Seeing Jesus Clearly This Holy Week - [Matthew 21:1-11]

A King on a colt, a city trembling, and a crowd torn between conquest and peace—this Palm Sunday moment still confronts our assumptions about power, freedom, and worship. We walk through Matthew 21 to ask a simple but seismic question: are we seeing Jesus as he really is?

We start with the untied donkey and the weight of Passover, where deliverance always leads to purpose. Freedom in the kingdom is not a vague feeling; it is a calling. From the disciples’ quiet obedience to Old Testament patterns of consecration, we trace how Jesus sets us free for service and claims our gifts for holy work. Then we linger with the cloaks and palm branches. Psalm 118 rises from the crowd, not as nostalgia but as a bold coronation. Yet the Messiah rejects the warhorse and rides in peace. That tension—true power arriving gentle and lowly—reshapes how we praise, how we lead, and how we love our enemies.

Along the way, we bring the text to life with stories that prove the gospel’s reach. Jacob DeShazer returns to postwar Japan with forgiveness that shocks skeptics. John Bunyan’s chains cannot contain a ministry that becomes Pilgrim’s Progress. And in one of the episode’s most moving turns, former enemies Jacob DeShazer and Mitsuo Fuchida pray as brothers after meeting the risen Christ. When a city asks, Who is this?, Scripture and history answer in chorus: Messiah, Son of God, and King who still shakes hearts awake.

If you’re hungry for a faith that is courageous, compassionate, and grounded in Scripture, this conversation is for you. Listen, share it with a friend who needs hope, and if it speaks to you, subscribe and leave a review so more people can find it. What part stirred you most today?

Join Dr. Novella Springette for regular Bible Study on how to grow in Christian Discipleship

