When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.” (Matthew 21:10-11)

              Jesus has ridden into Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. In Matthew’s telling, Jesus comes riding on a donkey and a colt (don’t ask how he sat on two animals) as the crowds surrounded him shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David.”

              By calling Jesus “Son of David,” they are hailing him as a king, a king in the line of the great King David. There were all kinds of hopes and expectations tied up in the restoration of a Davidic king. This ruler would restore Israel and return the people to the faithful worship of God. He would usher in an era of peace, and nations would stream to Jerusalem for wisdom and understanding. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the crowds saw in him that hope fulfilled.

              Or did they? Once Jesus arrived in the city, “the whole city was in turmoil” and people were asking, “Who is this?” And what did the crowds answer? “This is the prophet Jesus.”

              Well, which is it? Is Jesus a king, the Davidic King, the promised Messiah who will restore Israel to her former glory? Or is he a prophet, another in a long line of Hebrew prophets calling the people back to faithfulness? Like the prophets before him, will Jesus the prophet be largely ignored?

              “Who is this?” Who is this man who rides into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey? Who is this man who has been teaching and healing and challenging the powers that be for these last few years? Who is this Jesus fellow who has so upset those same powers that they decide he must be silenced for good?

              As we prepare to enter Holy Week, perhaps a good question for each of us to stew upon is the same question asked back in Jerusalem: Who is this?