As we prepare to celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, I want to look at a fascinating little verse in the gospel of Luke.
Luke 19:40
Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
What is Jesus talking about?
Let me give you some context. Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 about how the king will enter the city. The crowd starts cheering, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" They believe that Jesus is the Messiah-King who will rescue God's people and bring peace. But the Pharisees are absolutely opposed to this idea. They find it offensive to imagine this carpenter-teacher as God's chosen Messiah. Therefore, the Pharisees tell Jesus to rebuke his followers and make them be quiet. Jesus responds, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out."
What is Jesus talking about?
There are two ways to understand this verse. On the one hand, the Pharisees might think back to Habakkuk 2 about how God will punish the Babylonians for their greed, wickedness, and violence done against Israel.
Habakkuk 2:9-12
Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm! You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many peoples; you have forfeited your life. For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond. Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity!
With this interpretation, Jesus is declaring that if people reject his kingship, God will send judgment, which is exactly what Jesus says later on in the passage.
Luke 19:43-44
For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.
On the other hand, the Pharisees could reflect on passages of Scripture about creation singing praises to God for his work of salvation.
Psalm 96:11-13
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.
Isaiah 44:23
Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel.
Isaiah 55:12
For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
All of creation rejoices in the Lord for his magnificent work of redemption. In the triumphal entry, Jesus is on his way to fulfill God's plan of redemption. Jesus is the Messiah-King who will rescue God's people from sin and establish God's kingdom. He deserves to be acknowledged and celebrated for who he is. If the followers of Jesus are silent, then God can cause the stones to cry out in praise and worship.
So here's the point: Jesus is the King and the Savior. He is worthy of all praise and worship. Let's raise our hearts and voices and join the song that we will be singing for all eternity,
"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" (Revelation 5:12-13)
