“And when He was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto Him, Master, rebuke Thy disciples. And He answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out” Luke 19:37–40
God is able to make stones cry out. All things are possible with God. A stone is something, or someone, incapable of communicating, but Jesus says they will somehow cry out. Jesus used the symbol of stones to indicate praise and worship coming from unexpected sources—sources that one would think were incapable of any praise.
There are other stones that have cried out in history. “Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and He hath charged me to build Him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all His people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (He [is] the God,) which is in Jerusalem.” Ezra 1:2–3
How did Cyrus, this heathen king, know that the God of the Jews was the true and living God? “The deliverance of Daniel from the den of lions had been used of God to create a favorable impression upon the mind of Cyrus the Great. The sterling qualities of the man of God as a statesman of farseeing ability led the Persian ruler to show him marked respect and to honor his judgment. And now, just at the time God had said He would cause His temple at Jerusalem to be rebuilt, He moved upon Cyrus as His agent to discern the prophecies concerning himself, with which Daniel was so familiar, and to grant the Jewish people their liberty.” –Prophets and Kings, p. 557
During the time of Jesus, if you would have asked any of the Jews at that time, could this man Jesus, be the Messiah, what would they most likely have said? If you would have asked any of the disciples if Jesus was the Messiah, what would even they have said after He had died upon the cross, and before He was resurrected?
“And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and have crucified Him. But we trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.” Luke 24:20–21. Cleopas, on the walk to Emmaus, said, “We hoped that this was the Man to redeem Israel.” (Cleopas was seemingly not believing that Israel could be redeemed by Jesus at that point.)
Even the disciples were slow of heart to believe. Jesus had warned them beforehand of what was to happen to Him, but when it happened, they still could not believe it. How was is that the Messiah, the Lord of Glory, would allow Himself to die such a cruel and horrendous death?
On that fateful day when Jesus died there were only two that recognized and declared Him to be the Messiah, the Saviour. Could we call them stones—those who were not expected to know anything about God or His will? “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.” Luke 23:42. This was the thief on the cross.
And secondly, the centurion. “When the centurion, which stood over against Him, saw that He so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this Man was the Son of God.” Mark 15:39. This heathen Centurion knew that Jesus was the Son of God by Jesus’ character and behaviour. This was so different than any other criminals he had seen condemned and crucified. A stone was crying out. The people of God did not expect him to know anything about God at all.
Are there any stones crying out today? Even with the degenerate condition that society is in today, embracing all this darkness and ugliness that pass as art and culture, people still treasure a good character. There are many stones crying out. Truth is coming from completely unexpected sources.
The Mayo Clinic is one of the leading hospitals in the world and is freely using therapies like drugs, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy; and you wonder why they would say that herbs, vitamins, keeping our diets simple and close to nature was the right way to go. How did they ever say something so appropriate as this? This is a modern day stone crying out. In the context of Luke 19 we see that Jesus is saying that prophecy will be fulfilled, and if His disciples did not praise God for the light and appreciate the light, then others would be raised up, that would appreciate the light.
Is not this what the Lord is doing today? All these sources we did not expect to embrace truth, are now doing just that—crying out that truth is the right way to go.
Let us take another example: What do Christians generally have to say about a vegan diet—giving up animal products, staying away from refined sugars, and refined foods? They say, “do not be so fanatical. Diet has nothing to do with religion.” Even Bill Clinton, the ex-President, who nearly died from heart trouble a few years ago, has become essentially a vegan, eating a plant-based diet. This is another stone crying out. It often seems that the people of God take a back seat to the heathen when it comes to exercising faith. The very stones are crying out today.
On the other end of the spectrum, how come, when some Christians pray, they do not really think that their prayers are going to be answered? It is the opposite of the stones crying out. The very ones who know so much are not saying, or doing, what they know.
Upon one occasion, a drama about the life of Christ was put on, and at the end the preacher commended the actors and asked how they could speak so convincingly about the things they portrayed in their play. “It is very simple,” the famous actor said, “we speak of things unreal, as if they were real, and you in the church, speak of things real, as if they were unreal.”
