Our Holy Week began yesterday with Palm Sunday, a day marking and celebrating when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey.

“So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on. As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. ‘Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!’” (Luke 19:35-38)

Jesus fulfilled 108 prophecies while He walked the earth, and riding a donkey into the Holy City was one of them. It would have been obvious to everyone what was happening: this was a non-deniable act of prophecy fulfillment—Jesus was declaring Himself as Messiah and the people confirmed it with their praises. It would have made more sense for a king to ride on a horse but Jesus is a humble King and He was fulfilling the prophecy written in Zechariah.

“Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt.” (Zechariah 9:9)

Not everyone was happy about Jesus fulfilling this prophecy. The religious leaders (those who would have known better than anyone the prophecy fulfillment they were witnessing) were very upset at what Jesus was doing and at the people for shouting praises to Him.

“But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, ‘Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!’ He replied, ‘If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!’” (Luke 19:39-40)

Is the culture today shouting down Jesus followers like the Pharisees did? Are Christians shouting down other Christians like the Pharisees? We must remember that if we keep quiet, the stones and rocks will burst into cheers. This certainly takes away some of the mystery behind earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the seemingly erratic behavior of the Earth’s climate. What if the Earth, what if all of Creation, is crying out for its Creator as more and more followers keep quiet? Don’t let yourself be silenced by anyone, not the godless culture or Christians who listen to it. Join with Creation and cry out to your Creator!

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.