Matt.21:10,11 – When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds were saying, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
It is quite amazing how the son of a carpenter from Nazareth could cause such a stir as this. The power of His ministry, His teaching and His miracles, had effected all of Israel in three short years. The impact was undeniable, the question that had to be answered is how will you respond to the ministry and the claims of Christ. Sometimes it seems as if the claims of Christ are inconsequential and devoid of power, at other times they demand a response. The second effect was on full display in Jerusalem that day, the response of the nation unfolded in the following days. Here is how John Calvin described the entry of Christ into Jerusalem.
“Matthew says that the city was moved, in order to inform us that the transaction did not take place secretly, or by stealth, but in the presence of all the people, and that the priests and scribes were not ignorant of it. Under this despicable aspect of the flesh the majesty of the Spirit was apparent; for how would they have endured that Christ should be conducted into the city, attended by the splendor of royalty, with so great danger to themselves, if they had not been seized with astonishment? The substance of it therefore is, that Christ’s entrance was not made in a private manner, and that his enemies abstained from opposing it, not because they treated him with contempt, but rather because they were restrained by secret fear; for God had struck them with such alarm, that they dare not make any attempt. At the same time, the Evangelist glances at the careless indifference of the city, and commends the piety of those who have just reached it; for when the inhabitants, on hearing the noise, inquire, Who is this? it is manifest that they do not belong to the number of Christ’s followers.”
Obviously Jesus had visited Jerusalem many times over the years, this time was different. The culmination of three years of preaching, teaching, and performing miracles had taken its effect. In the next few days Jesus would be delivered over to the Romans for crucifixion by the Jewish leaders. Their pride blinded them to the One who had come to set them free. His entry into Jerusalem brought everything that was hidden out into the open. Rather than the end of the story that marked the beginning. He would be raised from the dead, ascend into heaven, and take His place at the Father’s right hand, waiting for the day when He would return to Jerusalem to establish His kingdom.
