“The Day The Stone Cried Out!”
Text: Luke 19:37- 40 Matthew 27:57- 60
Introduction: The Triumphant Entry of the King!
1. Jesus was here at the height of His popularity.
Healing the sick, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead, etc.
Even after His statement in John 6 – It did not stop the multitudes from coming!
There was something about this man…
2. The crowd spread their clothes in His Way. – (Luke 19:36)
“All that I have, belongs to you, Lord.”
3. The crowd waved palm branches & cried, “Hosanna!, Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
(There was excitement in the air!) (Worship & Praise!)
Then comes Opposition to the Worship & Praise!
Verse 39 -- “And some of the Pharisees from among the Multitude said unto Him, ‘Master, rebuke thy disciples.”
(They were in the midst of the praise & worship, and they DIDN’T LIKE IT!)
Verse 40 – “And (Jesus) answered and said unto them, ‘I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, THE STONES would immediately CRY OUT.”
Now, the shouts of praise drifts into silence, and the days pass…
We see Jesus in an upper room – The Last Supper
We see Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane – In Agony
We see Jesus before the Sanhedrin & Pilate – Alone & Forsaken by His friends
We see Jesus beaten & crucified – Who comes to His Aid?
We see Jesus with His last breath – Speak words of Love & Forgiveness
Then, We see Jesus Die!
Matthew 27:59,60 “And when Joseph (of Arimathaea) had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled A GREAT STONE to the door of the sepulchre…”
A PICTURE SAYS A THOUSAND WORDS!
1. THE STONE CRIED OUT…JESUS IS DEAD!
A. The STONE represented a “barrier between the Living & the Dead.
It cried, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for a friend.”
It cried, “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, CHRIST DIED FOR US.”
B. The Enemies of Jesus wished to KEEP HIM IN THE TOMB!
They “Set a Watch of Soldiers” to guard the STONE
They made the stone SECURE by SEALING it.
(By placing a cord across the entire stone and sealing it with clay at each end.)
Modern Religious Pharisees continue to block the entrance of the Tomb!
They failed to realize that NO ROCK, SEAL, GUARD, OR ARMY could prevent the Son of God from RISING FROM THE DEAD!
2. THE STONE CRIED OUT…HE IS RISEN!
The Purpose of Removing the Stone WAS NOT to allow Jesus to Get Out – But so others could Get In and SEE!!
Read John 20:1,2 -- Mary Magdalene came & saw the stone rolled away…and left without seeing the EMPTY TOMB.
(Many come & see the outward appearance – THEN LEAVE – He must still be DEAD!)
ILLUS: An Arab chief tells a story of a spy who was captured and then sentenced to death by a general in the Persian army. This general had the strange custom of giving condemned criminals a choice between the FIRING SQUAD and the BIG, BLACK DOOR. As the moment for execution drew near, the spy was brought to the Persian general, who asked the question, “What will it be: the FIRING SQUAD, or the BIG, BLACK DOOR?” The spy hesitated for a long time. It was a difficult decision. He chose the FIRING SQUAD. Moments later shots rang out confirming his execution. The general turned to his aide and said, “They always prefer the known way to the unknown. It is characteristic of people to be afraid of the unknown. Yet, we gave him a choice.” The aide said, “What lies beyond the BIG, BLACK DOOR?” “FREEDOM”, replied the general.
3. THE STONE CRIED OUT…COME AND SEE!
Read John 20:6,7 “Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie – and the NAPKIN, that was about His head, not lying with the linen clothes, but WRAPPED TOGETHER in a place by itself.”
Before Jesus walked out of the tomb, He took the time to FOLD THE NAPKIN! WHY?
During Passover, Jewish families played “Learning Games” to remind their children of the significance of the Passover meal.
The Mother would bring fresh baked bread to the table, WRAPPED IN A NAPKIN!
The Father would then show the bread in the NAPKIN, then take it and hide the bread in the house…
He would then bring the EMPTY NAPKIN back to the table, AND FOLD IT…
Then the children would search the house for the BREAD!
John 6:33- 35 “For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto Him, ‘Lord, evermore give us this bread.’ And Jesus said unto them, ‘I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE; HE THAT COMETH TO ME SHALL NEVER HUNGER; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.”
CONCLUSION: The child who found the bread, would receive a REWARD or a PRIZE! ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST!
