Matthew 21:10 says “The whole city was stirred.” People from all over the country were coming to Jerusalem to prepare for the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Then it says, “and asked, who is this?” Good question.
The answer to this question depends on who is answering it.The people responded, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” Was this an accurate assessment? Yes it was, but it was incomplete. The answer to this question is much, much more than “the prophet from Nazareth.”
Who is this man? To really answer this question, we shouldn’t limit our understanding to just Matthew 21:10. The whole book of Matthew gives us a much broader definition. Let’s take a look at what Matthew writes about “this man”. Listed below are titles, characteristics and descriptions about “this man” with references from the book of Matthew following the description.
The Christ 1:16
Born of a virgin 1:18
Immanuel 1:23
Born in Bethlehem 2:1 (in fulfillment of the prophecy Micah 5:2)
Worshipped as king of the Jews 2:2,11
Son of God 2:15 (Hosea 11:1) 3:17,
(the devil tempts Him using this title) 4:3-6
Jesus prays to His Father 11:25-28 See also 15:32-33, Affirmed again in 17:5
A Nazarene 2:23
Teacher, preacher, healer 4:23 (healing 8:14-17)
Great leader 4:25
Lord (master, one worthy of respect) 7:21, 8:2, 6-13
Power over nature 8:23-27
Power over demons 8:28-34
Power over the deaf and mute 9:27-34
One who gives rest 11:28-29
Gentle and Humble of heart 11:28-29
Lord of the Sabbath 12:8
Servant 12:18
One who the Spirit of God rests on 12:18
Leads justice to victory 12:20
Nations put their hope 12:21
Son of David 12:23, 22:41-46, 15:21-22, 20:29-30, 21:9, 15-16
Family man 12:46-50
Of earthly nature: a carpenter’s son, son of Mary and Joseph, had brothers and sisters 13:55
Prophet 13:57
Miracle worker (besides the healing and other miracles) Bread out of nothing 14:13ff, 15:29ff
Walked on water 14:22-25
Full of glory, like God on Mount Sinai 17:1-8
Son of Man 17:9-12, 22, 20:18
King 21:5
“Who is this man?” There should be no question about who Jesus is, for Matthew shows that this Jesus revealed Himself to the people, answering in some detail who He is.
Is this question asked out of curiosity, wanting to know Him better, or perhaps with the desire to be one of His followers?
If we answer the question just to satisfy our curiosity, nothing happens as a result of the question. It won’t change who we are.
If we answer the question just to know about Him, it gives us the ability to answer trivia questions when someone asks “Who is Jesus?” We could list off a bunch of titles and attributes, therefore impressing others with our vast knowledge. But it doesn’t change who we are.
If we seek to answer the question, “Who is this man,” with the intent to follow Him, be devoted to Him, to worship and adore Him, that will change our life.
Lord Jesus, I want to know You so I can be like You. I want to emulate You. I WANT You to change my heart and my life. I want to serve You by demonstrating Your humble, servant attitude with gentleness and peace, looking to You as my king, my Lord, my master.
Not only does this response affect my present life, but answering the question, “Who is this man” also give me a future hope for I know Who will come again and reign on this earth promoting righteousness and justice for all.
In the meantime, as things go from bad to worse, I have a personal relationship with God, who became a man, in order to redeem mankind.
If we accept and believe we were born into a sinful, rebellious position before a holy and righteous God, if we understand and accept the fact that we are wicked in the eyes of God and cannot do anything to merit favor before Him, we are taking the first step toward redemption, toward a true relationship with God the Father. It is necessary to believe and accept what Jesus did when He came as a man, died on the cross for man’s sinful, rebellious nature and rose from the dead to claim victory over sin and death. If you embrace that as truth, God gives you the gift of eternal life in His Son, in Jesus Christ our Lord. What is amazing is that at the moment you believe, you become a child of God, part of His eternal family. You are given a new nature, a nature that is able to respond to and obey the living God. You are given the Holy Spirit. God Himself comes to dwell in you and you are given an eternal promise that you will be with Him forever. Your eternal destiny is set.
In the meantime, how do we celebrate the fact that eternity with God has begun? We live our lives according to His revealed Word, the Scriptures, what we call the Bible. We worship and adore Him, bowing down before Him. We live our lives before others, looking for an opportunity to share the truth and love of Jesus Christ.
Let me end by reading Philippians 2:1-11, because I think this is a great response to the question, “Who is this man?”
