Even the Rocks Will Cry Out

Even the Rocks Will Cry Out

Finally, Jesus was treated like a king. It was Palm Sunday, or the Triumphal Entry as we sometimes call it, the Sunday before Jesus would be crucified on Friday and rise from the dead. This scene was the beginning of the Passover celebration in Jerusalem. During this time, Jews would come from across the world to celebrate the Passover with their family as they had done for more than one thousand years. At the beginning of this Passover, Jesus and his disciples came from Bethany, a town just east of Jerusalem across from the Mount of Olives—the very place the Messiah would enter Jerusalem (Is. 40:3, Zech. 14:4). 

As Jesus came into town, the crowd started to cheer, shouts began to break out, and the people proclaimed that the Messiah, the Son of David, the promised king of Israel, was coming into Jerusalem at last.

One thing that makes this event so interesting is what the people were shouting. Leading up to the Passover, as they traveled from their homes, they would have been singing the Psalms and preparing their hearts for celebration. The Songs of Ascent (Psalm 120-134) had been sung since the time of Solomon as pilgrims from across the world made the trip up Mount Moriah to see the Temple. These begin with a cry for deliverance, an assurance of help coming from the Lord, praise for the city Jerusalem, and continued reflection on God‘s deliverance in the past. With hearts full of expectation about what God might do during this Passover celebration, the people saw Jesus. Another psalm filled their hearts, the one right before the Songs of Ascent, and one they had read at Passover their entire lives.

Psalm 118:25 says, “Save us, we pray, oh Lord! Oh Lord, we pray, give us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of God! The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us!” These were the praises of a king, from the line of David, who would restore the Golden Age of Israel.

There’s something gratifying about reading this scene. Throughout his life, Jesus was treated as a servant. But here, for one short moment on earth, Jesus is treated as he really is: a king.

The people were taking palm branches and waving them. They threw their coats on the ground for him to walk over on his donkey as he rode into Jerusalem. These were nationalistic symbols, celebrating the triumph of the people of Israel, harkening back to a time in the past when Israel had thrown off their Greek conquerors, and the Maccabees had risen to provide freedom for the people of Israel. You have to wonder if the people standing by thought Jesus would usher in a similar kingdom.

In the midst of the scene, Jesus says something very curious. The Pharisees call on Jesus to quiet down his disciples and disavow the crowds. And Jesus responds, “I tell you if these were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Luke 19:40). Now, why would Jesus say such a thing? What does this mean?

The Stones Will Cry Out?

One idea is that the stones of the Temple are witnesses of Jesus’ ministry. During the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, Jesus declares some of his most apocalyptic prophecies about the Temple. He foretells the imminent destruction, saying right after this passage, “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.” (Luke 19:43-44). The stones of the Temple knew their Messiah had come, but the people didn’t. 

Another is that Jesus uses a colloquial phrase to emphasize the importance of what’s happening. The signs are so obvious that even a bag of rocks would know to praise Jesus as he rides into town! 

The Bible is clear that all of nature will be redeemed in Christ. In the Fall, it wasn’t just human beings who were fractured by sin. All creation was subjected to the destructiveness of sin until God redeemed it. The creation, Paul says, waits with groaning for the revealing of the sons of God. (Rom. 8:19). 

The most likely explanation is that Jesus is referencing one of John the Baptist’s interactions with the Pharisees. In Luke 3, the Pharisees and scribes go out to see John’s ministry, and John rebukes them for their self-righteousness, saying, “And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.”

What a stinging rebuke. It’s a reminder that God does not need our good works to create children of Abraham; all he needs are willing vessels. If the Pharisees weren’t willing to surrender, then God would raise faithful sons of Abraham from the rocks. Jesus seems to be making a similar point. If the Pharisees won’t worship after seeing all Jesus had done, then there are a few rocks who would like a chance! 

James Edwards captures these various meanings in a comment on verse 40: “Nature, too, must be redeemed in order to praise God (Rom 8:18–25). Stones that speak is an eschatological metaphor in Hab 2:11 and Ezra 5:5, and it appears likewise here. Some stones will declare judgment and destruction on Jerusalem (19:44; 20:18; 21:6), and others, like the stone rolled away from the empty tomb of Jesus (24:2), will shout “Hosanna” to the risen and eternal King. In the age to come, all nature will join in the praise that disciples now sing proleptically.”

Manifold Witness

More than anything, the Triumphal Entry sets our sight on the giant cosmic picture of the Gospel. Jesus has become King of kings and Lord of lords. He is God’s chosen Messiah, his sacrificial lamb, and our Savior. That morning ride into Jerusalem was the beginning of the groundswell that we see at the end of the Bible. “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war… On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of Kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:11, 16). 

As we enter Easter week, we join in with that story. We sing that same song. We look to the one who will save us. We proclaim the faithfulness of God in sending his King, who is humble to serve and mighty to save. 

“Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.” 

Dr. Cole Feix is the founder and president of So We Speak and the Senior Pastor of Carlton Landing Community Church in Oklahoma.