Palm Sunday, 2006

Pastor Joe Fuiten, April 9, 2006

Matthew 21:1-11 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." NIV

Matthew 27:22 "What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked.

Where there is smoke there is fire. Where there is a massive assault on Christianity, the devil is present. If he is doing a particular thing, there must be a reason. Recent weeks have seen a widespread and growing attack upon Jesus.

We are a few weeks away from the release of the Da Vinci Code as a movie. The story is that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and they had kids whose descendants are still with us today. The book is a novel but its text is being treated like serious history. The book came out in 2003 and has sold 36 million copies in 44 languages. Columbia Pictures bought the movie rights for $6 million and has hired big names to play the key roles.

On Friday, April 7, 2006 ABC was heavily promoting on 20/20 and Nightline a book by a free-lance author called The Jesus Dynasty. Of course, he denies the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection but claims to be looking for the authentic Christianity and the authentic Jesus of the first century.

On Thursday, April 6, 2006 the National Geographic Society released a new translation of a Gnostic codex from the second century called the “Gospel of Judas.” Like hundreds of other similar examples from that era, Judas supposedly receives secret knowledge from Jesus. Such material was typical of the Gnostic heresy of that era. For centuries, monks and others wrote in the names of people long since dead. If one of the biblical characters wrote something that would be significant. If Bob the Monk wrote something, who would care? It was denounced as heretical by the Bishop of Lyon in 180 AD. The release by National Geographic is being treated like major news and is being widely reported on all the major news outlets.

Then there is the professor of Oceanography at Florida State University, Doron Nof, who has an explanation for how Jesus walked on water. He says there were two cold snaps in the region between 1500 and 2500 years ago that were cold enough they might have produced ice. Further, the salt springs around magdala could have released enough salt into Galilee to isolate portions of fresh water from the rest of the lake and those could have frozen. Jesus could have walked on the ice and it would have looked like he was walking on the water. Of course, that would also explain why the disciples were having such a hard time rowing across the lake. Their boat was stuck in ice. Their oars kept clanking on the ice and they couldn’t get them into the water. These fisherman were too inexperienced to know this of course. When Peter sank, he actually walked off the ice. The absurdity of this explanation in a sub-tropical climate is virtually self-evident and doesn’t deserve a rebuttal. The fact that such drivel would be given space on national news and a half page in the Seattle Times makes me wonder if anyone has a brain.

There has to be some explanation for all this. What all this highly publicized material has in common is that it is as unscientific as anything could be. What next, a news report that the moon is may be made of cheese? The explanation is spiritual. There is an assault on Jesus because he remains the pivot point of history and salvation.

The words of Jesus in Matthew 23:24 still apply: “You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” But this is not new. Jesus faced this in his lifetime. Matthew 13:53-58 gives us a sense of it.

53 When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. 54 Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. 55 "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor." 58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. NIV

Herod the Great thought Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead.[1] Others thought he was Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.[2] In Matthew 26:63-64 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."

Similarly, in Matthew 27:11 “Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor (Pilate), and the governor asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.”

What say you? In our day, as in the first century, the critics of Jesus are having their say. Well, it is Palm Sunday and we get our chance to weigh in. There is a lot to consider. Who is Jesus, and what will you do with him?

Triumphal Entry.

For me, everything about the church is our answer to the doubters. I really appreciated “The Victor” last night. It was a true testimony of who Jesus is. It was the truth and it was presented with God’s Spirit all over it. Time after time the tears welled up in my eyes as I considered the pure testimony that was being given.

The building itself is a testimony. This is a beautiful campus that speaks of life. The school buildings and the gym speak of life. The children’s area speaks of the life of Jesus. Even the Chapel speaks of life. Every time we open the doors, we say Jesus is real. Whenever the Gospel is accurately preached, even if no one responds to the invitation to salvation, the witness to Jesus is noted.

The question of Pilate remains the pressing question. "What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked.

First, we should give him our souls. Be born again. Second, we should worship him with our lips. Give him verbal praise with words without song. From time to time, turn your worship into song. Then we should worship him with our lives. Do something on a daily basis that is for Jesus. I can’t tell you what that something is, but do something. Doing something is the witness that you believe in Jesus.

When you are in a discussion about God, always talk about Jesus. Make sure they know about Jesus, not just some abstration called God. Try to work it into the conversation just so you can give a witness about Jesus, that you believe in Jesus

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[1] Matt 14:1-2 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, and he said to his attendants, "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead!

[2] Matt 16:13-16 ‘When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." NIV