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Day 239

Luke 19 : 28-48 "NOT EVERYBODY WAS HAPPY"

Day 239 – Luke 19

Text: Luke 19 : 28-48

NOT EVERYBODY WAS HAPPY

The Pharisees noted the jubilation of the Disciples of Jesus. They were certainly far from pleased when the crowds began to ascribe praise and honour to Jesus as the King.

There was no mistaking the Messianic flavour in the words of the song sung in praise to God for Jesus! The Pharisees of course had rejected Jesus and they would never acknowledge Him as their King. They were unhappy that others were doing so.

They could not stop the happy throng of people. All they could do was to call out to Him from the crowd,

“Teacher, rebuke Your Disciples.”
Luke 19:39

That was as far as the Pharisees would go when they addressed Jesus. They did not address Him by name. They would certainly not call him, “Master” or “Lord”. The only acceptable generic term they were comfortable with was “Teacher”.

They called to Him to stop His Disciples from celebrating His happy and triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. The Pharisees may not have joined in the celebration. But they well understood the significance of Jesus entering into Jerusalem riding on the colt of a donkey. They certainly understood the words of the song sung in praise of God for Jesus as the One who came in the Name of the Lord! The Messianic significance couldn’t be clearer!

If the crowds were right, then they the Pharisees were wrong! They could not accept that others could be right and they wrong! The best way to deal with the situation was to try and coerce Jesus to silence His Disciples.

YET ANOTHER ENCOUNTER WITH THE PHARISEES

Jesus was ever the Master of any situation that arose. He must have anticipated that there would be resistance and remonstration from the Pharisees. He also knew that they could do nothing with a jubilant crowd. They couldn’t try and stop a happy throng of people bent on celebration!

The reply of Jesus must have flabbergasted the Pharisees! He said,

“I tell you that if these should keep silent,
the stones would immediately cry out.”
Luke 19:40

Did the Pharisees think that the Disciples of Jesus were all unlettered and unlearned people? Did they believe that the crowds were wrong in ascribing to Jesus such lofty words of praise?

Jesus’ reply was most significant and astounding! He accepted the praises of the multitudes as true and correct. He was the One who could save the people. He was the King of Israel. He did come in the Name of the Lord! Why should the crowds be silenced?

But what did Jesus mean when He said, “the stones would immediately cry out”? Of course Jesus was using a figure of speech here. However, we are reminded of other portions of Scripture that are personified and they sing the praise of God. Let us consider the words of some of the Psalms.

“Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice
Before the Lord, for He is coming,
For He is coming to judge the earth…”
Psalm 96:11-13

Consider how the Psalmist described the joy of all creation, as they greeted the coming of the Lord! If the Pharisees were that blind, the realm of nature wasn’t!

“The sea saw it and fled;
Jordan turned back.
The mountains skipped like rams,
The little hills like lambs.
What ails you, O sea, that you fled?
O Jordan, that you turned back?
O mountains, that you skipped like rams?
O little hills, like lambs?
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the God of Jacob.”
Psalm 114:3-7

The stones found on the road towards the holy city would have recognized Jesus as their Lord, if inanimate things could respond! Jesus refused to silence His Disciples. It was not because He needed or wanted the adulation of the crowds. The simple reason why He did not silence them was because of the fact that they were RIGHT in recognizing and acknowledging Jesus for who He was! He was the rightful Messiah-King. His words, His works, and His very life proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that He was the One prophesied by the prophets of old as the Saviour-Redeemer of the world!

SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS

How could the Pharisees have been so blind? We are reminded of a word from Isaiah. When Israel kept rejecting the word of the Lord, it ended up with punitive judgment. How we must guard ourselves from this sad spiritual state.

“The Lord has poured out on you
the spirit of deep sleep
and has closed your eyes…” Isaiah 29:10