Lenten Reader | Day 34

April 12th, 2025

Stones Will Cry Out

They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, 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!”

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

Luke 19:35-40

Let’s pretend that we’re in the crowd…we are doing something — we are excited and loud!

But then – negative enters – just as it does in our lives sometimes. When that happens, do we remain quiet? The Pharisees wanted Jesus to shut down the enthusiasm. Do we let our circumstances shut down our voices? Are we forcing the rocks to cry out by not speaking up?

If…we keep making the same mistakes.
If…our bodies do not heal.
If…our relationships do not improve.
If…we could help someone else but are too ashamed to share our weaknesses.

In the passage we know that Jesus will have the final say, but wouldn’t our lives be richer if we did not stay quiet about our concerns. We tend to look at others’ lives and see a picture painted positively. We have no idea of the trouble they have endured or still face. We tend to be quiet, neglecting to share weaknesses instead of being bold and possibly helping someone.

My cancer experience 10 years ago prompted me to share hope with many who struggle with the disease. However, there are parts of life where I have stayed too quiet. I wish I had been more open to share about a food disorder that could have taken my life back in the 1970’s before food disorders even had a name. Now I see all the pressure on young people to look a certain way.

At times when we are in the crowd, we cannot imagine that what we have to share is important. Let’s change. Let’s get excited! Let’s no longer sit quietly but reach out trusting that Jesus wants us to bless others while we have life.

The rocks will cry out if we don’t.

Beth Delong