“And when He had said these things, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” you shall say this: “The Lord has need of it.”‘ So those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ And they said, ‘The Lord has need of it.’ And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as He rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As He was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of His disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the Name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’ And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, ‘Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.'” (Luke 19:28-40 ESV)
What an answer Jesus gave to the Pharisees! “I tell you, if My disciples were silent, the very stones would cry out.” Their rejoicing is so strong, it must have an outlet; if they don’t speak, the rocks will.
This overflowing joy shows up in other places in the New Testament. For example, Peter and John said to their enemies, who were threatening them, “We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20 ESV).
I read this and I wonder a little: What has happened to us Christians today, that we are so silent? Have we lost that joy that the early believers had? Or are we frightened of our enemies—those who would shut us up any time we dare to speak about Jesus? Many of us have become silent rocks—steadfast in our faith, but having trouble speaking it.
I don’t know. Maybe it’s both reasons. But the cure is the same. Luke tells us that “the whole multitude of His disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen.“ The more we hear and read about what Jesus has done for us—the more we meditate on it and let it sink in deep into our hearts—the more joyful we become, until we can’t help spilling over. We “rocks” find ourselves crying out for joy.
And what are these mighty works that Jesus has done? So many things! He left heaven to be born as a baby among us; He grew up among us sharing every part of our life, especially the hard parts. He took our griefs and carried our sorrow, healing our wounds with His own suffering. He lay down His life to reconcile us to God, and to make us new, living, joyful children of the Father. And He rose from the dead to break the power death had over the whole human race, and to give us a life that will last forever, overflowing with peace and love.
Prayer: Lord, work in my heart so that I, even I, will cry out Your praise. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights reserved
Reflection Questions:
1. Have you ever seen something explode, big or small?
2. What would it be like to be so joyful, you couldn’t help but explode with it?
3. If you’ve had that experience, how did you express your joy?
