Our reading this morning is from the gospel according to St. Matthew chapter 21. So I invite you to turn in the Bible with me to Matthew 21. And we read verses one through 17. A reading from the gospel according to Matthew chapter 21, one through 17. Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphagia, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, the Lord needs them, and he will send them at once. This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, say to the daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming to you, humble and mounted on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks. And he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before them and that followed them were shouting, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! 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. And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple. And he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he said to them, it is written, my house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, Hosanna to the son of David, they were indignant. And they said to him, do you hear what they are saying? And Jesus said to them, yes. Have you never read? Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies, you have prepared praise. And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there. This is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I direct your attention to verses 10 and 11 of this chapter. 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. Dear congregation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Bible says that whenever Jesus Christ returns to earth to visit in grace or in judgment, the heavens as well as the earth will be shaken. They will quake. There will be a tremor that hits them down to the very foundations. All nations will shake, some with fear, some with joy, And such a shaking will be final. But before that final shaking occurs, before the final coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Lord sends some preliminaries, some early shakings of both His creation and of people. On Palm Sunday, the entire city of Jerusalem was shaken up. And they ask a question. Who is this? The question is actually very sad. And the answer that is given is very partial. Who is this guy? And the answer is, well, this is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee. And so I minister God's word to you here from Matthew 21 verses 10 and 11 under the theme, they answer a sad question only partly. First, notice the shaking and the reason for the shaking. Notice, secondly, how sad the question really is. And then finally, notice how disappointing the answer is that they give. Now you know the whole Palm Sunday story quite well. Jesus sends two disciples ahead to a village to find a donkey with its colt, and the owner gives permission for these animals to be brought to Jesus. They put cloaks on the animals, and many of the crowd put their own cloaks on the road, and they proceed down the Kidron Valley, and then you go up to Jerusalem. You're always going up to Jerusalem because it is a city on a hill. from the city come crowds out to meet this procession. And Jesus is followed also by a crowd. Probably many of them would have been Galileans who were present for the Feast of Passover. They go out to meet Jesus, and together, this large and noisy throng of people think of Psalm 118, which we have sung. Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. A triumphal chorus of supporters and well-wishers bring Jesus forward to Jerusalem, the city of David, the home of the temple. And I suppose if Jesus had wished at this moment to declare that he was the Messiah, the King, and he has come to Jerusalem right now to drive out the Romans, the crowds would have found their sticks and stones and knives and swords and they would have joined his ranks. Oh yeah. Because the Jews believed the Messiah will appear at Passover. Perfect time for Jesus to declare his political intentions. And the Romans knew that the Jews believed this, which is why they always put extra Roman guards, soldiers, on alert, lest something happen among the Jews. And I suppose the local Jerusalem news reporters were trying to get close to Jesus for an interview. What's your next move? Do you declare yourself king now? Who's going to be your running mate? Are you going to make Judea great again? And maybe the local businesses would try to have Jesus endorse their products. Why not? He is the man of the hour, after all. You know, Jesus shirts, Jesus wrist watches, Jesus buttons, Jesus jeans, Jesus breakfast cereal, Jesus this, Jesus that. He's good for our economy. He's big business. The noisy shouting mob enters the city of Jerusalem and it's only Matthew of the four Gospels that records this fact. The whole city was shaken, stirred, quaked, and they asked this question, who is this guy? Who is this fellow? And the answer that comes back, well, this is Jesus of Nazareth. Nazareth in Galilee. He's the prophet. Now, I have rarely experienced an earthquake. I live in Northwest Indiana, which is not exactly an earthquake belt, but I have experienced two earthquakes there. Very minor, very minor. A little rumbling of the earth. You wake up and you think, is it a train going by? No, it's not a train. The earth is shaking, and then it's done. A few seconds, and you're done. Well, Jerusalem