“Faith and Denial”

Pastor Joe Fuiten, April 13, 2003

 

Scripture Reading:  Matthew 21:1-17 Page 697

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." 12 Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'" 14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. 16 "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, "'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'?" 17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night. (NIV)

 

Note:  On Wednesday, pictures of statues of Saddam Hussein falling in Baghdad were everywhere in the news.  The major battles of Iraq have apparently been won even though they have not yet found the Dictator.  Prior to the fall of Baghdad, the Iraqi Information Minister became a media hero by his astounding denials of American progress and his exaggerated claims of Iraqi success.

 

There is a difference between faith and denial.  Two moments in history will serve to illustrate the point.  I am thinking of ancient history and the Palm Sunday entry of Jesus into Jerusalem compared to the entry of us troops into Baghdad this past Wednesday.

In some respects, this comparison is actually legitimate historically.  In other years I have preached comparing the entry of Alexander the Great into Babylon to the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.  Baghdad is not Babylon but they were both capitols of the people of the same areas.

There are many similarities between Jerusalem and Baghdad.  They are both capitols of Middle Eastern countries.  Jerusalem is in the mountains and Baghdad is in the river valley, but they both have desert elements nearby.  Each has deep roots and has known enormous conflict over the centuries.

            The Roman government over Jesus and the Saddam regime over Iraq shared common qualities.  Rome was ruthless in putting down opposition.  In the first Jewish revolt, a million Jews died included some 100,000 by crucifixion.  Crucifixion would be considered torture by today’s standards.   Roman power had the equivalence of American power, but without the morals and sense of restraint.  Saddam’s regime has killed as many as 300,000 Iraqis, including tens of thousands by torture.

            In neither capitol was there freedom.  Rome kept a garrison stationed in the area to enforce its will upon the people.  Herod and his sons kept a tight reign on the region and killed many who opposed their rule.  The people existed to serve the leaders.  Saddam has ruled his country by force.  The military, police, and security forces were the apparatus of this power which he used to keep the people in line.

            As we think about these two capitols I would like to use them as contrasting elements.  They form the contrasting responses to the difficult circumstances we face.  One chose denial, the other chose faith.

As we have been following the events of this last week, it was obvious to everyone that Baghdad was the focus of a great struggle.  It remains a highly volatile situation.  There have been strange denials.  Mohsen Khalil, Iraq's Ambassador to the Arab League said,  "Iraq will not be defeated. Iraq has now already achieved victory - apart from some technicalities."   For genuine denial of reality no one has surpassed the recently absent Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf.  He has had some classic lines.  "There are no American infidels in Baghdad. Never!"

As I listed to the man, I began to see that his accusations were coming from his own conscience and reflected his own issues.  "These cowards have no morals. They have no shame about lying" "They're not even [within] 100 miles [of Baghdad]. They are not in any place. They hold no place in Iraq. This is an illusion.  They are trying to sell to the others an illusion."

"My feelings - as usual - we will slaughter them all" "Our initial assessment is that they will all die"  "We have them surrounded in their tanks"  "We will kill them all........most of them." "Faltering forces of infidels cannot just enter a country of 26 million people and lay besiege to them! They are the ones who will find themselves under siege.” “On this occasion, I am not going to mention the number of the infidels who were killed and the number of destroyed vehicles. The operation continues"  "We defeated them yesterday. God willing, I will provide you with more information. I swear by God, I swear by God, those who are staying in Washington and London have thrown these mercenaries in a crematorium."

Our estimates are that none of them will come out alive unless they surrender to us quickly. They are completely surrounded now. This morning, the number of armored personnel carriers that were destroyed, along with their occupants, is eight. The number of the tanks destroyed is 11."  “After Iraq aborts the invasion that is being carried out by the American and British villains, the USA will no longer be a superpower. Its deterioration will be rapid. I say to those villains who are meeting in Europe, thinking of launching psychological war and brainwashing: wait. Do not be hasty because your disappointment will be huge. You will reap nothing from this aggressive war, which you launched on Iraq, except for disgrace and defeat. Iraq will continue to exist. Its civilization is 10,000 years old.

The irony is that Islam with all its exaggerated claims about itself is in a deep time of reflection as they face again the fact that they have a god who does not keep his promises.  The promises of the Koran go unfulfilled and it is the source of all the anger.  It is strange when one Iraqi loots from another and then they both blame America for not preventing it.  Where is the morality of Islam that it cannot even prevent its citizens from looting their national treasures and national history?

There were certain facts on the ground in Baghdad that were met with denial.  On the other hand, Jesus faced daunting circumstances on that Palm Sunday long ago.

Jesus was entering a hostile city.  People were out to get him.  Even though he knew that he faced death in a matter of days, he chose a very faith-filled entry into the city.  His Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem was the proto-type entry of his some-day Messianic Kingdom.  This was not denial as in the Iraqi Information Minister.  Jesus did not try to evade the truth of his suffering that was to come. Jesus was reflecting faith in the face of difficult circumstances.

Jesus must have had Zechariah 9:9 in mind when he chose a donkey because that passage speaks of the Messiah coming on a donkey.   It is not clear that this was being emphasized in general teaching at the time. Matthew notes the promise, so it is possible the people understood this symbolism.  John 12:16 indicates the disciples did not understand "all this" until after Jesus was glorified.  We can be sure that Jesus understood it.  The donkey was a faith statement. 

The Feast of Tabernacles of Leviticus 23, celebrated the Lord's presence among Israel after bringing them out of the bondage of Egypt.  They were to take palm fronds and rejoice before the Lord for seven days.[1]  This was to reflect God’s presence among them.  So on Palm Sunday palm branches came down.  The secular Jew was thinking of Nike, but religious Jews were thinking of the victory of the Messiah and his coming kingdom.[2] 

For Jesus, the ride of Jesus into Jerusalem was not THE event.  It was the faith expression that the ultimate event would come in its proper time. We are still waiting for the Lord’s Second Coming, believing that if he said he would return, he will return.

Now we live in a Baghdad of the soul.  This old world’s  “Information Minister” is pumping out his spin.  He declares this old world will last forever because it is very old.  This life and this world are all there is. Money will always be our master.  Justice can always be bought.  Secularism will rule the future and each religion will just be one among many equals.  We listen to all this day in and day out.  The Master Liar continues his propaganda as prophecy after prophecy is fulfilled.

 

Is that the distant crackle of a fire in the sky.   Are my eyes playing tricks on me, or is that general in the sky riding a white horse and is he called Faithful and True?[3]  He looks like the one who judges and makes war.  His eyes are like a blazing fire and on his head are many crowns.  He seems to be dressed in a robe dipped in blood and his name is the Word of God.  I see the armies of heaven following him, riding on white horses.  Is that his voice which sounds like the roar of a thousand rumbling tanks?  Now that he is closer I can see the name on his robe.  It says King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

 

            Real faith takes God at his word.  When he promises that those who believe in their heart and confess with their mouth will be saved[4] faith believes it and is saved.  When God’s word encourages us to pray for the sick that they may be well[5] faith believes it and prays.  When God promises to meet the needs of my life[6] faith believes it and receives it.