If These Were Silent, The Very Stones Would Cry Out
If These Were Silent, The Very Stones Would Cry Out
There is an interesting saying of the Lord in the Gospels that I always particularly liked. It is when Jesus told the Pharisees, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” (Luke 19:40)
Imagine the scene. The Lord rides on a donkey into Jerusalem and is celebrated as the Messianic King who is to rule over the people of God, the One foretold by the prophets and expected for centuries. In Jesus’s ministry, the people saw the confirmation that this One truly is the Messiah because the power of God evidenced by healings and miracles flowed abundantly. No mortal man could do such things on his own. Jesus’ fame grew; thousands of people heard His teachings and saw His miracles. In this scene now, multitudes of people followed Him, celebrating and rejoicing, shouting, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (v.38) The excitement, the joy, the hope and expectation in the air must have been magnificent. But among the multitude of celebrating people were also some Pharisees who could not quite engage with the same euphoria. Instead, the words the people shouted made them uneasy, to the point where they moved up to Jesus in the masses and told Him to rebuke His followers to stop shouting these things. In their deeply ingrained religious mindset, it was blasphemous to talk like that and politically incorrect to make those kind of statements, while the crowd around them could not care less, they just saw the pure joy of the coming New!
How many times I wonder, in our modern day and age, are we confronted with a quite similar situation. We shout aloud praises to our Lord and Savior, we worship Him publicly and glorify him as the Only God, the Only Savior, the Only solution to our lives. And then are faced with people for whom that does not sound politically correct, or even offensive. I am so glad our politicians are boldly declaring the Gospel message on public scenes and standing by the founding principles of our Christian nation, what a blessing to see. And in those moments, I am reminded of the response the Lord gave those concerned people, saying, “if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” What a powerful truth because the praises and the glory to God that are due His name will go forth; it will happen regardless of our stance or opinion of it. It is His creation, His salvation plan, His will that unfolds before our very eyes. And it will glorify Him. The question for all of us is whether we want to be found on the cheering side, or the offended side. I hope and pray we all are ignited with the same joy and cheer as most of how that multitude was and that if onlookers rebuke us for our joy because it might sound politically offensive, that we would have the courage and boldness of David who said, “I will be even more undignified than this!” Why should the glory of the Lord be reflected off of cold, lifeless objects like stones, when He created us as vessels for His glory and praise!
May the Lord bless you today and may His praises be on your lips and your heart truly overflow!
There is an interesting saying of the Lord in the Gospels that I always particularly liked. It is when Jesus told the Pharisees, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” (Luke 19:40)
Imagine the scene. The Lord rides on a donkey into Jerusalem and is celebrated as the Messianic King who is to rule over the people of God, the One foretold by the prophets and expected for centuries. In Jesus’s ministry, the people saw the confirmation that this One truly is the Messiah because the power of God evidenced by healings and miracles flowed abundantly. No mortal man could do such things on his own. Jesus’ fame grew; thousands of people heard His teachings and saw His miracles. In this scene now, multitudes of people followed Him, celebrating and rejoicing, shouting, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (v.38) The excitement, the joy, the hope and expectation in the air must have been magnificent. But among the multitude of celebrating people were also some Pharisees who could not quite engage with the same euphoria. Instead, the words the people shouted made them uneasy, to the point where they moved up to Jesus in the masses and told Him to rebuke His followers to stop shouting these things. In their deeply ingrained religious mindset, it was blasphemous to talk like that and politically incorrect to make those kind of statements, while the crowd around them could not care less, they just saw the pure joy of the coming New!
How many times I wonder, in our modern day and age, are we confronted with a quite similar situation. We shout aloud praises to our Lord and Savior, we worship Him publicly and glorify him as the Only God, the Only Savior, the Only solution to our lives. And then are faced with people for whom that does not sound politically correct, or even offensive. I am so glad our politicians are boldly declaring the Gospel message on public scenes and standing by the founding principles of our Christian nation, what a blessing to see. And in those moments, I am reminded of the response the Lord gave those concerned people, saying, “if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” What a powerful truth because the praises and the glory to God that are due His name will go forth; it will happen regardless of our stance or opinion of it. It is His creation, His salvation plan, His will that unfolds before our very eyes. And it will glorify Him. The question for all of us is whether we want to be found on the cheering side, or the offended side. I hope and pray we all are ignited with the same joy and cheer as most of how that multitude was and that if onlookers rebuke us for our joy because it might sound politically offensive, that we would have the courage and boldness of David who said, “I will be even more undignified than this!” Why should the glory of the Lord be reflected off of cold, lifeless objects like stones, when He created us as vessels for His glory and praise!
May the Lord bless you today and may His praises be on your lips and your heart truly overflow!
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