If We are Silent, the Stones Will Cry Out

Luke 19:28-44 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

28 After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

29 When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the

Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village

ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never

been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you

untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ” 32 So those who were sent

departed and found it as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt,

its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They said, “The

Lord needs it.” 35 Then they brought it to Jesus, and after throwing their

cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 As he rode along, people kept

spreading their cloaks on the road. 37 Now as he was approaching the path

down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to

praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had

seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven,

and glory in the highest heaven!” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said

to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if

these were silent, the stones would shout out.” 41 As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 Indeed, the days will come upon

you when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you

and hem you in on every side. 44 They will crush you to the ground, you and

your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon

another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from

God.”

HOMILY:

Some of you older members will remember the show: “Queen for a day”. This show

was first broadcast on Radio in April of 1945. Think of that. This show began before

most of us here were born. And it continued on radio until 1957. Then NBC and later

ABC produced the show on TV. I believe it continued on TV until 1964.

That’s when I saw the show for the first time. This is what I remember: Several women

were selected to play the game. Each woman told her story. Then the audience voted

by applause. The host, Jack Bailey, decided the winner by the volume of applause for

each woman. Then Jack or his representative coronated the winner with a sparkling

crown and a velvet robe. The winner was showered with many gifts and declared queencrown and a velvet robe. The winner was showered with many gifts and declared queen

for a day.

Today we celebrate Palm Sunday and declare with the Jerusalem crowd that Jesus is

King. But in the eyes of some on that first Palm Sunday, He is King for only a day.

For one day He hears the shouts of hosanna. For one day he rides into Jerusalem

on a donkey. For one day, the people cast their robes and palm branches across His

pathway. For one day, many people are happy to see their new king.

But the religious leaders along the parade route are not happy at all. Instead of spreading

palms, they spread lies; and instead of shouting hosannas, they demand Jesus to tell

his disciples to be quiet.

How does the crowd respond to the ultimatum by these religious leaders? Do they shut

up about Jesus? Well, yes they do shut up about Jesus being king; or at least some of

them do. But over the next five days, the voices of many of them find new expression.

Instead of blessing Jesus, they begin to curse Him. Their cries of Hosanna begin to

morph into shouts of “Away with him. Crucify Him”

Who has changed: Jesus or the Crowd? Jesus has not changed? But the CROWD has

changed. They have changed because they realize Jesus is not the kind of king they

want.

But Jesus is the kind of King that His Father in heaven wants. And the words Jesus

spoke to the religious leaders on that first Palm Sunday, prove to be true. When the

people ceased declaring Jesus to be their king, the stones all around begin to testify

otherwise.

The stones DO NOT LITERALLY cry out. But symbolically, metaphorically, and

powerfully they DO cry out.

The first cry comes from one of the thieves on the cross next to Jesus. Unlike his

partner in crime, who reviled and mocked Jesus, this thief allows his heart to be

softened by the suffering of the man next to him who did no sin. He turns to Jesus

and cries out: “Remember me when you come into YOUR Kingdom”.

The once stone cold heart of this man is the first stone that cries out that Jesus is king.

The second STONE that cries out takes place when Jesus dies. The sun grows dark,

and the stones below the ground begin to rumble as the earth shakes. Just as Jesus

predicted, when the crowd ceases to call Jesus King, all of nature begins to take up the

Palm Sunday cry. He IS King.

Even the very ones who crucify Jesus, agree with the rumbling stones and the darkened

sun. For example, one Centurion, standing by, cries out: “Surely this IS the Son of

God”.The stone at the tomb is the third STONE that cries out. No words are spoken, but the

sound that this huge stone makes as it rolls across the ground communicates

nevertheless the reality of the resurrection: “He is not here, He is risen, He is king.”

And then, the temple STONES cry out. Remember what Jesus said just a day or so

after the religious leaders tell Him to make his disciples shut up about Him being King?

Jesus tells them, in effect, that even these temple stones will bear witness. You will see

that NOT one is connected to the other. All that will be left of the temple is a great many

scattered stones. He was predicting the destruction of the temple.

Forty years later the broken stones of the temple speak louder than words to those who

were still alive, “The temple is GONE, but Jesus is still King.”