is shaken, stirred. It is forced to ask a question and a sad one at that. Now, why is Jerusalem being shaken and stirred? Beloved, to understand the force of this stirring, you must see it as an element that has its background in Old Testament imagery. Many of the Old Testament prophets speak of the great day of the Lord, that great day when the Lord Yahweh appears and he comes into our presence and he comes either to bring blessing or he's going to bring his judgment. And when he appears, the earth moves. Amos prophesied two years before the great earthquake in Israel. and in one vision he sees the Lord standing by an altar and the Lord says strike the altar so that it is shaken to its very foundations. Haggai prophesied that once more the Lord will come and he will shake all creation, all nations, the heavens, the earth, the dry lands, they will all be shaken. You name it, he will shake it to pieces when he appears on the great day of the Lord. Whenever there comes this divine shaking, it is a signal, it is a signal of the end. And now Matthew, the gospel writer, knows the Old Testament, and he uses that shaking and trembling imagery very, very well as a theme throughout his entire gospel. And he uses the question here very well in connection with these shakings and these tremblings. Think of this. In Matthew 2, wise men come from the east and they ask the question, where is he who is born king of the Jews? And the text says that Jerusalem was shaken by that question. Why was it shaken? Because Herod is shaken by the question. And when Herod the Great is upset, heads roll. The Lord is born, the nations come to see Jesus, and Jerusalem is shaken. What does it mean that Christ has now come to earth? born as a baby in the time of Herod. Well, what does it mean for today? Who is this? Who is this child that causes wise men to travel, not by train or plane, to travel over many, many, many miles to see a baby? Who is this? It is the arrival of the Lord, for the birth of Jesus Christ is the coming of the true King. Yes, Herod, shake. Yes, Stalin, shake. Yes, Hitler, be afraid, be very afraid, for the true King has appeared. America, be afraid. Kiss the Son, lest he become angry and you perish in the way. There's more shakings in Matthew. Palm Sunday, shouting and yelling stirs up Jerusalem. But what's interesting is that Jerusalem does not repent. Because the answer they receive, well, this is a prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth, doesn't force them to look into their own hearts and souls as to the reason why Jesus is here. Well, a prophet, that's a good thing. Prophets perform signs. Prophets have messages from the Lord. That's a good thing, isn't it? A restless night of bad dreams shakes up Pilate's wife. She's a pagan, but she says to her husband, Pontius Pilate, don't have anything to do with this righteous man. My dreams have been troubled because of him. Let him go. Even Pilate gets unnerved and scared by the mob that yells at that kangaroo court over which he presides. More shaking. And when Jesus died, the earth quakes again. And a Roman centurion, not the Jews, but a Roman centurion says, truly this was the Son of God. The Jerusalem temple guards shake. when on resurrection morning the angel descends to roll the stone away and Jesus rises from the dead. When Jesus comes, when he arrives, there is, there was, there will be this response of shaking, trembling. Now Jerusalem, the text says, was stirred and she asked a question. But her question is a sad one, incredibly sad. Who is this? Jerusalem asks. Now you stand back and you say, after about three years of ministry, okay, Jesus did a lot of his ministry in Galilee in the north, but Jesus went to Passover. every time. He observed the feast days because he obeyed the laws of God. He was in Jerusalem enough that Jerusalem should not have to ask the question, who is this? His miracles, his sermons have made the rounds. Israel knows something about Jesus. Yes, she did. So who is this? What kind of a question is that? Jesus had come to celebrate the festivals of God in the capital city and they still ask who is this? Has Jesus been healing, feeding thousands, teaching, preaching for over three years now and they still don't know him? Who is this? Is a sad question because it reveals the deep down spiritual ignorance of all Jerusalem. And Jerusalem is supposed to have all the answers. After all, here are the chief priests, and priests are called upon to be teachers. Here are the Pharisees, here are the scribes, those who study the laws of God, who write those laws, who think about the laws of God. Jerusalem knows lots of answers, but when it comes to Jesus, she is ignorant. She's ignorant. I remember seeing this, this is years ago, Jay Leno would go out jaywalking and he would ask people on the street questions. And he said to his audience, if this is the level of knowledge about religion, we are in trouble with God. This adult lady is asked the question, there are 10 commandments, can you name one of them? And she goes, oh, oh, oh, oh. Oh, I wish my daughter were here. She goes to a Christian school. Oh, oh. Freedom of the press was her answer. Now, okay, this is maybe an exception, but this is where some Americans are. Who is this Jesus? And if Jerusalem has all the answers, then why this sad question? He's no stranger in their midst. The glorious gates of righteousness