It is that “slash” day again—as in Palm/Passion Sunday—as in trying to capture two seemingly distinct moods and experiences in one act of worship. It is almost impossible to do, it seems. If we lean toward the Palm Sunday experience and emphasize the exuberance of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, then we run the risk of missing the weight of the Passion of Christ that prepares us for fully encountering Easter and the Risen Lord. On the other hand, if we put all the weight on the Passion of Christ, re-creating a Good Friday experience, we miss out on the surprising opportunity to claim a savior with shouts of “hosanna” and the waving of branches.
19:39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, order your disciples to stop."
19:40 He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out."
Jerusalem is the geographical and hermeneutical center of Luke’s Gospel.
The drama of the narrative begins and ends in the Jerusalem temple (1:5-8; 24:52-53). Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem unfolds over many chapters in Luke, from 9:51 when Jesus “sets his face” to go to Jerusalem, until 9:28 when Jesus finally “goes up” to Jerusalem. This is where our text, and the final week of Jesus’ earthly ministry, begins.
Jesus’ “going up” to Jerusalem is a public event interpreted by Luke as a royal entry.
The royal implications of this entry on a colt are clear in the words of “the whole multitude (pathos) of disciples” who praise God for the deeds of power they have seen.
The multitude of disciples seems to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ, the King who is to come.
This acclamation makes the Pharisees very nervous. Some Pharisees had warned Jesus in Luke 13:31 that Herod wanted to kill him and had advised Jesus to lay low.
Now again some Pharisees implore Jesus to order his disciples to stop their subversive chant. The Pharisees understand that such a display of royal pretensions may very well bring down the wrath of those in power in Jerusalem, whether it be the Sanhedrin, Herod, or Pilate. As it turns out, Jesus will pass in judgment before all three (Luke 22:66-23:25).
Yet just as Jesus had brushed aside the warnings of the Pharisees before (Luke 13:32-33), he does so once again, saying, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out” (19:40). Jesus knows full well the opposition he faces, but he will not be deterred from his mission.
This morning I would like to spend some time talking about shouting stones.
Palm/Passion Sunday places preachers in a bit of a dilemma in terms of how to focus our preaching. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is royal and triumphant, but we know how the people will turn against Jesus, even if the whole passion story is not read this Sunday.
We know that many in the crowds who hail Jesus as king on this Sunday will be crying out for his crucifixion by Friday.
Perhaps they expected a mighty warrior-king who would drive out the Romans. Seeing Jesus held by Roman soldiers, weak and vulnerable, they will decide that he is not the king they want after all. In fact, supporting him could be downright dangerous.
One question the preacher might ask is, “Where do we see ourselves in this story?” We have the advantage of 2000 years of hindsight, and it is easy to judge the characters in the story from a distance.
But are we really so very different from them?
How quickly does our faith falter when God does not deliver what we are expecting?
How quickly does our discipleship falter when we realize the great cost and risks of following Jesus?
How often do our self-serving instincts lead us to deny Jesus and his claim on our lives?
Where ever you are in the story one must also ask the question would I rather tHe rocks cry out for me? The rock does have a story.
For more than a century, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” has held a powerful place in American history. The hymn is known as the Black National Anthem, but it’s more than that. It’s a history lesson, a rallying cry, a pledge of unity, and as people gather to fight for equality and justice, it is an ever-present refrain.
Keisha N. Blain
Associate professor of history at the University of Pittsburgh, a 2020-21 fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University, and author of "Set the World on Fire: Black Nationalist Women and the Global Struggle for Freedom."
Stony the road we trod,
This line alludes to history and the many obstacles Black Americans endured since the Transatlantic Slave Trade. It underscores how the political gains of the era of Reconstruction were completely erased and replaced with an oppressive system of Jim Crow.
Bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
I think that is key to who we need to be in Christ and as a church; when Jesus said, if I tell these disciples to stop shouting, the road would yell out,
1.