The stones outside this church in the graveyard also cry out. Below these stones are

the people who worshipped in this building. They sang many of the songs from the

hymnbook which we hold in our hands today. Some were your dads and moms. Some

were your grandparents. And some were your aunts and uncles and cousins.

Their voices are now silent. And yet the stones above their heads tell (without words)

the message which they declared loudly during their life and now resound silently from

the portals of their heaven. “Jesus was King of my Life. Now He is King of my

eternity.”

And the stones inside this building today are also speaking. I am referring to you and

me. As Saint Peter suggests in his Epistle, we are living stones. And you and I are

speaking today. We are declaring that Jesus is King.

There are secular and religious voices that pay homage to other authorities: they

declare allegiance to worldly philosophers, misguided theologians, or clever ideologues.

They say Jesus is ancient, times have changed, and we must change with the times.

But we must not change. We must remember “Jesus is the same yesterday, today

and forever.” Therefore we must join our voices with the Palm Sunday Crowd and say

as strongly and as consistently as we can. “Jesus is my king. I will follow Him.”

We are living stones. We are a Holy priesthood, as Peter puts it. It is our responsibility

to bring the truth to those to whom God has given us charge. If we remain silent, all of

nature will take up the cry.

But we will not be silent. As long as there is breath in our bodies, we, the living stones

of Christ, will join all of creation in saying “Behold our king, King Jesus”!

How do we do this? How do we declare that Jesus is our king. Ordinarily we think about

the words we speak. We declare that Jesus is our King by the words we sing, by the

creeds we recite, by the prayers we make, by the Sunday school lessons we teach, by

the homilies we preach.But what about the times when we become silent. Not silent because we choose to be

silent. But times when we are silent because we cannot speak. Or times when God tells

us to be silent. Remember, once he told Moses to be silent. He said, “Be still and

know that I am God”.

Have you ever come to such times. Times when you were silent because heaven was

brass. Times when you were silent because of the heavy weight of physical sickness or

mental stress. I have come to such times myself. Sometime when I prepare for Sunday,

I wrestle in silence before God. Words are evasive and I have writer’s block.

I think it is during such times that I more fully appreciate the words of Saint Peter. “You

are living stones.” When I cannot speak, or when I refuse to speak, or when fear tells

me not to speak, someone deep within me silently but powerfully cries out.

Who might that be? It is Jesus himself, the headstone of my very being. And I, a living

stone, respond in the affirmative. “Yes Jesus, you are still king. Yes Jesus, you are still

my King.

Ecclesiastes tells us there is a time to speak and a time to be silent. A Greek philosopher

once said, we have two ears and only one mouth; so we should use our ears twice as

often as we use our mouth. And our Lord’s brother, James, put it even more bluntly. “We

should be quick to hear and slow to speak.

When for one reason or another our vocal witness is silent, God still speaks through each

of us who are called to be living stones. When I cannot speak with words, I find powerful

witness by listening. When I am silent, I hear the voices of those all around me.

I hear their cry. I sense their loneliness, I feel their pain. I withhold my judgement. I listen

with my heart. I love with my hands and feet. I pour out of my heart the abundant grace

which Jesus so richly gives to me. When I am silent, this living stone that I am still speaks.

I become a living stone that speaks without words.

Today we are about to ordain and install two new elders. God has called Richard

and Caroline to be ruling elders. He spoke to you, Richard and Caroline. It is he

who calls you to this office. As a result, you will have lots of opportunities to declare

that Jesus is your King. Sometimes you will do so by words that you speak here at

church or in a session meeting. Or you will speak to those in the circles in which you live.

You will speak words and by your words you will declare that Jesus is your king.

But there will be times when you cannot speak. Sometimes God will call you

to silence.

Remember you also are living stones. Sometimes you will speak without words.

You will declare Jesus is your king by listening, by the extension of your hand, or

by the compassion of your heart. When many remain silent, you will speak; sometimes

with words. But quite often you will speak by your life. I welcome you. God

welcomes you. And this congregation welcomes you. Jesus is your King now and

for all eternity. And whether by word or in silence, may your lives forever cry out:Behold my King….Jesus Christ is Lord. To God be the glory both now and forevermore.