Matthew 21:10-11

A GREAT QUESTION ANSWERED

‘Who is this?’

Matthew 21:10

Who has ever fully answered this question?

I. Partial answers.—I can tell you of a hundred partial answers, absolutely true as far as they go, but not complete. Who is this? you ask. And Eve could tell you. He is the ‘woman’s seed that shall bruise the serpent’s head.’ Jacob could say—He is ‘Shiloh, unto whom the gathering of the people shall be.’ Isaiah sung of Him—‘Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? It is the Lord mighty to save!’ David said, ‘The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on My right hand.’ The multitude on Palm Sunday cried, ‘This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.’ Pilate even could inform you ‘what I have written, I have written, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’ The blessed Angels toss the words from choir to choir. ‘Who is the King of glory? Even the Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.’ Saul the persecutor cowering to the earth, trembling and afraid, inquired, ‘Who art Thou, Lord?’—and the voice of his Creator meekly said, ‘I am Jesus, Whom thou persecutest.’ And a still tenderer voice falls upon us at Passion-tide from the Cross of Calvary saying, ‘I am a worm and no man, the very scorn of men, and an outcast of the people!’

II. The complete answer.—But is there no complete answer to the question? Is there no full and clear and precise description of Him, such as you and I can take and read at the foot of His Cross, and have to guide us in our thoughts concerning Him Whom our soul loveth? Is there no clear, unerring voice to teach one at every point the mystery that one’s heart cries out to know—no certain infallible rule by which to measure one’s thoughts as one tries to grasp the lesson of Calvary—no clear, complete answer to the question—Who is this? Yes, praise be to God, that clear, unerring answer has once for all been given by the unfaltering voice of the Catholic Church. I ask the question—‘Who is this?’ I know that my eternal salvation depends upon the answer. And my mother, the Church, leaves me not to grope for it by myself, but clearly, distinctly, unflinchingly, comes her voice ringing down to me through the ages. But does the Church so confidently answer this question? Yes. For her Lord has bidden her—‘Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned.’ And am I quite secure that her answer is the true one? Yes. For He has promised—‘The Comforter, Whom I will send unto you from the Father, shall guide you into all truth.’

—The Rev. H. D. Nihill.

Illustration

‘The right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man, God of the Substance of His Father, begotten before the world, and Man of the Substance of His Mother, born in the world. Perfect God and Perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting: equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His Manhood, Who although He is God and Man, yet He is not two but One Christ. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into Flesh, but by the taking of the Manhood into God; One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of Person. This is the Catholic Faith: which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved.’

(SECOND OUTLINE)

MORE THAN A PROPHET

As Jesus rode into the city a gust of enthusiasm seemed to sweep over the crowds that were pressing along the road. They greeted Him with the cry of Hosanna. They invoked Him as the great Son of David, who was to set up His everlasting Kingdom.

I. An inadequate answer.—And when the clamour of rejoicing called forth from the citizens the question, ‘Who is this?’ the Galilæan peasants, His own countrymen, gave the answer, ‘This is the Prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.’ Their confession was not like the great confession of St. Peter. It was the outcome of a mere passing sentiment, and sentiment will rarely survive criticism.

II. The question to-day.—‘Who is this?’ The question comes to us still, and meets, alas! at times with as poor an answer. Men and women still follow the great Christian procession. They are willing to greet the Central Figure of their company as Son of David. All the crowd is doing it; why should not they? But they have not really thought of what they are saying. And so when the question comes to them, as come it surely does one day, ‘Who is this?’ they receive a shock; they take refuge in an answer which nobody can gainsay: ‘This is Jesus, the Prophet.’ But the story of the text teaches us the miserable insufficiency of any such view of the Christ as that which regards Him only as a great Teacher, a great Prophet.

III. A faith that will stand.—The faith of these simple men was not strong enough to stand, because they had not faced what it meant. They had not faced this at least, that to follow Jesus means to follow the Christ in sorrow as in joy, with stern determination rather than with cheerful approval, in pain here if in triumph at last. Yet to those who will follow the great Procession of the Ages as it goes up to the Holy City, with full understanding of what such fellowship means and demands, with a grave yet hopeful consecration of self come what may—to those does the promise come, ‘Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the Crown of Life.’

—Dean Bernard.

(THIRD OUTLINE)

OUR APPRECIATION OF CHRIST

The crowd had not acknowledged Christ as God Incarnate, and, therefore, in the hour of trial they failed.

I. What is our appreciation of Christ?—Is He part of your life? ‘What think ye of Christ?’ Is He to you something more than the Son of David? Is He to you God, Who for your sake took man’s nature? Is He for you the Saviour Who stands by you in every hour of your life?

II. What is Christ in our life?—Let us ask ourselves just this question, Why is it that we do not make Christ more of our life? People who are religious people, and yet who, when they ask themselves the question, ‘Am I making Christ to me what He ought to be?’ in low self-abasement are bound to say there is much that is wanting.

III. ‘There is no hurry.’—In many cases people think there is no hurry about the matter. Year after year comes round, and we think we will do something, but we hope to do more; we will do a little now, some day we hope to do much. It is so with the young, it is so with the middle-aged, it is so with the old. But there is no time to waste. Every moment of our lives must directly or indirectly be applied to learn that great lesson: What He is to us now; what He will be to us hereafter. May God in His mercy teach us to know that we have no time to spare, so that we may be able to answer the question, ‘Who is this?’

The Rev. P. T. Brownrigg.

Illustration

‘It is said that the evil power wanted to win souls, and he asked, What is the best argument to use? One evil spirit said, “Go and tell the world there is no heaven.” And that ministry went out, and it won some souls, but not many. And then the evil spirit asked again, “Is there a more powerful argument by which I may deceive men’s souls?” And the answer was, “Yes; go and tell men there is no hell”; and that won more souls than the cry, “There is no heaven.” But it did not win many. Then came a third spirit, “Go and tell men there is no hurry.” And thousands and thousands of souls which were not deceived by the lie, “There is no heaven,” and thousands and thousands of souls which were not deceived by the lie, “There is no hell,” were deceived by the lie, “There is no hurry.” ’