That first Palm Sunday crowd was made up of all kinds of people. We do not know exactly who they were, but if we were able to ask them, "Who is that man riding on a donkey?" different persons would probably give us different answers.

Mary would say, "This is my son, whom I love very much."

The residents in Nazareth might say, "This is Jesus, who worked in our village as a carpenter."

The scribes and Pharisees might say, "This man is a lawbreaker who associates with sinners."

Lazarus would say, "This is the man who brought me back to life!"

Zacchaeus would say, "Jesus is my friend who completely changed me."

Peter would say, "This is Christ, the Son of the living God."

All the people would have identified Jesus from their own relationship with him.

Who is Jesus? How does my relationship with him lead me to respond?

Prayer: Dear Jesus, You are Shepherd, Brother, Friend, Lord. Help all of us here on this earth to know You as our Saviour, Lord and Friend, and as God's Son who took our place on that cross years ago before we knew You. And we thank You! Amen.

(Originally published on April 16, 2000, in The Upper Room. ©2000 The Upper Room. Used by permission.)