Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these [people] were silent, the stones would shout out.” -Luke 19:40
As Jesus entered Jerusalem, people gathered, waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” It was a public celebration of hope and honor. And the religious elite and governing authorities didn’t care for it much. They told Jesus to quiet the people. They feared disruption to their way of life and overturning of their power.
Followers of Jesus like to imagine ourselves as part of the crowd, celebrating and honoring the Lord. But the truth is there are also ways we are more like the religious elite and governing authorities: We don’t listen to the stories being told by those who are oppressed. We tune out the cries of those in the margins. We overlook the people in this world who are poor.
It is for our benefit that Jesus responds to the noise complaints with confidence that even if the people were silenced, the stones would shout out.
Nothing can quiet the shouts of “Hosanna!” Nothing can contain the celebration that Jesus is Lord. Nothing can stop Christ’s victory over sin and death.
The truth of God’s immeasurable love will be made known. If not by the people, then, impossibly, by the stones.
This is good news for all who need to be heard. This is good news for all who hear it.
Submitted by Pastor JoHanna Buchholz Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, ELCA Devils Lake, ND
P.S. I’d also like to submit a shameless plug for the Our Savior’s Rummage Sale coming up on April 6. The sale includes gently used items, baked goods, handcrafted items, a breakfast and a lunch, silent auction, and quilt raffle. All proceeds from the event go to the cost of replacing our worn out sanctuary roof. Doors open at 7 a.m. We are grateful for the community’s support in “raising the roof” as we strive to be a place where God’s love is made real as we connect people with God, people with people, and people with mission.