throw open Not in welcome, but in trembling. Why? Is it because of joy? Maybe it is something of that. After all, Jerusalem sees the humble Jesus coming on this donkey and it fulfills scripture, it fulfills the prophecy of Zechariah chapter 9. He is the anointed king, David's son. Yes, that's true. And he is coming in the name of the Lord. Yes, of course. He's coming with the blessing of God and the power and authority of the Lord. And Jerusalem says, oh no. Can this be the Messiah? Because if he is the Messiah, then I must make a decision, must I? I'm either for him or against him. I can't be neutral if he is the Messiah. Brothers and sisters here in Orange City, if he is the Lord, you have to make a decision. Now that decision is empowered by the Holy Spirit, there's no doubt about that. We can't make that decision by ourself. But you either say yes or no to that, don't you? Not, well, I don't know. Who is this? Jerusalem trembles because she already has one Herod, and she has a Pilate, and he represents the power and the authority of Rome. Is Jerusalem big enough for another king? Who is this congregation? The crowd answers, this is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee. Now, how would you rate their answer? Is that answer 100%? Is it 80? Is it 60%? Those of you who are teachers in our midst this morning know that sometimes when you ask an essay question, you read through the essay answer and you say, well, there are certain things that are true, not wrong, but there's other things that are left out. And I have to mark that answer down. It's not completely accurate. How would you rate the answer that the crowd gives? This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee. It's not wrong, but is that all that they can say? There's much more. to Christ than that, technically correct, but partly so, and therefore it is very disappointing. Sadly disappointing. How so? Because you must remember that the teaching of the Pharisees had great influence among the Jewish community, even with those who were not Pharisees. And the idea is, if you have more laws, you have more opportunity to practice righteousness. But if you practice righteousness, then you get more blessings. You scratch God's back, he scratches your back. You keep the commandments, you get more blessings. It's a good deal. This covenant really works, doesn't it? Be righteous, and you are righteous. And therefore, as God's people, we are in the driver's seat, which led to one prayer I thank you God that I am not a woman, I am not a slave, and I am not a pagan. I am a free Jewish male. Now why is that a benefit? Because more commandments come to me. And if I get more commandments I can be even more obedient. It's works righteousness. And so, since we have all these wonderful commandments that we're able to keep, and we can add more commandments that we can keep, the legalist loves commandments, especially ones that he can keep, then we can fix up this earth. And once we fix up the earth, we can be a blessing to heaven. Just watch us. Hosanna in the highest. We've got it all together. The Galilean pilgrims shout out the answer to the shaken Jerusalemites. This is our hometown boy. He's put us on the map. He is our champ. Look what he does. He heals the sick. He gives sight to the blind. He feeds the crowds. He raises the dead. Hosanna in the highest. The crowd has read certain verses from the Old Testament, and they underline them in their Bibles, but then there are other passages that they do not pay attention to. Oh sure, Zechariah 9, they underline that. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you, humble and riding on a donkey. But what about Zechariah 13 verse 1 and Zechariah 13 verse 7? They ignore those. Strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. Or what about Isaiah 53? The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. By his stripes we are healed. Stripes? Must the Messiah be beaten so that he's got stripes on his back? What are you talking about iniquities? We're good people. We're good people. Is Christ the sacrificial lamb that must die? Die. in order to take away my sins and your sins? Do you have sins? Can you name them? Would you name them? If not to me, I'm not a father confessor, but do you name them to God? What sins did Jesus have to die for in your life? What iniquities have you committed in this past week for which Jesus' death on the cross was necessary? Who is Jesus Christ to you, congregation? In Matthew 16, Jesus asked the question, whom do people say that I am? Well, some think you're Elijah, some think you're Jeremiah or one of the prophets, but whom do you say that I am? And when we put all of the Bible together, this is the picture that emerges. He is king of kings. That means the greatest king. He's Lord of lords. He's the king of the United States. Tell that to our president and our members of Congress and the members of the courts. He's the king of the United States. He's a priest, but he's not a priest like the Levites who kept dying. He's a priest of the order of Melchizedek, which never passes away, does it? It's always there. He has an indestructible life, and what's more, he doesn't bring an animal in its place. He becomes the sacrifice himself. He is Immanuel, God is with us. He is a wonderful counselor, almighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace. He is the branch from