Don't Let the Stones Cry Out

SCRIPTURE

Luke 19:28–40 NKJV

28 When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. 31 And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing it?’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.’ ” 32 So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them. 33 But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you loosing the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of him.” 35 Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. 36 And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road. 37 Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, 38 saying: “ ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” 40 But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

INTRODUCTION

Jesus Enters Jerusalem

As the city of Jerusalem came into view, there must have been a thousand different emotions running through His heart. The City of God. The place where God chose for His name to dwell. The place where Abraham had taken his son Isaac on top of the mountain to offer him to God in a test of faith. The place where King David had purchased the threshing floor of Araunah after seeing the angel of the Lord with his sword drawn in his hand, which became the place where the Temple was built. The place where the prophets of God had been persecuted. The place God had ordained for the Son of God to bear the sins of the world and be crucified on a cross. But not today. Today was going to be a day of joy and celebration.

The Significance of a Donkey

Jesus told a couple of his disciples to go to the village just outside of the city and find a young donkey’s colt that had never been ridden and bring it to Him. He said, if the owner asks you what you are doing, tell him that the Lord has need of it. They found the young colt just like Jesus said and brought it to him. In ancient times, kings would ride into town after a great military victory on a war horse. And Jesus was about ride into Jerusalem as Israel’s King, but not on a horse prepared for battle. There would be a time for that later. But not today. Today Jesus was entering Jerusalem as her King, her Lord, her Messiah. But he wasn’t coming at this time to lead a military uprising and overthrow the Roman government. Today He was riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, the colt the foal of a donkey, as the Prince of Peace. Fulfilling biblical prophecy: Zechariah 9:9

Zechariah 9:9 NKJV

9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.

Clothes and Palm Branches

His disciples laid their clothes on the back of the donkey and Jesus got on the donkey and began the decent from the Mount of Olives toward the eastern gate of the city. As Jesus got closer to the city, the word began to spread. Jesus is here. Our King. Our Messiah. Our Savior. He is here. The crowds began to gather along the road. John’s Gospel tells us that they:

John 12:13 NKJV

13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel!”

“Hosanna” is a plea for salvation. They were literally shouting, “Jesus, save us now!” Less than a week from now, some of these same people would shout, “crucify Him, crucify Him!” But not today. Today they accepted Jesus as their King, their Messiah, and their Savior. And they shouted, and praised Him, and honored Him, and worshiped Him.

The Anger of the Pharisees

But this did not sit well with the Pharisees and the religious leaders in Israel. In their minds, Jesus could not be the Messiah. He didn’t fit the profile that they were looking for. Jesus was from the small town of Nazareth. “Nothing good ever came out of Nazareth,” they said. Man cannot be equal with God and yet Jesus often identified Himself with the Father. And now these crowds had gathered and were shouting praises, and adoration, and worship to this homeless, wandering, preacher who they thought was merely a man. This was nothing short of blasphemy! They had to do something to stop this! But they knew they couldn’t quiet the crowds on their own. So they demanded of Jesus, “tell these people to be quiet! Make them stop saying all of these things. Make them stop praising and worshiping you. You should know that worship only belongs to God!” Many times throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, for nearly three and a half years, Jesus had told many people who He healed and delivered to tell no one who He was or what He had done. There had been a time where Jesus had told the crowds to be quiet so that He could complete His earthly mission. But not today. Today, the mission was nearly complete. Jesus had less than one week left until He offered Himself as the perfect and final Passover Lamb. Today was not a day for silence. Today was a day for praise. Today was a day to reveal plainly to the world and to the Pharisees, that Jesus is the Son of God! The Messiah! The Savior of the World!

Jesus’ Response

Jesus responded to the Pharisees and religious leaders in Luke 19:40:

Luke 19:40 NKJV

40 But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

Jesus was saying, “You don’t understand the significance of this moment. I AM who I say I AM. Before Abraham was, I AM. When Moses saw the burning bush that was not being consumed, I AM THAT I AM! I AM the King of Glory! I AM the One who was prophesied would come! I AM your Savior. I AM your Deliverer. I AM your Messiah! I AM your God! And I AM about to do something on the Cross of Calvary that is going to change the world! And you are supposed to be the religious leaders in Israel and you don’t even see it. In this moment, I will be lifted up, I will be magnified, I will be praised, I will be honored, and there is nothing that you can do to stop it! Even creation itself recognizes the magnitude of this moment. If these people were to be quiet, creation itself would begin to cry out in praise and worship and bring judgment upon your unrepentance! Take a look at these stones! If I were to command these people to be silent, these stones would immediately cry out in praise and condemn your lack thereof!”

