“Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!” (Luke 19:39–40, NASB95)
Jesus arrived in Bethany near Jerusalem in a unique and unprecedented way. Jesus determined that on this day He would enter the city on the back of a donkey. It was Jesus’ goal to draw the attention of the Passover crowds and to initiate the Passion Week ending with His crucifixion. On this day, Jesus the Son of God would be accepted and worshipped as King by many but not everyone. Jesus came to restore the right relationship with mankind through His incarnation, life, death and resurrection, so that man might receive forgiveness of sins and be eternally reunited with his creator.
There were some that refused to join the crowd’s praise and worship of Jesus as King. They were the religious leaders who told Jesus to rebuke the worshippers and have them remain silent. Why? Because these religious leaders didn’t accept Jesus as King. And if Jesus was not their King, then no one else should worship Him. This kind of attitude breaks Jesus’ heart, and He wept over their response (vs.41). But just because some reject the worship of Jesus, worship can’t be silenced.
Satan has tried to silence the church for many years and has failed miserably. Through persecutions, diseases, laws and even death; there has always been a remnant that will continue to worship. All creation is created to worship and glorify God. The heavens declare God’s glory (Ps. 19:1) and mankind is created to worship. True Christ-followers will not be kept from worshipping God. It may be that believers are kept from a large church gathering, so we worship at home. It may be that believers remain silent at times but we worship in our hearts. The question is, will you remain a worshipper of Jesus as King or will you be like the Pharisees and promote the silence of worship? I choose to worship Jesus!