Transcript

Three Truths We’ll Explore

Setting The Donkeys Free

Passover And The Lamb

Prophecy Of Zechariah Fulfilled

Peaceful King Versus Earthly Power

Set Free For Service

Jake DeShazer’s Call To Japan

Honoring The King With Praise

Cloaks, Palms, And Holy Purpose

Hosanna And The Conqueror’s Psalm

Worship With All Our Might

John Bunyan’s Unstoppable Witness

A City Shaken, Notified, Awed

Who Is This Jesus

Peter’s Confession And Revelation

From Enemies To Brothers

Three Truths Reaffirmed

Prayer, Declarations, And Blessing

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Are we seeing Jesus as who he really is? The New Testament begins with the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These Gospels total 89 chapters. Of these, 29 or approximately one-third about the final week of Jesus' life. The Bible scholar Andy Nasselli stated that the Gospels are essentially passion narratives with extended introductions. In Matthew 1, verses 1 to 11, Jesus enters Jerusalem triumphantly on what is normally celebrated as Palm Sunday. In this podcast, we will analyze three truths of this text so that we can truly see Jesus for who he is. 1. Jesus sets us free for service. 2. Jesus is worthy of the praise. 3. Not everyone sees Jesus. Stay with me as we analyze this text verse by verse. Imagine being sent to set free two donkeys that you don't own, mother and colt, and bring them to Jesus. This is what the disciples are called on to do in verses 1 to 3 of this text. These disciples were instructed that if anyone asked what they were doing with these animals, they were simply to state that the master needed them. The Passover commemorates when the Jews were delivered from Egypt. During the initial Passover, the Israelites were to take care of a lamb without spot or blemish for four days. They were then to kill the lamb at twilight and smear the blood on the sides and tops of the door frames. That same night the death angel went throughout Egypt and eliminated the firstborn at every house that did not have the blood. When Pharaoh lost his firstborn son, only then did he allow the Israelites to leave Egypt. What will it take for us to heed God's call? Moses' law stated that every adult male Jew who lived within 20 miles of Jerusalem must travel to Jerusalem to attend Passover. As it was Passover time, a crowd of pilgrims were coming up the road from Jericho to Jerusalem. Jesus, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, was also coming into Jerusalem to be sacrificed. Are we offering up our lives as a sacrifice to God? Jesus told two disciples to go to the village ahead, and there they would find a donkey tied with a colt next to her. These disciples were to set these donkeys free and bring them to Jesus. This was the fulfillment of Zechariah's approximately 500-year-old prophecy. Zechariah prophesied that the Messiah would come to Jerusalem riding on a colt, the fold of a donkey. At that point in time in the east, the donkey was a noble animal. Jaied, the judge of Israel, had thirty sons who rode on colts. When a king came riding a horse, he came to wage war. When the king came riding a donkey, he came in peace. At that time the people wanted a Messiah that would overthrow the Romans and bring back Israel to being a great nation as it was under David. However, Jesus had not come to set up an earthly kingdom. Jesus had come to reconcile mankind back to God so that we could have fellowship with God. Are we part of Jesus' kingdom? Throughout the Bible, we read stories of God ministering to people so that they can be used for his glory. In 1 Samuel 30, David was pursuing the raiding party that had burned his city and took the families captive. David came across a slave in a field who had been abandoned by his Amalekite master when he became ill. This slave had been without food or water for three days and three nights. David and his men gave this slave water, part of a cake of press figs, and two cakes of raisins. He ate, drank, and revived. This slave led David and his men to their Amalekites who had raided and burnt the city of Ziklag. These Amalekites had also raided the Nejev of the Keratites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Nejev of Caleb. The plundered treasure that they had accumulated was enormous. When David found the Amalekites, they were feasting and drinking. David fought these Amalekites and recaptured all that had been lost and more. The revived slave who was set free was vital to the success of this mission. Have we been set free for service? Throughout Christian history, we find myriad persons who were set free so as to be mightily used of God. Jacob DeSa spent 40 months as a prisoner of war with the Japanese during World War II. During that time, he gained access to a Bible and turned back to the fate of his childhood. When the war ended and Jake returned to the USA, he made a vow to never drink or smoke again. Jake also felt led to go to Japan to serve as a missionary. Jake attended the Seattle Pacific College to prepare for service. In June 1948, Jake and his wife Florence both graduated with Bachelor of Arts degrees with majors in missions. On December 28, 1948, Jake and his family arrived in Japan as missionaries. Jake was immediately asked why he was returning to a country that had treated him so badly when he was a prisoner of war. Jake replied that God had called him to tell the Japanese people about Jesus. Jake wanted the Japanese to receive the light and love of Jesus. Jake and his family settled in Osaka. However, Jake was now famous and many Japanese wanted to hear him speak about Christianity. Jake started touring Japan with an interpreter, Dr. Order, as there was so much interest in Christianity. Within two months, Jake spoke in over 200 places, churches, schools, town halls, factories, coal mines, and public gardens. Jake also came in contact with the man who had been the head guard at Nanking when Jake was prisoner there. This man, Captain Cato, had also become a Christian. They started witnessing about Jesus together and multitudes came to know Jesus. Are we telling others about Jesus? Envision being part of a crowd that is enthusiastically honoring Jesus as Lord and Savior. The people loudly and energetically cheer Jesus as being the Messiah. Are we giving Jesus the honor and glory that he deserves? In verses 6 to 9, the disciples obeyed Jesus and returned with the mother donkey and colt. Over and over again, what comes true with Jesus is overwhelming love and compassion. The colt had probably never been separated from its mother. Jesus said to bring the mother along so that the colt could be at ease. Do we show compassion to others? When they had brought the donkey and the colt to Jesus, the disciples put their clothes on the colt for Jesus to ride on. By doing so, the disciples were acknowledging Jesus to be their king. When Jehu was anointed king over Israel by Elijah the prophet, as soon as he came out of the inner chamber and the people knew what had occurred, they took off their garments and spread it under him. Have we acknowledged Jesus as King of our lives? The