“Who is this?” Might seem to Christians a ridiculous question, since it has been only a couple of weeks since we celebrated His birth. Surely we know who Jesus is, or are we as confused as those in Matthew 21?

“And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, ‘Who is this?’” — Matthew 21:10 (NKJV)

After witnessing the ministry and miracles of Jesus for three years, the people still could not comprehend the reality of Jesus’ identity. “Who is this?” they asked, this ordinary looking peasant Who had disrupted the Church and the politics of their world. The disciples were not much better; after Jesus calmed the storm they also asked “Who is this…?” It seems that this is the question of ages past and also for the age to come; Who is this Jesus? It is certainly a question that we all must answer for ourselves, for the answer defines our relationship with Him. Is He some sentimental figure from the distant past, a good man, maybe even as the multitudes in Jerusalem said, a Prophet? Or, is He still thought of as the Christ Child, a tiny newborn baby lying in a manger in a little town called Bethlehem? Maybe He is the One Who was crucified by the Romans at the insistence of the Jews; something that we surely had no part in. Could it be that He is just another of many ways to experience God?

Lest we think the question is of little importance; let’s consider what His contemporaries and companions said about Him. When Jesus asked Peter Who He was in Matthew 16 Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” So too did Thomas answer when he had seen the scars on Jesus’ body, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).

Friends you and I and every other soul will answer this question; and upon the answer hangs our eternal destination. “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

Who is this Jesus? He is Immanuel, God with us, do you know Him?

Rev. Bobby Thornhill is a retired pastor.