Palm Sunday (Year C)
24-3-2013
Pastor Lester Priebbenow
Even Stones Can Sing!
Luke 19:37-40
37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38 "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"
40 "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
One of our first youth song books - a forerunner to the "All Together" song book series - had the curious title: "Even Stones Can Sing!"
Many may have supposed that it was nothing more than a 'catchy' title, but it comes from the words of Jesus spoken on that first Palm Sunday.
When Jesus rode up toward Jerusalem on a donkey, many Jewish people remembered the Old Testament Prophecy from Zechariah 9 and recognised Jesus as their Messiah King. A large crowd of people gathered by the side of the road; some spreading their cloaks on the road and others waving branches. This was a royal procession. Together they shouted their praises: God bless the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory to God!
The Jewish religious leaders were embarrassed and upset by this spontaneous, joyful and enthusiastic praise. They certainly didn't agree that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah King and they were frightened of what the Romans would do if they were seen to be hailing a king other than Caesar. They had tried in vain to get the crowds to stop shouting their praises. Now, in a desperate move, they went to Jesus himself and pleaded: "Teacher, command your disciples to be quiet!" Jesus answered, "I tell you that if they keep quiet, the stones themselves will start shouting!" "Even Stones Can Sing!"
In these words of Scripture, God teaches us three things about the praise of his name. The first is that Jesus Deserves the praises of his people. When Jesus rode up to Jerusalem, God was about to do the most amazing thing; the most praise-worthy thing that has ever been done. The life of his own Son was about to be sacrificed to pay the penalty for the sins of every person. Three days later he would be raised to life and offer, to all who trust in him, perfect forgiveness and a perfect life with God forever. That was truly worthy of praise!
Now it may be conceded that many in the crowds that day were misguided in their hope of an earthly Messiah-king, but we should not overlook their spontaneous joy and praise. They saw Jesus as the Saviour-King who deserved their praises. Jesus himself honoured their actions by defending their praises before the Pharisees.
It should be recognized, still today, that this 'King who comes in the name of the Lord' deserves the best of our praises. As the One who saves us; the One who walked the way to the cross and grave for us – and came alive again; the One who makes peace between us and God in heaven, Jesus deserves that his people constantly give "glory to God in the highest!"
In these words of Scripture God teaches us, secondly, that Jesus Desires the praises of his people. He wants God to hear the praises that He so rightly deserves. Even as he walked toward the cross, Jesus knew what would happen to him but he knew that this should not hinder – but rather increase - the praises of his people. In fact, he told the Pharisees: The Christ must be praised for who he is and for what he has done. If my people won't praise him, God will make sure that the praises come from somewhere. If people's hearts are hard and cold then the stones themselves will start shouting out his praises.
In our Holy Communion liturgy we are reminded regularly to fulfil God's desire for praise, as we say and hear:
It is truly fitting and right, and for our lasting good, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to you, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Jesus Christ our Lord...
Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we adore and magnify your glorious name, evermore praising you and saying: (Then we join the Palm Sunday crowds)
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts;
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
It is God's desire that we pray: 'that we may worship you with all our mind and spirit, offering you the 'hosannas' of our lips, the praise of our hearts, and the worship of our lives.'
The third truth these words of Scripture teach us is that Jesus Describes what happens when the voice of praise is silenced. Not only will he ensure that the praises God deserves and desires come from somewhere else; he will also warn of God's judgement on those who attempt to silence the praise of Christ.
Jesus' words seem to quote the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk who wrote: "The stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam and the woodwork respond (Hab. 2:11)." In that prophecy, God foretold that the very stones and beams of Babylon's supposedly secure kingdom would cry out in a litany of destruction against it. By quoting that prophecy here, Jesus warns the Pharisees of the consequences of rejecting him as Messiah King. The silencing of praise signifies the silencing of faith; and that is a serious matter!
There is a warning in this for all who silence the praise that is deserved and desired by our Saviour today. We don't have to look very far, or listen very hard, to hear the voices in our world which would silence the confession of Christ as Lord and King and the praises of him as this world's Saviour. We just have to think about how the Christian faith is portrayed in the media, how the prayers have disappeared from our parliaments, how Christians are frightened to talk openly about their faith, how many object to the teaching of God's Word in schools, or the public celebration of Christian festivals like Easter and Christmas, or how, when one dares to teach Christ as the only way to Salvation, he or she is called 'intolerant' or 'discriminatory'. So much in our world today is intent on doing just what the Pharisees were doing, silencing the true confession and the 'right praise' of Christ as Saviour.
But the Pharisees were Godly people, weren't they? Like the Pharisees, sometimes the silencing the 'right praise' of Christ comes from those within the church. We have churches and church leaders who see it as their mission to do almost everything else except proclaim Christ as Saviour; or who will quite happily twist and distort God's truth in order to push their own opinions or be accepted by the world.
There is also a temptation to silence the true praise of the Saviour in our own lives. Our human nature and busy lifestyles may rebel against the concept and practice of regular worship – daily and weekly. We can so easily find ourselves silencing the praises of Christ by being ashamed to acknowledge Christ as Saviour publicly before others, or by seeking to serve ourselves instead of Christ in our daily lives.
Jesus encourages us to remember that God's praises can never be truly silenced, in our world, the church, or our own lives. If people try to silence them, 'even stones can sing' out God's praises and 'cry out' in warning to those who try to silence the praises of Christ.
Jesus encourages us to keep on praising Him for who he is and what he has done; for his living, dying and rising again and for his personal gift to us in baptism. He is our Lord and King. He Deserves the very best of our praises. He Desires the praises of his people and all of his creation, and he Describes what happens when the voice of praise is silenced.
So let 'worship him with all our mind and spirit, offering the 'hosannas' of our lips, the praise of our hearts, and the worship of our lives.' Let us never remain silent. Rather, let's join 'even the stones' which 'sing' and shout out the praises of the Saviour King! Amen!