Gospel of Mark specifically states that this was a cult that no human being had ever ridden before. This indicates they were being used for a holy purpose. The red heifer, which was to be used in the cleansing ceremonies of Israel, had to be a beast that had never been yoke. The cart on which the ark of the Lord was carried had to be a mode of transport which had never been used for any other purpose. Are we living out our lives on purpose for God? When Jesus started making his way into Jerusalem, the crowd received Jesus as the king he is. They spread their cloaks in front of him. The crowd cut down away palm tree branches, which was a celebratory signal. When the Jewish insurgents were waging war with Rome, they minted coins with palm trees on them. Jesus was surrounded by a mob who was greeting Jesus as a conqueror here. The crowds that went ahead of Jesus and those that followed shouted, Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. The words spoken here quoted from the prophetic Psalm 118. This psalm was part of the first set of scripture that every Jewish boy had to memorize. This election in particular was characteristically the Conqueror's Psalm. These were the very same verses that were sung and shouted by the Jerusalem crowd when they welcome back Simon Maccabees. More than a hundred years before Simon Maccabeus had conquered Accra and wrested it from Syrian dominion. Hosanna in Hebrew means save now. What the crowd was calling out to Jesus is equivalent to the British saying, God save the king. The crowd was identifying Jesus as God's anointed one, the Messiah, conqueror, and king. Are we worshiping Jesus with all that is within us? The Bible records that those who truly serve God worship him with all their might. David was such a worshiper. It is David who penned the iconic 23rd Psalm. In 2 Samuel 6, 12 to 15, we are told that David brought the ark of the Lord into the city of David with rejoicing. David wore a linen ephod and danced before the Lord with all his might for the entire proceedings. Throughout the Bible, God honored David. David is the only person that is referred to in the Bible as being a man after God's own heart. David's name occurs more than 1,000 times in the Bible. He is mentioned more than Abraham, more than Moses, and more than any other person in the Bible. The New Testament begins with Jesus being identified as the Son of David. Jesus is given the title Son of David more than a dozen times in the New Testament. The New Testament ends with Jesus stating that he is the root and offspring of David. Are we worshiping Jesus with all of our heart and all of our might? Christian history provides us with accounts of those who worship God with everything within them. The powerful preaching of John Bunyan was very popular with the people. However, the leaders of the 17th century Church of England despise him. Bunyan started preaching to thousands but was not licensed to preach. He also did not use the Anglican Book of Common Prayer at his services. Based on these technicalities, Bunyan was arrested. While in prison, John Bunyan began preaching in the jail courtyard. People would come from miles around and line up outside the jail walls to listen to him. This frustrated the leaders of the Christian church, so they had him placed in isolation. Since there was no one to preach to during that time, John Bunyan wrote Pilgrim's Progress. Pilgrim's Progress has ministered the gospel to tens of millions throughout the world. For several centuries, it was the most widely read and translated book in the world after the Bible. Bunyan's opponents were able to stop his preaching for a few years, but they were not able to stop his ministry. Instead, they provided an opportunity for it to be extended. After twelve years of imprisonment, Bunyan was set free and received a license to preach. Bunyan truly gave his life to worshiping God. Are we prepared to give all to the service of Jesus? Imagine a spontaneous mob cheering, shouting, singing, and waving palm branches while encircling a figure on a cult entering ancient Jerusalem. At the same time those who reside in Jerusalem are inquiring what all the fuss is about. Are we in the know when it comes to Jesus? Here in verse 10, Jesus is entering Jerusalem and letting everyone know that he had arrived. The Greek word that Matthew uses here and that is translated as shook up or stirred is the word from which we get seismology. That is the study of earthquakes. Matthew is indicating to the reader that Jerusalem was literally shaken. Jesus knew that he had deadly, powerful enemies in Jerusalem. Jesus could have slipped in quietly and left without these antagonists knowing where he was. The time for that was over. Destiny was about to be fulfilled. Have we been stirred or shaken by Jesus entering our lives? Matthew tells us that when Jesus left Jericho to make his way to Jerusalem, a large crowd was with him. Most probably, the crowd that was enthusiastic about Jesus, was mainly composed of pilgrims who were also making their way to Jerusalem for the Passover. Quite a number of these, the most likely be Galileans who had seen Jesus' ministry firsthand over the course of the previous three years. Now Jesus enters Jerusalem and runs into the sophisticated residents of Jerusalem who question, what is all this ruckus about? From the very beginning of Matthew's gospel, Matthew has been specifically addressing that question. In Matthew chapter 1, verse 1, Matthew identifies Jesus Christ as the Son of David, the son of Abraham. Matthew then goes on to state in chapter 1, verse 23 that Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. Do we know who Jesus is? The incoming crowd replied to the residents of Jerusalem that this is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee. Outside the walls of Jerusalem, Jesus was hailed as the Messiah, the Son of David, the one who comes in the name of the Lord. However, identifying Jesus as being from Nazareth in Galilee would inevitably result in there being some dampening of the acclaim Jesus had been receiving. Galilee was the furthest point from Jerusalem and the temple. The people of Galilee were generally despised. When Nicodemus tried to defend Jesus to the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the Jews, his arguments were quickly dismissed. The other members of the Sanhedrin reminded Nicodemus that no one from Galilee had ever been a prophet. When Philip went to tell Nathaniel about Jesus, Nathanael questioned if anything good could possibly come out of Nazareth. Nonetheless, the crowd honored Jesus by proclaiming him to be a prophet, even though he was coming out of Nazareth in Galilee. Have we acknowledged Jesus as who he truly is? In the New Testament, we are told that many persons did not recognize Jesus as who he is, Messiah, Son of God. In Matthew 16, verses 13 to 17, we find Jesus inquiring of the disciples as to who do the people that they encountered on a day-to-day basis think that he is. The disciples replied that some thought that Jesus was John the Baptist, others said that he was Elijah. There were others