And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.
The verse belongs to Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when the multitude hailed Him as Messiah and King with loud praise and royal honor and He accepted their homage, and some of the Pharisees with the priests and rulers, disturbed, envious and fearful at losing control of the people, told Him to rebuke His disciples and silence the tumult. He answered that the shouting fulfilled prophecy and was appointed by God, so that if His disciples and the multitude held their peace the very stones would immediately cry out proclaiming Him. Their threats and commands could not hinder God's work, overturn His purpose, or stop the enthusiasm, for God will receive glory and praise from some people and the proclamation could not be stopped by men. So God will have a people on earth who are not cold and dead but praise and glorify Him, and since the prospect of Christ coming in the glory of the Father with angels is far more glorious than the disciples' prospect, His commandment-keeping people must not hold their peace but praise God even with a loud voice and no one dare forbid them. The demand to silence joyful praise is still repeated by many professing to look for Christ who call its proclaimers fanatical and wild, but those who wanted the praise stopped were refusing Christ though He was their only hope, rejecting the very truth necessary to salvation.
Triumphal Entry Setting
The demand to rebuke the disciples belongs to Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when He rode in humbly amid rejoicing and the multitude hailed Him as Messiah and King. They gave Him royal honor with loud praise, crying Hosanna to the Son of David, spreading garments and palm branches before Him. He accepted their homage to direct attention to Himself and to His coming sacrifice. A large enthusiastic crowd had gathered, with many wanting to see Jesus because the raising of Lazarus had deeply affected them. The acclaim of the procession prompted others to join and watch.
The disciples and multitude expected Him then to claim royal power and take an earthly kingdom on David's throne, and their hope of a new kingdom revived. They took the public reception as proof that He would be acknowledged as Israel's King and be crowned king. They were utterly mistaken, thinking He was then to be crowned when He was going to judgment and to death. The disciples praised God with blessing from their lips by loudly repeating His merciful works. They loudly repeated His healings, His raisings of the dead, and all His other good works they could remember.
Some of the Pharisees, with the priests, rulers and elders among the multitude, were disturbed, displeased, envious and malicious at the attention paid to the Son of God. They were losing control of the people and feared the crowd would make Jesus king. So they told Him to rebuke His disciples and silence the tumult, claiming it was unlawful and would not be allowed by the rulers. Their high hopes were disappointed when in a few days they saw their Master stretched upon the cruel cross above the mocking Pharisees and the darkness of death closed about them. Yet after His resurrection their hope revived, and He was true to His promises with consolation and rich reward for the true and faithful.
The entry account leads directly to His weeping on the crest of Olivet over the doomed city. It shows His mercy and love rejected by the city, and His mercy and love in dying for sinful man so he might not perish in his sins. In weeping over Jerusalem He saw beyond the destruction of Jerusalem to an impenitent world doomed to destruction. Its events serve as a warning and a lesson for the last great day.
Prophecy Cannot Be Stopped
The shouting with tokens of victory as He rode into Jerusalem fulfilled prophecy, including Zechariah 9:9 of the Messiah entering Jerusalem as a humble king, and it had to be fulfilled even if the stones had to cry out. The multitude crying Hosanna to the Son of David was that fulfillment taking place before their eyes, yet the understanding of the Pharisees was so blunted by unbelief that they could not see it in the very act before them. Their praise would not be stopped, for if they were silent the stones would cry out.
The celebration was a scene appointed by God and foretold by the prophets, with praise appointed for His Son, so no earthly power could hinder God's work. The threats, appeals and commands of the Pharisees, who called the tumult and public acclamations unlawful and claimed they would not be allowed by the rulers, could not stop the celebration, overturn God's appointed purpose, or suppress the people's enthusiasm. Envious and fearful that the crowd would make Him king, their attempt to suppress the acclaim failed.
Jesus answered that if the disciples and multitude held their peace the stones would immediately cry out proclaiming Christ, declaring Behold your God. The demand to rebuke them and silence their loud praise and public honor as King could not be granted, because prophecy must be fulfilled and the acclamation had to go on. The disciples were praising God with blessing from their lips by loudly repeating His healings, His raisings of the dead, and all His other good works they could remember. God will have a people on earth who are not cold and dead but praise and glorify Him, and He will receive glory and praise from some people, so the praise of Christ and the proclamation could not be suppressed or stopped by men.
It was not error for the disciples to act according to their belief, for their shouting fulfilled what had to be fulfilled, and they would not have fulfilled it if they had understood His true work. They were utterly mistaken in thinking He was then to be crowned king on David's throne when He was going to judgment and to death, yet their blunted understanding contrasts with the Pharisees whose understanding was so blunted that they could not see the fulfillment. The same unstoppable certainty belongs to the work shown to John on Patmos for the future, the present truth of the third angel assisted by a mighty angel whose glory is to lighten the whole earth, which no man can stop any more than the Pharisees could stop the Hosanna voices. When the people's voices were intimidated into silence, children took up the proclamation in the temple, as children did in Sweden when the first message was suppressed, showing God can use children to proclaim the Saviour's coming and ensure the message reaches all peoples, tongues and nations. The scene also teaches that people should not be silenced because they are less able or experienced, since God gives each person work according to ability and those with one talent can reach people whom more gifted workers cannot.
