Faith & Insight: Don’t keep quiet this Palm Sunday

Sunday is what traditionally we call Palm Sunday. It’s the Sunday before Easter. Palm Sunday is a celebration of the day Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem and the beginning of Passion Week.

Jesus had been talking about the coming Kingdom of God and here he is entering town as the King. As Jesus is coming into town, the people of Jerusalem are rejoicing and celebrating, but the Pharisees (religious leaders) aren’t happy. They tell Jesus he should settle the crowd down. Jesus responded by saying: “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” The Pharisees didn’t want to believe in Jesus. They had their own agenda, their own pre-conceived ideas, their own traditions, and Jesus didn’t fit into any of them. Jesus loved and saved the people they despised — people they regarded as sinners.

Oftentimes people today have that same attitude about Jesus and his followers. They have their own idea of the world and don’t want to hear anything about Jesus. We’ll get excited about something God is doing in our lives and try to share it, but they don’t want to hear it.

Have you ever been compelled to talk about Jesus? Have you ever just realized who Jesus is and what he did for you and had to say something and yell out a praise to the Lord? I get that way sometimes. I’m moving along in life working hard to make everything the way I want it and nothing is working that way. Then, suddenly, God does something unexpected and spectacular. I remember who is in charge and can’t hold back my excitement.

I want to encourage you this week as we go through the traditional Christian Easter celebrations — Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and the most exciting Easter Sunday — don’t let anyone keep you quiet. Share what God is doing in your life. If anyone tries to stop you, just say, “If I keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

God bless you and have a blessed Palm Sunday tomorrow.

Captain Mark Cyr is pastor of The Salvation Army, 661 Colorado St. Carson City, NV 89701. For information, go to carsoncitysalarmy.org.