Luke 19:39-40
39. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.
40. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
"The Rocks Should Not Have To Do Our Job!"
The story of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem is covered in all four of the Gospels. However, Luke records an exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees that is not recorded anywhere else.
Jesus had just ridden the donkey into Jerusalem with all of the people shouting praises to Him and exalting Him. However, as is always the case, the Pharisees always show up to try and spoil something wonderful. They were not pleased that Jesus was being exalted because they didn't recognize Him as God. So, they ask Him to rebuke the people for praising Him. Jesus essentially tells them that, if the people ceased to praise Him, then the very rocks on the ground would take up where they left off!
Why did God create us to begin with? Simple- to praise and glorify Him! That is our job as Christians, and we cannot be slack in carrying out our duty. So, let's take a look at how we can do our job.
First of all, we should praise Him with our words. The first part of I Peter 4:11 says, "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God;". We should speak as God would have us to speak. Our words ought to be in line with the principles taught by God's Word. Again, the very reason that God has given us breath is to praise Him. (Psalm 150:6) So, it stands to reason that our words should glorify the Lord. Singing, sharing the Gospel, encouraging others- these and other things are great ways to praise the Lord with our words.
Secondly, we should praise Him with our actions. The next part of I Peter 4:11 reads, "...if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth:" God has given us talents and abilities for the express purpose of serving Him. We are praising the Lord for giving those abilities to us when we use them to serve and glorify Him. What a wonderful testimony this is to others!
Finally, we should praise Him with our attitudes. In my mind, this is the most important of the things I've talked about here. You see, words and actions are outward things, but the attitude is an inward thing. In the last part of I Samuel 16:7, the Lord teaches Samuel an important lesson. He says, "...for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." In other words, if the inward heart attitude doesn't match up with the outward actions, then the outward actions mean nothing. They are not praise to the Lord. We can "put on a show" for others, but we can't "put on a show" for the Lord.
In conclusion, let's look at the last part of I Peter 4:11. It says, "...that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." Without a doubt, we serve a God who is worthy of our praise. And if we fail in that duty, then I have no doubt that the very rocks will pick up our slack. Let's not make the rocks do our jobs!