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Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

1 O give thanks to the Lord, for the Lord is good; the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever! 2 Let Israel say, “The Lord’s steadfast love endures forever.”

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19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.

20 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.

21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.

22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.

23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!

26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord.

27 The Lord is God, and the Lord has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar. 

28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you.

29 O give thanks to the Lord, for the Lord is good, for the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever.

Luke 19:29-40 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

29 When Jesus had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’” 32 So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They said, “The Lord needs it.” 35 Then they brought it to Jesus, and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. 37 Now as he was approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power 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 heaven!” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

This week, Pat came home early one evening to find a cold and frightened nuthatch on the floor of our garage. Pat did not immediately know what she was seeing. In the dimly lit garage the first image was of a fuzzy ball. Upon closer inspection it was a nuthatch, puffed up to stay warm. She scooped it up with her bare hands and it clung to her, wrapping its little feet around her finger. Pat took it out to the bird feeders, encouraging it to let go of her finger, to hop on to the birdfeeder or to fly away, going so far as to try to unwrap the little feet from their grasp, but the bird was having none of it. It was cold and getting dark. Pat considered calling Avian Haven but she knew what to do. The bird could flap its wings, it appeared unhurt. It simply did not want to let go. Was it asking for help? Pat took the bird in the house, found a medium sized cardboard box with venting on the sides, and tucked the bird in for the night. The next morning when Pat awoke early she could hear her nuthatch friend skritching inside the box. She took the box outside, opened the lid, and off flew the nuthatch. They stayed at the birdfeeder, munching on seeds for what seemed like hours, then flew to a nearby tree and out of sight. 

This morning our Deacons have supplied you with stones. I invite you to pick up your stone. Hold it in your hands. It will be more challenging to feel what that stone is trying to tell you than what the nuthatch was trying to tell Pat. I encourage you to  try to feel the life of the stone, the history of the stone, the wisdom of the stone. 

A quick review, for myself and anyone else that may need it. Jesus and many of his followers were Jewish. It only makes sense that they framed their experiences through the lens of their Hebrew Scriptures. Our Christian ancestors were experiencing Jesus in real time through their first century lenses of Jewish heritage and Roman oppression. 

Today’s narrative from Luke’s gospel has hints of the Psalm that we also read. (Psalm 118:19) “Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.” This verse paired with one of our Luke verses for today (19:28) which has Jesus passing through “the gate of the Lord” at the place called the Mount of Olives, gives key insights into Luke’s understanding of the  Hebrew Scriptures as prophecy of Jesus’ life and death. Luke uses language and events from the past to proclaim who Jesus is. 

All four gospel narratives include some version of what Luke wrote in verses 37 and 38 “…the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power 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 heaven!” Additionally, the other gospels have the crowds shouting Hosanna! and Save us! Only Luke includes this next sequence between Jesus and some of the Pharisees. (19:39b-40) 39  “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

All four of our canonical gospels include a version of the account of Jesus’ enthusiastic and potentially disruptive entry into Jerusalem. Matthew and Mark relate that both palms and cloaks were spread out before Jesus. In John’s gospel it is only palm branches. In Luke it is only cloaks. It is not so much what was spread before him but that the people heard that Jesus was coming, the one who had done so many miraculous things, and they thronged to greet him, placing whatever they had in front of him to pave his way forward, honoring him as if he were royalty. 

Again, all four gospels proclaim that Jesus has come in the name of the Lord. However, in the other three gospels, it is written the same as the verse 26 from Psalm 118. “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Luke writes (19:38) “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” That one small word change, from “Blessed is the one,” to “Blessed is the king,” speaks volumes about Luke’s theology. He wants to make sure that his listeners understand exactly who Jesus is. No wonder some of the Pharisees were nervous. The expectations were running high that Jesus would be their King, that he would overthrow the Roman government, that Jesus would become their ruler.

The psalmist wrote (Psalm 118:22) “The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.” Luke has echoes of the Hebrew scriptures in so much of what he wrote. Soon enough, the triumphal entry will recede into the shadows and Jesus will be rejected by the same ones that were this day praising him. Only days later these same crowds would turn against him, shouting, “Crucify him.” This day they were shouting Hosanna! Save us! 

This procession, this attention being given to Jesus made some of the Pharisees nervous. Roman soldiers were everywhere and were instructed to “keep the peace,” which we know, then as now, is extremely dangerous for those on the outside, on the margins, on the edges, those presenting a threat, real or perceived to the powers of government. Luke is the only one of our four canonical gospels to write of this exchange between some of the Pharisees and Jesus. (Luke 19:39-40) They said, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” He [Jesus] answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.” 

Luke tells us, his listeners, silencing these witnesses would be useless—if not them; another will be heard.  The good news here? When we are not brave enough to speak out, Jesus tells us, God’s truth will be spoken. 

I believe that is what those protesting injustices are doing. When one voice is silenced another speaks up. 

A question for you to ponder this week… Who are the silent stones among us—in these pews—in our communities—in the wider world? 

Will we remember, and make time to listen to the poor, the hungry, the aggrieved? Will we remember, and make time to listen to our more-than-human neighbors, both animate and inanimate? 

Another question for us. Did you hear what your stone had to say this morning? Will you take it with you as a reminder to listen more carefully to one another and to our beloved Creation? Did you feel the weight, the presence, the connection to our Creator? 

If we listen to them, many of our scriptures present us with challenges. This week that may be especially true. Holy Week contains the gamut of human emotions and experiences. I encourage us to try to be present, listening to what word or words are being spoken to us. From scripture. From poetry. From our news cycles. From our more-than-human neighbors. I encourage us to pay attention. Look for the weary bird, the needy person, the ones struggling in our midst. Through it all, please take care of yourself. Through it all, please be sensitive to the experiences and needs of others. Whether we know it or not, we hold the fortunes and futures of others in the palms of our hands. 

Amen

Rev. TJ Mack – April 13, 2025