And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."
--Luke 19:39-40 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on August 22, 2013 of Psalm 145:1-7; Luke 19:28-48; Job 1-3.
It was Sunday of what would be our Lord's last week before His crucifixion. As Jesus and His disciples came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany, near Mount Olivet, He sent two of His followers to go and fetch a colt they would find in the village, one that had never been ridden. They did as commanded and brought the colt to Jesus, laid their coats on it and sat the Lord upon its back, something the colt accepted without incident even though it was unbroken to riders. Many spread their coats on the roadway for the colt to walk on, to soften its steps and not jostle their Lord. As they approached Jerusalem, what Luke describes as "the whole multitude of the disciples" (please see verse 37) began to praise Jesus and shouted, "Blessed be the King who comes in the name of the Lord" (verse 38), a very near quote of Psalm 118:26. It is as if they were overcome with joy by what they thought was soon to come. Even though Jesus tried to tell them otherwise, they thought that as the long awaited Messiah He would free them from Roman tyranny. If they only truly knew.
The Pharisees, ever resentful of Jesus' power, authority, and popularity, objected to this celebration, to Jesus being treated like royalty and called a king. They effectively ordered Him to chastise His followers for what they considered an affront to themselves and to God. They wanted Him to silence His disciples, to stop this revelry in the streets, to maintain proper decorum. Jesus replied that even if the people were forced to be quiet, if they were made mute and could not shout His praises, then the very stones around them would cry out in glory to the Lord!
Jesus may have been thinking of Habakkuk 2:11 when He said this. The prophet spoke for God when telling of how the stones of the wall would cry out against the man who sells his house for evil gain. The man may lie and deceive, but the stones will shout the truth. The Pharisees, serving as tools for Satan, spun their webs of deception and lies trying to trap Jesus and put a halt to this new Way. But even had His disciples been struck silent, the stones would have cried out the truth of Jesus to the world.
Are we the Pharisees, using lies and deception to serve our own purposes? Are we the disciples, singing praises to the Lord without fully understanding why and maybe for the wrong reasons? Or are we the stones, ready to shout out to all who might hear the truth of our Lord and Savior, eager to spread the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, throughout all the world? Be solid, like a rock. Amen.
Master and Savior, help us stand ready to loudly proclaim Your beautiful Gospel so that the whole world might know Your truth. If we sing Your praises but perhaps for the wrong reasons, please touch our minds and enlighten us. May the Holy Spirit guide our every action and lift our hearts in song and worship to You. In Your glorious name, dearest Jesus we pray. Amen.
The Pharisees, ever resentful of Jesus' power, authority, and popularity, objected to this celebration, to Jesus being treated like royalty and called a king. They effectively ordered Him to chastise His followers for what they considered an affront to themselves and to God. They wanted Him to silence His disciples, to stop this revelry in the streets, to maintain proper decorum. Jesus replied that even if the people were forced to be quiet, if they were made mute and could not shout His praises, then the very stones around them would cry out in glory to the Lord!
Jesus may have been thinking of Habakkuk 2:11 when He said this. The prophet spoke for God when telling of how the stones of the wall would cry out against the man who sells his house for evil gain. The man may lie and deceive, but the stones will shout the truth. The Pharisees, serving as tools for Satan, spun their webs of deception and lies trying to trap Jesus and put a halt to this new Way. But even had His disciples been struck silent, the stones would have cried out the truth of Jesus to the world.
Are we the Pharisees, using lies and deception to serve our own purposes? Are we the disciples, singing praises to the Lord without fully understanding why and maybe for the wrong reasons? Or are we the stones, ready to shout out to all who might hear the truth of our Lord and Savior, eager to spread the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, throughout all the world? Be solid, like a rock. Amen.
Master and Savior, help us stand ready to loudly proclaim Your beautiful Gospel so that the whole world might know Your truth. If we sing Your praises but perhaps for the wrong reasons, please touch our minds and enlighten us. May the Holy Spirit guide our every action and lift our hearts in song and worship to You. In Your glorious name, dearest Jesus we pray. Amen.
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