who thought that Jesus was Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Jesus continued by asking the disciples, who did they think that he was? Simon Peter answered, You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Jesus commended Peter for his insight and told him, Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. Having spent time with Jesus, Peter had a spiritual discernment to recognize Jesus for who he is. Have we really seen Jesus? Christian history tells of those who have undergone dramatic transformation after coming into contact with Jesus. While Jake DeShaza was serving as a missionary in Japan in the early 1950s, Captain Miso Fujida came to his house. Captain Fujida was one of Japan's most prominent war heroes. He had led a 360-strong squadron of planes that had bombed Pearl Harbor and forced the United States into the war. Captain Fujida had become a Christian. Two events led to his conversion. The first was that he had been asked to testify in the war crimes tribunals that were held at the end of the war. Fujita was upset because he was assured that each nation treated its prisoners of wars badly. He believed that it was only because Japan had lost the war that they were being humiliated. To prove his point, he started tracking down Japanese soldiers who had been held as prisoners of war in the USA. Fujida ran into a Japanese soldier who he knew, Kanagesaki, who had been held at a camp on the Colorado Utah border. There, Kanagesaki met an 18-year-old girl, Peggy Covell, who had befriended the entire camp. Peggy came to the camp every day and assisted the Japanese soldiers as much as she could. One day, one of the soldiers asked her the motive for her kindness. Peggy informed him that her parents were missionaries in Yokohama who had fled to the Philippines after the war started. When the Japanese overran the Philippines, they accused her parents of being spies and after holding a mock trial, beheaded them. At first, Peggy was bitter about losing her parents. Then she realized that her parents would have forgiven the Japanese and she needed to do the same. She then asked God to bless the Japanese and started volunteering at the camp to help the prisoners of war. Up to that point in time, Fujida had believed completely in the Japanese principle of revenge. This concept of loving your enemies was completely foreign to Fujida. Fujida started searching for the source of such pure love. The second event that led to Fujida becoming a Christian occurred when Fujida came across Jake's track. I was a prisoner of Japan at a railway station in Tokyo. Fujita read it and marveled at how God could change hatred to love. Fujita became convinced that the God of the Christians was real. He bought a Bible and started to read it. Fujita slowly overcame his strong Buddhist heritage and confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior. Fujita had traveled to Jake's home to pray with Jake. Fujita was the leader of the first attack on US soil during World War II. Jake was part of the first attack on Japanese soil during World War II. Having seen Jesus as who he really is, these two men were now praying together as brothers in Christ. Do we truly know who Jesus is? We started by asking if we have truly seen Jesus as who he is. This passage reveals three distinct truths that open the eyes of our heart so that we can clearly see Jesus. One, Jesus sets us free for service. Two, Jesus is worthy of the praise. Three, not everyone sees Jesus. Let us dedicate our lives to serving and honoring Jesus as we see Jesus as who he is, Messiah, Son of God, Conquering King. Before you go, if this message spoke to you, like this podcast and subscribe so you don't miss what God is doing here at Catch on Fire Podcasts. If you're ready for real change, take a moment right now to pray with me. Jesus, I give you my life, lead me, forgive me, and make me new. If you pray that, welcome to the family. Follow along, stay connected, and let's walk this walk together. Please join me as we confess words of life over all of our lives. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are still holding on to God's unchanging hand. We are still in God's holy plan. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are living holy lives as God requires. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, giving clothes to those in need, ministering to the sick and visiting those in prison, and we are doing so to the least of those among us, as when we do so we are ministering to Jesus. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we have received healing, as by his stripes we are healed. From the crown of our head to the soles of our feet, all of our bodily organs are working correctly. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that God is ordering our steps, that all weapons that are formed against us have been utterly and completely destroyed, and every tongue that is rising against us in judgment is condemned. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that all generational curses are cancelled. Anything that runs in our ancestral bloodline that is not of God has no power over us, our children and our grandchildren, and is eliminated forever right now. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that angels are watching over and keeping our family, our children, our grandchildren, our loved ones safe. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that every negative word that has been and is being spoken over our lives and that of our family, children, grandchildren, and loved ones is cancelled and sent back to the pit from whence it came. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are the head and not the tail. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are not and will never be ashamed. Our enemies have not and never will triumph over us. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that anything that is not of God that has been dispatched to hinder our blessings, our progress, and our well-being is immediately destroyed. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are financially in line with God's word, and as such we are lenders and not borrowers. As a result, all of our debts have been paid and are forgiven. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that the enemy of our souls has no authority over our finances and our funds, and that we are good stewards of the money that God has placed in our keeping. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus in the area of business and our carriers, that just as Isaac reaped a hundredfold, the blessings of Abraham are falling on us, and we are reaping a hundredfold from whatever we put our hands to. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are living under an open heaven in every area of our lives. Blessings are falling on us, our family and our loved ones. These blessings are being manifested in our lives, in the spiritual and in the physical. Let's repeat the 23rd Psalm together. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restored my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Amen.