All the Difference

 'Polytheism' is the belief in many 'gods'. We see this in our world with many different religious faiths. And it's always been that way as different people groups throughout history have worshipped their own cultural 'gods' - Greek 'gods', Roman 'gods', Norse 'gods'... But then along came the Jewish nation claiming that The God of the Universe, who created everything, was The One True God - 'Monotheism'.

Many in society had previously accommodated the beliefs of other cultures with a 'worship whoever you like' attitude. But then one people group made an exclusive claim among the Greek and Roman empires that shook up everything. And then out of that one nation - One man came with an even greater exclusive claim...

Today is what we celebrate as Palm Sunday - the day that Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem before His crucifixion. And as we look at this familiar story once again, I don't think it's possible for us to become 'too familiar' with this account. I'd like us to jump right in and look at Matthew 21:1-11 (NIV)...

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, (2) saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. (3) If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away." (4) This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
(5) "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'" (6) The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. (7) They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. (8) A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. (9) The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
"Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!" (10) When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" (11) The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

There's the problem. Did you see it? Right there in vs. 11, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee." The people may have been expecting a 'prophet' in Jesus. But Jesus was not just 'a prophet', another in a long line of prophets…

I. Jesus was more!

You name any prophet, any teacher, any religious leader, Jesus was, and IS, more! Jesus didn't claim to be just a wise teacher or a prophet or even a 'god' who had the power to do miracles. Jesus was more!

In college, many people take a comparative religions class to 'cultivate an appreciation of diverse religious traditions'. Nothing inherently wrong with that – but I think people back then as Jesus entered Jerusalem, as well as today, completely misunderstood Jesus' identity. Jesus was different from everyone else who had ever come along - He was more!

Other religious leaders say, "Follow me and I'll show you how to find truth." Jesus said, "I am the truth." Other religious leaders say, "Follow me and I'll show you the way to salvation." Jesus said, "I am the way to eternal life." Other religious leaders say, "Follow me and I'll show you how to become enlightened." Jesus said, "I am the light of the world."

Many people will make the argument, 'Aren't all religions basically the same?' For a long time people have tried to harmonize the various religions of the world, but there are drastic and irreconcilable differences between Christianity and other belief systems. I'm not suggesting these differences should promote hostility to others who believe differently. But the uniqueness of Christianity is rooted in the uniqueness of Jesus Himself. Since Jesus claimed to be the way to God, then Christianity can't be reconciled with any other religion. Jesus' claim as The Way makes all other faiths - by definition - 'false religions'. That claim was - and is still - looked at as extremely divisive.

Every other religion is based on doing something to somehow earn the favor of God. People have to ritualistically recite certain words or go on pilgrimages or give alms to the poor or avoid eating certain foods or pray in a specific way or go through a series of reincarnations or whatever. They're all attempts of people trying to reach up to God.

Jesus taught the exact polar opposite of what other religions teach. He taught that no one can do anything to merit heaven, so in order for anyone to have any hope – God reached down to us! AND what comparative religion classes don't seem to understand is that…

A. Jesus' claims are exclusive

It's a complete understatement to say that Jesus was simply 'a' good teacher and just another religious leader among many great leaders. Jesus claimed to be THE ONE – The chosen one of God who was able to take away the sins of the world!

Jesus was different! Jesus made the exclusive claim that everyone had to accept Him in order to get to heaven. No one could get to the Father except through Him! That's not the teaching of a 'good man'. Author C. S. Lewis argued, 'this is the teaching of an egotistical maniac or an evil manipulator, or God in the flesh.' And, just as it did back then, that claim causes people to get angry today.

Because of that claim – many people see 'Christians' as being narrow minded, mean spirited and even arrogant. 'How can you condemn those who don't agree with your religious beliefs?' It's not about condemning anyone, and it's not about my religious beliefs – it's about Jesus and His words! And whether people accept it or not…

B. Jesus' claims are not judgment

Jesus did claim to be The Way - that is true. And truth is the truth no matter how a person feels or responds to it. And the purpose of the truth is not to judge – but to pass on important, critical facts. For Jesus to claim that He, and only He, was able to give Himself to pay for the sins of the world – that's not judgmental, mean spirited or arrogant. It's a loving, gracious, compassionate statement of fact. - A fact that people are then free to accept or reject.

If you and I are stuck in a room with just one door, if we want to get out - would you use that door, or is your first response, 'What are our other options?' Would you just stand there and say, 'Well, how about if we just sort of ignore this door and pretend we're already out of the room? And if we sincerely believe that, I'm sure that things will work out for the best.'

