"If these stop speaking, the stones will cry out!”

Luke 19:28-48 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

After Jesus said these things, He was going on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

²⁹ When He approached Bethphage and Bethany, near the mountain that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples, ³⁰ saying, “Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a colt tied, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. ³¹ And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” ³² So those who were sent left and found it just as He had told them. ³³ And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” ³⁴ They said, “The Lord has need of it.” ³⁵ And they brought it to Jesus, and they threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. ³⁶ Now as He was going, they were spreading their cloaks on the road. ³⁷ And as soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, ³⁸ shouting:

“Blessed is the King, the One who comes in the name of the Lord;
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

³⁹ And yet some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!” ⁴⁰ Jesus replied, “I tell you, if these stop speaking, the stones will cry out!”

⁴¹ When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, ⁴² saying, “If you had known on this day, even you, the conditions for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ For the days will come upon you when your enemies will put up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, ⁴⁴ and they will level you to the ground, and throw down your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

⁴⁵ And Jesus entered the temple grounds and began to drive out those who were selling, ⁴⁶ saying to them, “It is written: ‘And My house will be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”

⁴⁷ And He was teaching daily in the temple; but the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people were trying to put Him to death, ⁴⁸ and yet they could not find anything that they might do, for all the people were hanging on to every word He said.

Psalm 148:1-10 says: Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light! Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created. He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth, Sea monsters and all deeps; Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word; Mountains and all hills; Fruit trees and all cedars; Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and winged fowl…    In today’s text it says: They threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. Now as He was going, they were spreading their cloaks on the road. And as soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, shouting:  “Blessed is the King, the One who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”  And yet some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!” Jesus replied, “I tell you, if these stop speaking, the stones will cry out!”  Of all created things, the heavens and the earth, sun, moon and stars, beasts, cattle, creeping things, winged fowl; everything in the sea, the mountains, hills and the stones that they contain, only people have the choice of whether or not they will praise the Lord, glorify His name and be obedient to His will.  The psalmist says:  He commanded and they were created. He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away.  Those who refuse to acknowledge creation, are also those who refuse to praise and be obedient to the creator. 

If one will look at and meditate on the magnitude and the intricacies of creation, if one will look at the perfect balance in and among living things, with an open heart and an open mind, it will be impossible not to attribute creation to the Creator. Nothing so glorious and complex could have resulted by accident. There had to be a plan and design. Look even what happens when people introduce species of plants or animals where they do not belong, they become invasive, destructive and disrupt the balance that was intended. In a few short years entire ecosystems that have lasted for thousands of years are changed, disrupted and destroyed. All of human knowledge acquired over thousands of years, in truth, only learns that the more it knows, the more is left unknown. Psalm 14:1-2 says:  The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed detestable acts; There is no one who does good. The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of mankind To see if there are any who understand, Who seek God.  In truth, it is more than foolish to say that there is no God. It is arrogant to believe that we can do what He has done or that we can know what He knows. Only God is omnipotent and omniscient.  Some will say I’m foolish for my faith. 1 Corinthians 1:27-31 says:  God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the insignificant things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no human may boast before God. But it is due to Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written: “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”   

You are free to choose for yourself. As for me, no stone will cry out in my place. I will boast in the Lord. I will praise and be obedient to the Him, the creator of all things, the king of Kings. I will praise Him with a loud voice saying, “Blessed is the King, the One who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”   Amen.