Palm Sunday: Crying Out with the Stones

The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! / Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! / Blessed is the king of Israel!’

~ John 12:12-13

Commencing Holy Week, Jesus returns to Jerusalem for the final time, prepared to face the cross and suffer the entirety of God’s wrath for the multitude of our sins. Even during his celebratory entrance into Jerusalem, the gentleness and humility of our king is displayed as he rides into the city on the back of a donkey, fulfilling the prophecy spoken by Zechariah:

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! / Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! / See, your king comes to you, / righteous and victorious, / lowly and riding on a donkey, / on a colt, the foal of a donkey

~ Zechariah 9:9

Approaching the city walls was the righteous and victorious king who would defeat death itself, deliver us from the reign of sin, and reconcile us back to our holy God. In anticipation of Christ’s triumph, “the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! / Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’” (Luke 19:37-38).

The Pharisees could not tolerate this exaltation of Jesus’ authority, so they demanded of him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” (Luke 19:39).

However, this was no ordinary teacher, no common rabbi, nor merely an inspired prophet. This was the Lord incarnate, the Word made flesh, ¹ the Son of the living God. This was Jesus—King of Kings, our Savior, our Redeemer. None could deny it, nor prevent it, nor silence his eternal truth. “‘I tell you,’ [Jesus] replied, ‘if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out’” (Luke 19:40).

Christ reigns now and forever. All things, being created through him and for him,² all of creation—even down to the stones—cries out that he is Lord. All people, being made in his image,³ how much more should we cry out? As we look forward to the resurrection, let us remember the sovereignty of Christ, who rules over all and has delivered us from the sting of death,⁴ such that the lives we now live by faith⁵ may be a unified chorus crying out that he is Lord.

¹ John 1:14
² Colossians 1:16
³ Genesis 1:26
⁴ 1 Corinthians 15:55-57
⁵ Galatians 2:20

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Olivia is a freshman in Columbia College hoping to study Psychology. She enjoys basketball, ukulele, and listening to worship music during study breaks.