Would it be judgmental if I said, 'Let's just take the door?' In pointing us toward the door, am I condemning you? Am I being arrogant? Would you accuse me of being narrow-minded if I walked to the ONLY door in that room? The truth about that One Door would be the most useful and helpful thing that I could tell you. Truth is truth whether we like it or not or whether it's popular or not or even if it makes people upset.

Jesus entered Jerusalem to cheers but then less than a week later people were calling for His death because of His claims of truth. Jesus was so much more than any other prophet before Him because of His exclusive claims. Let's focus a little more on…

II. Jesus' uniqueness

There of course had been prophets before Jesus and there have been people claiming to be prophets since Jesus. There have literally been hundreds of religions and denominations and sects and cults that have popped up over the years all claiming to be a way to salvation. Jesus was unique not just because of His claims, but because of His identity. Jesus wasn't just another religious leader; He was, in fact…

A. The Son of God

Jesus is The Son of God. That certainly sets Him apart from the rest of the crowd. That fact didn't make Him popular with the religious leaders of the day. Let's look at Matthew 26:59-65 (NIV)...

The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward (61) and declared, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.'" (62) Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?"
(63) But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." (64) "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." (65) Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy."

Jesus is unique among every other prophet or teacher because He was and is The Son of God – not a son of God, but The Son of God. Jesus clearly told His disciples this at the Last Supper in John 17:1-3 (NIV)...

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. (2) For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. (3) Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

Jesus – referred to Himself as The Son of God. And if there was still any doubt after the many public miracles that He performed – if that wasn't enough to prove His claim, even demons recognized Him for who He was on multiple occasions. Remember the account where there was a demon possessed man recorded in Mark 5:6-8 (NIV)...

When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. (7) He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!" (8) For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!"

It's kind of hard for even the most strident critics to dismiss when even the enemy recognizes Him as 'Son of the Most High God'. Jesus is unique as The Son of God, and even more mind boggling – not only is He The Son of God, somehow, amazingly, He is also…

B. God in the flesh

It doesn't fit entirely in my brain, but then again a lot about God doesn't… But Jesus is God's Son and He is God is the flesh – Jesus is God. I've heard people say, 'I can't worship a God who would sacrifice His own Son.' They're misunderstanding – God's Son was God in the flesh - God somehow gave Himself as a sacrifice! Does that change your thinking about who God is and how much He cares for you?

Hundreds of years before His birth, the prophecies pointed to this fact…

Matthew 1:21-23 (NIV)

"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." (22) All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: (23) "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, "God with us."

- The God of the universe, living with men, as one of us. Again, that fact brought out anger among the people of His day, they asked…

John 8:53-59 (NIV)

"Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?" (54) Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. (55) Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. (56) Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."
(57) "You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!" (58) "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" (59) At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

The Jewish people there understood exactly what Jesus was saying. They knew the scripture as well as He did from Exodus 3:13-14 (NIV)...

Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" (14) God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"

Jesus claimed God's title, "I Am"! That's why the Jewish people back then got so angry at Him. They thought Jesus was committing blasphemy, a crime punishable by death! But Jesus is not like any other created man – Jesus is God; He has always been! The Apostle John who spent years by Jesus' side understood this very clearly and put it into words better than anyone else.

John 1:1-4, 14 (NIV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He was with God in the beginning. (3) Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (4) In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

(and then we jump ahead to verse…)

(14) The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus was there in the beginning. His story didn't just start in the manger in Bethlehem. Jesus was the creative force through which God brought everything into existence. Jesus is more! Jesus is The Son of God and God in the flesh! Jesus said He is The way to the Father, The way to Heaven! No one else in all of history can make that claim AND back it up by rising from the dead! And that makes all the difference!

So What?

The facts of history say that Jesus is who He says He is. Jesus says, "Follow me". It's not a mindless faith to follow Him. It's not narrow minded to believe Jesus when He says that He is The way to God. It's actually the rational response from a person who looks at the facts, and based on those facts, understands just how lost he is without Jesus.

If anyone doesn't believe that Jesus really is the Son of God, God in the flesh – their picture of God is way too small! You can try to do things your way – or you can do things God's way. I guarantee the results will be drastically different in the end. You can choose to follow the world and try to do everything in your power to somehow earn a place in Heaven – or you can humbly accept Jesus and allow Him to get you there.

God came down in the person of Jesus for you. How do you respond with your life?