crowd or is it one in which a personal and deep bond is being built up day by day.
One thing we learn about the response of a crowd is how fickle it is. Despite the whole city being stirred up by this man riding in on a donkey with great celebration around him it would just be a few days, not even weeks, just a few days later that the crowds, including perhaps some of the same people who were cheering him on into Jerusalem, would now be shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Crowds are never a true indicator of one’s real impact. It is the quiet and sometimes unnoticeable things that really make a difference and tell who you really are.
As we are here today, I could well ask, is this just another Palm Sunday when we all sing and wave some leaves without any real meaning or feeling?
If you don’t have a deep and endearing relationship with Jesus then all of this really makes no difference. It is not getting you anywhere. It would have been better to sit in the pews quietly, not saying a word. On the other hand, the waving of palms and all our joy must really come from the innermost parts of your heart swelling into immeasurably and uncontrollable joy in song and in dance and in music because you know who Jesus is to you. You know how important your relationship with him is and that makes you stirred, not just with the excitement and curiosity and wonder but with real joy because you know who he is and what he means to you. Your relationship with Jesus must be marked by a seismic shift in your priorities and in your relationships.
It’s interesting that in Luke’s gospel it is said that when Jesus approached Jerusalem, he wept over it. He literally cried over it because he knew what would befall this great city because of their stubborn refusal to accept him. Is it possible that even now on a day that should be bursting with joy and celebration that Jesus is in fact weeping for some of us his children who he loves dearly but who have steadfastly remained far away from him despite our superficial acts of acceptance and worship. We can agree that there is much in our world that is causing Jesus great pain today. As he rides in on that donkey, can you see the pain in his face? Everyone around is celebrating, but not him. The weight of the world is on his head and in his heart. On this day is he still in pain for you and me?
We live in a world that shows every day what it looks like when people don’t really know Jesus. We are self absorbed. We only think about and look after our own interests. We care nothing about others, especially those who are really suffering and in pain sometimes as a result of our own decisions and actions and that of people we know and influence. Conflicts rage on not because people love each other but only because we do not know how to love one another as human beings in spite of our differences. We live in a world where we are more divided than ever on all sorts of issues, political, religious, social and otherwise. Yet, the one thing we need the world stubbornly refuses and that’s knowing Jesus and accepting him as Saviour. It has to begin with each of us individually and personally committing to forming a deep and unbreakable bond with our Lord and Savior. Then and only then we can truly say that we know who Jesus is and only then can our lives be truly transformed in a seismic way that will make a difference in this world.
Let us go from here friends not just waving branches but showing to all whom we meet what it is really like to have a true and lasting relationship with Jesus. Only then will others be truly stirred by the difference that they see in you. Then and only then will people know who this king is who comes riding on a donkey in the name of the Lord. Let the world see your palm branches in your hands as we follow Jesus to Jerusalem but far more importantly, let others see the palm branches in your hearts that are being waved in love and joy for your Saviour every day that you have this life. Amen.