The Stones Will Cry Out - Sermon Summary

The Stones Will Cry Out - Luke 19:28-40 At times in scripture we see that God instructed his prophets to speak his instructions to God’s people. At other times God instructed his prophet to present an object lesson or living example of the idea that God was trying to communicate to his people, especially when the people were slow to listen to the words of God. We find an example of a living example in Luke 19:28-40. At the time of this story Jesus had been ministering to the people for almost three years. The time of His death was drawing near and most of the Jews still were choosing not to believe. So Jesus presents them with a picture, where the lesson would be unmistakable. It was the time of year to celebrate the Jewish Passover and thousands upon thousands of Jewish pilgrims had already gathered in Jerusalem. Religious fervor and passion were high. Luke 19:28-40 is a story of Jesus entering Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. He draws near to Jerusalem riding a colt donkey. His disciples respond by laying their cloaks on the ground in front of him and waving palm branches. The crowds praise him as he comes as a king. From our perspective this seems to be a simple story of crowds of people beginning to follow Jesus. That is the basic truth of the story, but there is so much more when one digs deeper. The Mount of Olives was just east of the city of Jerusalem. It was a place with sacred importance. In the book of Ezekiel God had given the prophet a vision of God and His glory leaving and returning to Jerusalem at the Mount of Olives, the mountain to the east of Jerusalem. The location of this story being the Mount of Olives was significant to the people of Jesus’ day. As we continue to observe the culture of that day and the scriptures of the Old Testament we can begin to understand much more about this story. An unused animal was often used for sacred purposes. On example can be found in Numbers 19:2 where God gives instruction concerning an animal that was to be sacrificed. “This is a requirement of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer without defect or blemish and that has never been under a yoke.” Christ riding on an unused colt was another message to the people about the sacredness and importance of who Christ was. A third important detail was the type of animal on which Jesus was riding. A conquering king would enter a city riding a horse. A king coming in peace would ride a donkey. (Matt. 21:2; 1 Kings 1:33-34) Jesus had not come to be an earthly, military king who would free the Jews from Rome. He came as an eternal king that would free many from the condemnation and slavery of sin. He came in peace. . . the Prince of peace. Jesus was following this same pattern as seen in Zechariah 9:9 that had been written 500 years before. Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. In contrast to this, in Revelation 19 Jesus comes riding on a white horse as a conquering King of kings and Lord of lords. This was another message to the people who were there that day. Yes, Jesus was coming to be King of the Jews, but not in the way that they desired. He was coming to save them from so much more than the Romans. He was coming to save them from themselves and their slavery to sin and eternal separation from God. Verses 35 – 36 tells of how they spread their cloaks or outer robes on the road in front of the donkey that Jesus was riding. This too was another way that kings were treated. In 2 Kings 9:12-13 a prophet proclaims a man named Jehu as king and this is what is says of the people’s response, “They hurried and took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, “Jehu is king!” This was another clear message in the story that Jesus was not coming as just a good teacher or a good man. He was claiming to be the promised King of kings. In John 12:13 this same story of Jesus Triumphal entry is told and it tells how the people waved palm branches. Now practically speaking palm branches were used because they were available at this time of year, but as we look deeper there is more. Palm branches were another way to prepare the way of the “King” as were the laying down of the cloaks of the people. In ancient history palm branches often symbolized goodness and victory. Some Jewish coins from the first century had palm leaf engravings with the accompanying inscription, “the redemption of Zion.”1 Palm branches took on even greater significance during the period between the Old and New Testament. In 165 BC a man by the name of Judas Maccabeus won back Jerusalem from the hands of their Greek conquerors. Maccabeus cleansed the temple and led to the creation of the Jewish feast – Hanukkah. The Jews celebrated with palm branches. It was a great way to celebrate the coming of a Jewish deliverer who had come to purify the temple from those who had blasphemed God. The Jews were looking for the next “Judas Macabbeus,” the Messiah who would free them and cleanse them from the ruling Gentiles. Yes, Jesus was coming to cleanse them and their temple, but He was not coming to free them from the Gentiles, He was coming to save them from themselves. In response to all of these signs of proclaiming Himself to be the promised Messiah and King of the Jews the people began to praise Jesus quoting from Psalm 118, a chapter with clear references to the coming Messiah that had been written centuries before. The donkey, the location, the cloaks on the road, the palm branches, and the praises of the people all declared Jesus as the promised Messiah and a king. It was a dangerous statement to be making at that time in history since the Romans were in power, but that is who Jesus was and why he had come. In the midst of the cheers there were Pharisees who were watching the event take place. They rejected the claims of Christ’s being the Messiah and called for him to rebuke the praises of the people. They told Jesus to rebuke his disciples but He responded with these words, “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Jesus was stating the truth that the praises of God in Jesus Christ cannot be silenced. The disciples were giving glory to Jesus because He was the Promised One from God and the Pharisees refused to recognize who Christ was. Our world is familiar with this concept of glory. We give glory and praise to athletes, actors, musicians, authors, scientists, political officials, and many others. Glory is an idea of greatness that we give much too easily these days. It is a distinction that one is better than the rest because of their ability, their achievements, or because of who they are. It is the idea of unequaled greatness. But even the greatest futbol players of the world were created by God. Musicians perform well but God created music itself and is the One who puts a song in the hearts of man. The politicians lead nations, but in the end every nation will bow to Jesus Christ. Authors write words and books, but Jesus Christ is the Word . . .of God, He is the author . . . of Salvation. Even Scientists in their greatest discovery have only found what God had already put in place when the world began. If we choose not to give God glory, “even the stones will cry out!” He is of infinite worth. There is no other name that will ring throughout the halls of heaven for eternity except the name of Jesus Christ. The names that our world exalts will be forgotten and fade into the past but the name of Jesus will resound forever. The praise of God’s people cannot be silenced. As we read in Romans 1:20 the characteristics of the Creator can be seen by looking at His creation. Psalm 19 tells us “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice  goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” The praises to God cannot be silenced by governments, by sword, by threats, or by fear. The people of God proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ will continue, unstoppable, until Christ returns. . . and that will only be the beginning. In heaven all other glories will be silenced and Jesus Christ will be exalted. Persecution cannot silence it. Not in Northern Nigeria, not in Iran, not in China, not in Northern Korea, or anywhere else violence and intimidation is brought against the followers of Jesus Christ. God’s Word proclaims and history confirms that the Gospel will continue to advance until Christ returns. Despite the Iranian government's ongoing crackdown of Christians living in the primarily Islamic country, the number of Muslims converting to become Christians is growing at an explosive rate. An estimated 200 believers from Muslim background were living in Iran 40 years ago, according to Open Doors. Now, the number is estimated to be 370,000.2 In the early 1970s, there were an estimated 3 million Christians in China. Now, the number may be as high as 130 million. (source: Christianity Today) Even apathy will not stop the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the glory of God. One can see that throughout church history when the churches begin to drift away from God and His Word, God calls out to those who “have ears to hear” and uses them to carry the name of Christ to its desired goal. We see this in Martin Luther and the Reformation, German Pietism, the Moravians, the Mennonite brethren, and the Methodists. Even Baptists came about as a group of believers who clung to God’s Word when the church had turned away from it. God will continue to always raise up a people who will give Him praise above all others. So what will we do? We will join those believers throughout history whose voices and lives have testified to the ultimate glory of God, or will we choose to live lives that exalt everything else in our world. Will our voices and our lives glorify God, or will “the stones need to cry out” because of our silence. Today may we choose to live lives that proclaim the glory and value of our God. May others see in us that Jesus Christ is more glorious than anything else this world has to offer.