I have recorded in my journal an event that took place in early October 1990 at the Port of Dammam, Saudi Arabia, while preparing for Operation Desert Storm. A central ammunition depot was established in an open sided warehouse at the Port, and worship had been scheduled by a Chaplain with the 1st Cav in a clearing in the center of the ammunition storage area. Two reasons perhaps lead to this being the site for worship, one it was the only possible place that was away from the noise of ships being unloaded, and secondly it was safely out of sight of any Muslims.
Surrounded by ammunition; bombs and projectiles that someone said if it had exploded would have taken out a fifteen square mile area. Nearly 200 people gathered for worship. I wrote of that day "It was truly unbelievable to sit, surrounded by bombs, mortar rounds and many projectiles that cause mass destruction, when the purpose (our purpose) was to Glorify God. The Chaplain had organized a choir who sang two gospel songs; a young man was baptized at a field altar table, and I wrote of that day that "the key: was that no matter where we are - rejoice in the name of the Lord!" - "no matter where we are - rejoice in the name of the Lord!"
During the baptism a Sergeant Major, the highest ranking enlisted Army-man pulled a camera from his pouch and began taking pictures. He was quickly surrounded by Military Policeman, who not only confiscated his camera, but quickly lead him from the worship service. While I believe the SGM’s intentions were good, the MP’s quickly made it clear, "Don’t do that here - don’t take pictures of this classified area!"
And while that may be a slightly different situation, and had the MP’s not acted I myself as a Criminal Investigator may have had to react... I think of that story in the context of the story found in Luke 19:39-40, where the Pharisees, the religious MP’s, if you will, felt they need to act to put a stop to this new wave of worship. To put a stop to people lining the streets and shouting Hosanna. To put a stop to the what the Scriptures describes as "the disciples who began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice, for all the deeds of power that they had seen."
They wanted to put a stop to those who were witnessing about the power of God. To put a stop to those who were singing joyful songs about Jesus. "Teacher" they said, "order your disciples to stop!". And Luke clearly presents the contrast of the event between those who would praise God, and those who would act as the "Hush" police and silence the testimonies about the power of God. A contrast between those who "hear Jesus with joy"...and those who would "seek to trap him with their questions". (1) A contrast between those who have a song to sing, and they sing it freely about Jesus; and those who spend all their energy trying to quell the voices of witness in the world.
Rev. Don Forsman from Oklahoma tells of an Oklahoma Conference pastor who transferred from Oklahoma to a church in California. While serving in Oklahoma, a couple from the Church kept verbally attacking him, and finally after a sort of "come to Jesus meeting" the couple stopped attending Church but did not stop trying to get the pastor moved. On the first Sunday in California they held a reception for the new pastor and family, and the pastor became dumbfounded when he looked across the fellowship hall and there was this couple moving among the congregation...they had driven, what 1,500 miles just to silence the witness of this pastor.
Jesus responds in an intriguing way: "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out." Back in 1995 at a Revival in Cotulla, Rev. Sue Huntsman asked "if someone had a witness about a miracle?". No one in the congregation gave one. I knew there were miracles in our midst, but no one was willing to stand up and give an account of it. There are many reasons why we may not sing a song about Jesus or give a witness in public: fear; afraid we will be criticized; or what people might think. After the second night of the revival, a woman said she had been prepared to give a witness, even lead by the Holy Spirit to do so, but then we didn’t ask. But she also didn’t offer.
II. "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out" Certainly Jesus was responding to the "Pharisaical Religious Police" of the day, that they could not quiet the witness about the power of God. Isn’t that amazing, that even the stones would cry out a witness. You cannot quiet the witness of the power of God. Stones rolled away can proclaim an empty tomb; rubble of stone walls call tell how the walls of Jerico came tumbling down; a picture of a rock taken near Mt. Siani shows where once water just came up out of the center of the rock and flowed like a stream, and the Scriptures tell us how Moses touched the rock with his staff, and God provided water for the people of Israel in the desert. Stone markers that throughout the Old Testament line the routes to by Abraham, Issac, Jacob, David and the like to mark and give witness to the power of God along the way. You cannot quiet the witness of the power of God, and God can even use stones to shout it out.
But in another sense, we might apply this text to our own witness. If we fail to witness to the miracles of God; If we fail to witness to the power of God at work in our lives; if we fail to tell someone about the grace of God that has delivered us from sin, then will the stones have to shout for us? Do the stones have to shout for you, because you have failed to witness to the glory of God?
In the movie "With Honors", actor Joe Pesci’s character is thrown together with a man who is trying to graduate from Harvard. "Harvard" thinks he knows it all, and that the seemingly down and out Sam Wilder, a desolate and destitute man knows nothing. Sam carries a little pouch with him, and in the pouch are small stones, and each stone is a memory of an important moment in Sam’s life: one for a love he has; one for a son he hasn’t seen in years; one for a wonderful memory of a time in the Merchant Marines. Stones that give witness to life.
In England in 1649, Charles I was executed, and Lord John Culpepper was entrusted to protect Charles II. Forced into exile during twelve years of Oliver Cromwell’s reforms and bloodhsed. FInally, just before Culpepper’s own death Charles II was to return to reign over the Monarcy. When it was announced, a cry rose from the people "Habemus rei!" "we have a King!" ..."This simple phrase sprung from the heart of the common folk...it was carried...on the wings of a joyous melody from village to village, and manor to manor...and on May 25th, 1660 when Charles II landed at Dover and was escorted to London...it was England’s supreme day of joy." (1)
III. "Habemus rei!" "We have a King?" The Lord Jesus Christ is King! And if you won’t give your witness, if you silence your witness then will the stones have to shout for you? Will the clip, clop of of the donkey’s hooves on the pavement have to be the witness of the King? Will the earth-shaking stones of the temple have to be the witness that Jesus Christ has died on the cross? Will the rolling stone from the tomb have to be the witness to the power of God at work in the resurrection of Christ our Lord?
Or will you sing a song about Jesus?
Will you testify of the greatness of God?
Will you praise God joyfully with a loud voice?
Will you shout "Hosanna" or even "Habemus rei!" ?
But if you won’t tell the world, then who will?
(2) "George Sweeting, in his book The No-Guilt Guide for Witnessing, tells of a man by the name of John Currier who in 1949 was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Later he was transferred and paroled to work on a farm near Nashville, Tennessee.
In 1968, Currier’s sentence was terminated, and a letter bearing the good news was sent to him. But John never saw the letter, nor was he told anything about it. Life on that farm was hard and without promise for the future. Yet John kept doing what he was told even after the farmer for whom he worked had died.
Ten years went by. Then a state parole officer learned about Currier’s plight, found him, and told him that his sentence had been terminated. He was a free man.
Sweeting concluded that story by asking, "Would it matter to you if someone sent you an important message -- the most important in your life -- and year after year the urgent message was never delivered?""
If you won’t proclaim the King, who will? If you won’t sing for Jesus, who will? Do the stones have to shout for you, or will you proclaim the King...the King is coming, thanks be to God, the King is here!
(1) NIB, Vol IX, pp. 365-371
(2) -Our Daily Bread, November 6, 1994, www.sermonillustraitions.com
