As we enter this week, Passover is upon us. Many of the world will go on without recognition of what the importance of this week. In essence, they will pass over Passover.
This week over 2000 years ago would have been like many Passovers previously. The spotless lamb would be selected. The celebration of the salvation of God’s people from the oppression of Egypt would be underway. But something was different. Zachariah describes centuries before the event of Jesus riding on a donkey into Jerusalem. And when Jesus did as was foretold, many rejoiced, but many were angry.
Many of the people were looking back at the miracles they had seen. But it wasn’t back, but forward that the miracles were pointing. But the Pharisees were telling Jesus to rebuke, or point out the wrong, his disciples praise. But Jesus tells them that if the crowd is quite, the stones themselves would cry out praise! He didn’t address what kind of rocks, how long it took for those rocks to get there, or any details of the physical world. But the spiritual world would empower those stones to praise!
So two crowds gathered, those praising and those calling for Crucifixion. What group would you have been in? It is easy for us Christians to say we would be in the first group, but Jesus was not there for praise. Only on the cross would he fulfill his purpose. How many of those in the first group continued to praise when Jesus died?
We read here in Matthew the event where Jesus enters into the temple courts and runs out the money changers and merchants. Jesus then addresses those there, and the children were praising Jesus. But the adults were indignant. They were annoyed. They did not understand. And even when Jesus presents them with the scripture that they all knew well, they still did not understand. Their preconceived determinations of what the Messiah would be held them back.
So the rocks know it. The children know it. What’s holding you back? Do we have issue with the simplicity of the message. Jesus died for you. Don’t reject the Fathers love because it doesn’t match your preconceptions. Let us go forth praising like children. Lets not pass over Passover.
37 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, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” (ESV)
12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,
“‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies
you have prepared praise’?”
17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there. (ESV)