That Sounds Crazy

Sound crazy? It probably did to the Pharisees and the other religious leaders. But God’s Word is full of examples of how all of creation honors its Creator.

Isaiah 55:12 NKJV

12 “For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Psalm 148:3–5 NKJV

3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light! 4 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created.

The beauty of creation brings glory to God! The trees swaying in the breeze brings glory to God! The vastness and wonder of the stars in the heaven brings glory to God! The sound of birds singing brings glory to God! The crashing of the waves on the beach brings glory to God! And yes, even if all of this were silent, an inanimate object like a stone can even bring glory to God!

Dumber Than a Box of Rocks

Have you ever the statement, “That boy is as dumber than a box of rocks.” Well, I don’t think that is exactly what Jesus was saying here against the Pharisees, but this is what I see when I read this verse. We can definitely see where Jesus had called them hard-headed, stiff-necked, and hard-hearted. A rock, with no brains whatsoever, no mind, no will, no emotions, not even a mouth has got enough sense to praise God! How much more should these religious leaders open up their hearts and praise the King of Glory who was right there with them! But they refused to see it. And they refused to recognize it. And they refused to accept it. And they missed it.

What About Us?

There is nothing we can do about the Pharisees who were there that day who wanted Jesus to silence the crowd. We can’t go back in time and try to convince them of their error. But what about us? Are there times when we are silent when we should shout? Are there times when we are passive when we should praise? Are there times when we let someone else or something else praise in our place? Would Jesus commend us for our praise or would He condemn us for our silence?

But you say, “I’ve just never been a loud praiser. I grew up in quiet church. I was told by my pastor not to be loud. I was discouraged from clapping my hands during worship. No one else is doing it, I don’t want to be the only one. It makes me uncomfortable.” Well, child of God, you better get used to it now, down here on earth, or I’m afraid you are going to be really uncomfortable in Heaven. Heaven is going to be an eternal celebration of audible worship and praise directed to our God, our Savior, our Messiah, and our King!

Why don’t you say, “I’m used to being quiet, but not today. Today I will lift my hands in worship! Today I will give God a shout of praise! Today I will break out of my shell! Today I will forget those hurtful words that convinced me to be silent! Because today is not a day of silence! Today is day of rejoicing and praise! This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it! Child of God, don’t miss it! Don’t squander this opportunity! Don’t let the pharisaical spirit convince you to be silent! DON’T LET THE STONES CRY OUT!!! Open your mouth and offer Jesus a sacrifice of praise! Raise your hands and give Him a wave offering! Give Him the glory and honor that is due His name!

Psalm 150 KJV 1900

1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: Praise him in the firmament of his power. 2 Praise him for his mighty acts: Praise him according to his excellent greatness. 3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: Praise him with the psaltery and harp. 4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: Praise him with stringed instruments and organs. 5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: Praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. 6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.

MESSAGE POINTS

We can learn some lessons from the crowd who lined the streets and praised Jesus that day:

It Was Unashamed Praise

Praise was customary in the Temple court. However, this praise is raised outside of the Temple. It is a secular setting. It was a busy road. It is praise outside of the church walls, so-to-speak.

Most of us do not praise God the way we should inside the church walls, much less outside the church.

The Bible says that they praised God with a “loud voice for the might works that they had seen.”

It wasn’t passive praise, it was unashamed praise!

Let our praise be Unashamed.

It Was Unanimous Praise

Luke 19:37 says that the “whole multitude of the disciples” lifted their voices in praise.

If you had the view that I have from the pulpit, you would be amazed at the folks who never open their mouths to sing, never clap their hands, never raise their hands in worship, never move, never respond, never praise the Lord.

Can there be much witness from a heart that feels no need to join with others in praising God?

There were some who were not praising; the Pharisees. They were squint-eyed and sour-faced, trying to find something to criticize. God doesn’t expect the Pharisees, the unbelievers, to break out in praise. But He does expect His children to do so.

Let our praise be Unanimous.

It Was Unstoppable Praise

Jesus said, “If these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

Nothing was going to stop Jesus from being praised that day.

What is stopping you from praising Jesus?

Let our praise be Unstoppable.