http://www.unlockingthebible.org/the-crowd-the-savior-and-the-city/ The Crowd, the Savior and the City Matthew 21:1-11 by Pastor Colin S. Smith March 24th 2013 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee." Matthew 21:10-11 Already we are on the brink of Easter, this marvelous season when we celebrate the great events that lie at the center of our faith—the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Savior. Our title today is "The Crowd, the Savior and the City." The city, of course, is Jerusalem, the city of God, where these great events took place. Jerusalem is the city where God had put his name, the city where the glory of God's presence came down filling the temple in the time of Solomon, and the city that is the focal point of so many promises from God The Savior of course is Jesus Christ. On Palm Sunday, we think of him coming into the city on a donkey. On Good Friday, we think of him crucified in this city on a cross. And on Easter Sunday, we will celebrate his appearing in this city as the risen Lord. From this city he ascends to the Father and to this city he will come again in power and in glory. The crowd was a diverse group of people who happened to be living in Jerusalem at the time of these momentous events and whose lives were, in different ways, caught up in them. The Bible records three crowd scenes that took place in this same city of Jerusalem over a period of 57 days... 1. The first was the crowd on Palm Sunday, lining the route as Jesus came into the city riding on the donkey. 2. The second was the crowd on Good Friday, calling for Jesus to be crucified. 3. The third was the crowd, 57 days after Palm Sunday, on the day of Pentecost, asking the apostles, "What must we do to be saved?" Three large crowds in the same location over a period of 57 days, witnessing three great events: Palm Sunday, the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the day of Pentecost.