Jesse's stem. You cut down the tree of Jesse's house and a sprout comes out again and a sevenfold spirit rests upon him. He's the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is the I am. You see, He comes to take away the sins of the world. That is the point of the earthquakes. He has come to take away your sins. The crowd wanted to put Jesus on the throne right there, but God will not allow it. Not. Not now. Not Palm Sunday. for he first must go to the cross to suffer death in your place and in my place. He must first rise from the dead, conquering death by his glorious resurrection. All of those things that are the great essentials, the pillars of the gospel, the essentials of redemptive history, those are part of his work that he must do first. But what about the krauts? Well, when you are schooled in Pharisaic theology, they will be very disappointed in this Christ. We thought he was the one, but now the Romans crucified him and he's in a grave. If you're schooled on Pharisaic theology, then the real work of Christ will always disappoint you. And then you can join the scribes and the Pharisees on a few days later and cry out, crucify him, crucify him, because you've misidentified Christ. The crowds have given a disappointing answer to a sad question. And yet, and yet, there is something revealed about Christ here that is absolutely wonderful. In these verses, But it is understood only in the context of the whole scripture and then from the standpoint of faith. Faith. On the day of apparent triumph, Jesus is suffering. Yeah, but they're singing to him. They're welcoming him. Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. They're welcoming him. How is he suffering? Because they cannot identify him aright. And thus he, the true and only Messiah, suffers. He enters a city that hardly knows him. He dies on the cross for a world that does not know him. But that's the kind of Savior you have. While we were still enemies, Christ died for us. While we were still dead in sins and trespasses, Christ died for us, for you, for you. And now, you who know so much more about the Christ, answer the question, who is this guy? What will you do with Jesus the Christ? Who is he to you? For if you do not worship the Christ that is revealed in the scriptures, you will create a Christ in your own image. But then that becomes an idol. And when you worship idols, you break the first and great commandment. Oh yeah, Muslims have a place for Jesus, sure. He's a prophet, but he did not die on a cross. He's not virgin born and he is not God the son, but there's a place for Jesus in Islam. For the Hindus, he is an avatar. He's a manifestation of Brahman, but he's not the son of God who takes away the sins of the world. Even pagans and secularists, they have a place for Jesus. He's a good, he liberates the poor. He's a great example of moral integrity. He's everything except what scripture says he is. You see, even in Christian, so-called Christian churches, you have a Christ who requires no commitment, no discipleship, no endurance during hardship, no removal of pride or any sin, no emptying of your pocketbook, no apologies, no repentance, and sanctification is no sweat. No sweat whatsoever. Just do good and you are good. If Jesus did this, just do what Jesus did. Be good, nice, friendly, pleasant people. You'll get to heaven. The only thing Americans have to do to get to heaven is die. We all go to heaven. Who is Jesus Christ? What will you do with him? You know, we come through a seasoned Lent. Sometimes a pastor might do a series of sermons on the meaning of Christ's suffering, his death and resurrection. And then it ends with Good Friday and Resurrection Morning. But is that all there is? It must mean more. It does mean more. And the answer is written in blood. The blood of Jesus Christ that he shed willingly and freely on Good Friday at the cross. How beautiful that is. Because life is in the blood. Blood that washes away our sins. Blood that breaks the power of sin in my life so that we can confess Faith, my only comfort in life and in death is that I belong, where? To Jesus Christ, my faithful Savior who is satisfied for all my sins and who has delivered me from the tyranny of the devil. Lord's Day 13, why do I call him Lord? Why do you call him Lord? Because he purchased me, not with gold or silver, but with his precious blood. Romans 5 verse 1, Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Peace with God. Brothers and sisters, do you know how much consolation that gives us? Peace with God. Because of Christ, He's no longer at war with you. He disciplines us, but that's the disciplining love of a father for his children. He knows what you're made of. He knows your frame. So when we look at Matthew 21, the answer of the crowd was not the whole story. The whole Bible presents the whole Christ. He is the good news. The Lord of life, the Savior, the Lamb of God. Is that your answer too? The Savior, whose work, finished work in history, establishes my life. Therefore, when Jesus comes back, we will not shake with fear or terror. We will not call upon the hills and the mountains to cover us and bury us. We will tremble with joy. We will tremble with great gladness. The Messiah is back, and we will be with Him forever. Blessed is Jesus Christ, the Lion of Judah, the Lamb of God. Blessed is he who has come in the name of the Lord. Amen. Let us pray.