I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out

 When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.  And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, saying, "Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat.  Loose it and bring it here.  And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you loosing it?' thus you shall say to him, 'Because the Lord has need of it.'"  So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them.  But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, "Why are you loosing the colt?"  And they said, "The Lord has need of him."  Then they brought him to Jesus.  And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him.  And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.  Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying:

"'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!'
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples."  But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."

- Luke 19:28-40

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because His disciples thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.  Therefore He said:  "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.  So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.'  But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'  And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.  Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.'  And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.'  And the second came, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned five minas.'  Likewise he said to him, 'You also be over five cities.'  Then another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.  For I feared you, because you are an austere man.  You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.'  And he said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant.  You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.  Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?'  And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.'  (But they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas.')  'For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.'"

 When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. Ever since the reading on the Transfiguration, at which time Jesus discussed His "exodus" from this world with Moses and Elijah, Jesus has "set His face" for Jerusalem.  He has warned His disciples what is to happen there, but they expect the coming of the Messiah to His city, and the manifestation of His kingdom.

And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, saying, "Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat.  Loose it and bring it here.  And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you loosing it?' thus you shall say to him, 'Because the Lord has need of it.'"  So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them.  But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, "Why are you loosing the colt?"  And they said, "The Lord has need of him."   This little story is the great story of the triumphant King coming into Jerusalem, the Messiah's "Promised Land" in some sense.  We can't help but compare it to the ancient Israelites and their struggle for their place, as Jesus has just come through Jericho.  The comparison teaches us that this is a Kingdom of an entirely different nature that is to manifest now, which will defy the expectations of the disciples and the popular culture.  This is a Kingdom of willing hearts and minds, a Kingdom meant to be ruled by the Prince of Peace.

Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying:  "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!'  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"  Jesus makes His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.   My study bible says "the Triumphal Entry marks a public, messianic acclamation of Jesus, which He accepts as His mission draws toward its climax.  The people hail Him as King, but His kingdom is not as they think."

And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples."  But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."  Again there is this telling emphasis on the willing, on the hearts and minds of those who acclaim Jesus as King, or Messiah.  Stones come up elsewhere in the New Testament.  Peter himself is called "Stone" (Petros in the Greek) and Jesus alludes to such substance as the foundation of His Church.  St. Peter in his first epistle called believers "living stones" who formed a spiritual house and a holy priesthood.  In it he also quoted Scripture:  "See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame" (Isaiah 28:16).

Faith is a kind of immeasurable quantity, a quality added to something whose limits are unknowable.  Faith animates and gives life.  Jesus has compared His kingdom of heaven to leaven that is measured into dough and changes the consistency of the whole, to a mustard seed that grows a towering tree that shelters even the birds of the air.  Here this quantity is such that the people's hearts are so powerful in their acclaim of Jesus that He says that if they were to be silenced, then the stones themselves would cry out.  In turn, through faith, St. Peter will call believers "living stones" who build up the Church and form a great priesthood.  In these things we start to understand the power of faith, and it's something to contemplate.  When Jesus renames "Simon" and calls him "Peter" He says something most powerful about the real nature of faith:  "I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."  Just prior to this statement, Peter has confessed that Jesus is the Christ, on behalf not only of himself but of all the disciples.  It is the confession of faith that sparks Jesus' response.  And so, in this name of Peter -- Stone or Rock -- we also are taught about the real power of faith and its strength.  Jesus brings a Kingdom into the world that is to prevail over the strong man, the prince or ruler of this world, the evil one.  Ultimately this is the meaning and the power of the Church -- and it is especially poignant for the time we live in now, while we await His second coming and the true fullness of His Kingdom.  It is a kingdom of hearts and minds, voluntary love and commitment, a kingdom of faith.  This is the rock upon which He builds His Church.  Let us understand Jesus' words and let us understand what we are about.  Our Messiah is the Prince of Peace, sitting on a donkey gladly given, not riding in a chariot of material conquest.  The great rock solid bulwark of His Church is the faith we bring into it, the hearts and minds of those who love Him and confess His real nature.  The gates of Hades, He said, will not overcome it.  Even the stones may cry out.