When prayer becomes just a form, or something automatic, but not really of faith, it is the opposite of the stones crying out. You may as well record your prayer and just play it back during the hour of worship. Then someone comes along, not of our faith, perhaps they do not even keep the Sabbath, or they are not vegetarian, but they end up having a lot more faith than you or I.
“But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust Him out of the city, and led Him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast Him down headlong.” Luke 4:25–29
There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah but they were not blessed with Elijah’s presence. The stones were crying out. During His earthly ministry Jesus commended several individuals for having faith. We could call them stones: a Centurion (Matthew 8:5–10) and the Samaritan woman (John 4:4–42).
“For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon [is] here. The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas [is] here. No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when [thine eye] is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.” Luke 11:30–35
What will the heathen do that have lived up to the light that they have had, often better than the light those who profess to be followers of Christ? They will rise with this generation and condemn it.
If all this is true, then what should we do? “He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Micah 6:8. Seek for the way of the Lord, exercise faith, do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. That is our duty.
He knows what our real needs are, but He asks us to trust Him and pray from our hearts, believing that we will receive the very things that we need, when we need them. When the righteous get to heaven, there will be many there that others never expected to be there.
It is not the outward appearance that God cherishes about His people, but rather He changes their character, their humility, grace, and love for Him and one another. This is living up to the light.
“For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;).” Romans 2:11–15
Even the heathen of today, so called, will have those of them that will be in heaven, because they have seen the light of God’s character and followed the truth contained in the law of God that nature has taught them. Those that lived up to the light that they had may not have the light that you and I do, will rise to condemn us, if we do not follow the advancing light, and live up to it. The reality is that our lives do depend upon exactly how we live up to the light that God causes to shine upon our pathway.
“There is comfort and joy in the service of Christ. Let the world see that life with Him is no failure.” –The Ministry of Healing, p. 487
“If you do not feel lighthearted and joyous, do not talk of your feelings. Cast no shadow upon the lives of others. A cold, sunless religion never draws souls to Christ. It drives them away from Him into the nets that Satan has spread for the feet of the straying. Instead of thinking of your discouragements, think of the power you can claim in Christ’s name. Let your imagination take hold upon things unseen. Let your thoughts be directed to the evidences of the great love of God for you. Faith can endure trial, resist temptation, bear up under disappointment. Jesus lives as our advocate.” –The Ministry of Healing, p. 488
You should be the head and not the tail. “And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them.” Deuteronomy 28:13
The stones will cry out if you and I do not uplift the truth by our words and actions. Is not that what Jesus was saying in Luke 19?
“For the disheartened there is a sure remedy,—faith, prayer, work. Faith and activity will impart assurance and satisfaction that will increase day by day. Are you tempted to give way to feelings of anxious foreboding or utter despondency? In the darkest days, when appearances seem most forbidding, fear not. Have faith in God. He knows your need. He has all power. His infinite love and compassion never weary. Fear not that He will fail of fulfilling His promise. He is eternal truth. Never will He change the covenant He has made with those who love Him. And He will bestow upon His faithful servants the measure of efficiency that their need demands.” –Prophets and Kings, p. 164–165
What a precious promise. He will bestow upon His faithful servants the measure of efficiency that their need demands. That is how we build our faith. To take God at His word, that we are going to receive the very thing that He promised when we need it.
If you read the rest of Luke 19 you can read of the beautiful love that He had for the doomed city that was soon to see Him spill His blood. They would be guilty of His blood.
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:26–29
For all of the faithful, until the close of time, Jew, Gentile, bond or free, He is their Saviour and Redeemer. Will you not make Him your Saviour from sin, also? Yes, stones can cry out—but does He not want you and I who know His will, to cry out, instead?
May God help us to fulfil the duty He places before us, and to “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” Isaiah 58:1. “Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud.” Isaiah 54:1. Amen.
Jerry Eaton