I won't say that we have to travel some ruff roads in life Roads that other folks have real to be able to walk on. There are some ruff roads in our community, and I'm not just talking about the potholes. The devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on poor and low-income communities across America is laid bare in a new report released on Monday that concludes that while the virus did not discriminate between rich and poor, society and government did. As the US draws close to the terrible landmark of 1 million deaths from coronavirus, the glaringly disproportionate human toll that has been exacted is exposed by the Poor People’s Pandemic Report. Based on data analysis of more than 3,000 counties across the US, it finds that people in poorer counties have died overall at almost twice the rate of those in richer counties. During the third pandemic wave in the US, over the winter of 2020 and 2021, death rates were four and a half times higher in the poorest counties than those with the highest median incomes. Such a staggering gulf in outcomes cannot be explained by differences in vaccination rates, the authors find, with more than half of the population of the poorest counties having received two vaccine shots. A more relevant factor is likely to be that the poorest communities had twice the proportion of people who lack health insurance compared with the richer counties.
“The findings of this report reveal neglect and sometimes intentional decisions to not focus on the poor,” said Bishop William Barber, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign which jointly prepared the research. “The neglect of poor and low-wealth people in this country during a pandemic is immoral, shocking and unjust.” Thus the road for the poor was even more ruff during Covid-19
2.
There are times when shouting is appropriate.
Have you ever wondered why some African Americans shout during their worship services? Scholars agree that while shouting likely has roots in African culture, in America, it was a way to cope with oppression and anticipate a day of freedom.
In this respect, people who shout are like ancient Israelites who looked past their suffering to God’s deliverance. God charged Isaiah to warn his people about coming judgment. But the prophet also encouraged them by looking beyond the judgment to a day of freedom. He wrote in Isaiah Chapter 12, “In that day you will sing, ‘I will praise you, O LORD! You were angry with me, but not anymore. Now you comfort me. God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The LORD God is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.’ In that wonderful day, you will sing: Thank the LORD! Praise his name! Tell the nations what he has done. Let them know how mighty he is!
Sing to the LORD, for he has done wonderful things.” Isaiah could comfort ancient Israel based on the sure promise of God. And today, despite our struggles, we have God’s sure word. If our faith rests in Him and in His Son, who has reconciled us to God by His atoning sacrifice, one day we will say with all of God’s redeemed people, “The Lord has done great things for us and we are glad.”
I know so,e folk are going to say I shout on the inside and that is wonderful as long as you have a shout be this world we live is shout certified that means that it has been tested and it can hold a lot of shouts so feel free to shout because your shouting won’t break the world but free you from oppression.
I wonder what the Pharisees and The Sadducees gonna say when they see us sHouting Wesley we see us marching with Jesus when they in the words of 2 PAC picture us rolling.
Last you can’t miss these real disciples. Don’t quit.
1. When the enemy tried to silence Jesus' supporters, Jesus didn’t even consider hushing them he knew what freedom of speech was bout, Jesus understood that the moral voice of justice must be lifted in the public square, Jesus didn’t let Roman, nor Madison ave limit his true disciples and there right to celebrate What God Could do. Yes in just about a week a lot of his followers are gonna punk up, but that’s the difference between disciples and followers
Difference Between Disciple And Follower (With Table) – Ask Any Difference
All of this then begs the question: “What is a disciple?” Is it just a follower of Jesus?
As we look at the gospel accounts of the life of Jesus, he had many “followers” but only a few of them were called “disciples.”
In the day in which Jesus called his disciples to “make disciples,” a “disciple” was a follower of a rabbi or teacher (in this case, Jesus) who had the intent of following so that they would become like their rabbi.
So, yes, a disciple is a follower…but not just a follower. A disciple is a follower of Jesus who follows with the intent of becoming more like Him.
With that in mind, am I a disciple? Are you are disciple? Or, are we just followers?
So you don’t have to worry stay with Jesus and we won’t need Stones because Jesus got some praise power, so overcome power some shout it out power just trust and Jesus and it will be alright.