Praise and Final Warning
God will have a people on earth who are not cold and dead but who praise and glorify Him, and He will receive glory and praise from some people even if His chosen must be replaced by crying stones. When some Pharisees in the multitude told Jesus as He meekly rode into Jerusalem to rebuke His disciples for rejoicing and praising God with a loud voice, spreading garments and palm branches and crying Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord, He answered that if these should hold their peace the stones would immediately cry out. His commandment-keeping people therefore should not be so cold or silent that they withhold praise, for the disciples' loud praise at His entry is the pattern for joyful praise and not an excess to be suppressed. Since the prospect of Christ coming in the glory of the Father with the angels is far more glorious than the disciples' prospect at the first Advent, believers must not hold their peace but praise God even with a loud voice, and no one dare forbid them.
The demand to silence joyful praise is repeated by a large portion of those professing to look for Christ, who would do the same as the Pharisees. They want the joyful disciples silenced as extravagant and wild, regarding those who proclaim Him as fanatical, extravagant, wild, and under improper influence. Their cry is Fanaticism and Mesmerism against fervent praise, condemning as fanaticism what God has appointed to receive.
Such unbelief rejects the very truth necessary to salvation, for the demand to silence the disciples expressed hostility toward Christ and opposition to the messengers who rebuke wrongdoing. The Pharisees were disturbed at the attention paid to the Son of God while the multitude cried Hosanna to the Son of David in fulfillment of prophecy, and their understanding was so blunted by unbelief that they could not see the fulfillment in the very act before them. The disciples were praising God with blessing from their lips by loudly repeating His merciful works, His healings, His raisings of the dead, and all His other good works they could remember, and the acclamation had to go on because prophecy must be fulfilled and could not be stopped by men. Those who wanted the praise stopped were thus refusing Christ, though He was their only hope.
The entry amid the acclaim of His disciples serves as a warning and a lesson for the last great day. Those who come to hear must recognize Jesus as the One who gave His life for them and accept Him. They must respond to the warning of coming judgments by bringing others to Him.
The verse belongs to Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when the multitude hailed Him as Messiah and King with loud praise and royal honor and He accepted their homage, and some of the Pharisees with the priests and rulers, disturbed, envious and fearful at losing control of the people, told Him to rebuke His disciples and silence the tumult. He answered that the shouting fulfilled prophecy and was appointed by God, so that if His disciples and the multitude held their peace the very stones would immediately cry out proclaiming Him. Their threats and commands could not hinder God's work, overturn His purpose, or stop the enthusiasm, for God will receive glory and praise from some people and the proclamation could not be stopped by men. So God will have a people on earth who are not cold and dead but praise and glorify Him, and since the prospect of Christ coming in the glory of the Father with angels is far more glorious than the disciples' prospect, His commandment-keeping people must not hold their peace but praise God even with a loud voice and no one dare forbid them. The demand to silence joyful praise is still repeated by many professing to look for Christ who call its proclaimers fanatical and wild, but those who wanted the praise stopped were refusing Christ though He was their only hope, rejecting the very truth necessary to salvation.
Triumphal Entry Setting
The demand to rebuke the disciples belongs to Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when He rode in humbly amid rejoicing and the multitude hailed Him as Messiah and King. They gave Him royal honor with loud praise, crying Hosanna to the Son of David, spreading garments and palm branches before Him. He accepted their homage to direct attention to Himself and to His coming sacrifice. A large enthusiastic crowd had gathered, with many wanting to see Jesus because the raising of Lazarus had deeply affected them. The acclaim of the procession prompted others to join and watch.
The disciples and multitude expected Him then to claim royal power and take an earthly kingdom on David's throne, and their hope of a new kingdom revived. They took the public reception as proof that He would be acknowledged as Israel's King and be crowned king. They were utterly mistaken, thinking He was then to be crowned when He was going to judgment and to death. The disciples praised God with blessing from their lips by loudly repeating His merciful works. They loudly repeated His healings, His raisings of the dead, and all His other good works they could remember.
Some of the Pharisees, with the priests, rulers and elders among the multitude, were disturbed, displeased, envious and malicious at the attention paid to the Son of God. They were losing control of the people and feared the crowd would make Jesus king. So they told Him to rebuke His disciples and silence the tumult, claiming it was unlawful and would not be allowed by the rulers. Their high hopes were disappointed when in a few days they saw their Master stretched upon the cruel cross above the mocking Pharisees and the darkness of death closed about them. Yet after His resurrection their hope revived, and He was true to His promises with consolation and rich reward for the true and faithful.
The entry account leads directly to His weeping on the crest of Olivet over the doomed city. It shows His mercy and love rejected by the city, and His mercy and love in dying for sinful man so he might not perish in his sins. In weeping over Jerusalem He saw beyond the destruction of Jerusalem to an impenitent world doomed to destruction. Its events serve as a warning and a lesson for the last great day.
Prophecy Cannot Be Stopped
The shouting with tokens of victory as He rode into Jerusalem fulfilled prophecy, including Zechariah 9:9 of the Messiah entering Jerusalem as a humble king, and it had to be fulfilled even if the stones had to cry out. The multitude crying Hosanna to the Son of David was that fulfillment taking place before their eyes, yet the understanding of the Pharisees was so blunted by unbelief that they could not see it in the very act before them. Their praise would not be stopped, for if they were silent the stones would cry out.
The celebration was a scene appointed by God and foretold by the prophets, with praise appointed for His Son, so no earthly power could hinder God's work. The threats, appeals and commands of the Pharisees, who called the tumult and public acclamations unlawful and claimed they would not be allowed by the rulers, could not stop the celebration, overturn God's appointed purpose, or suppress the people's enthusiasm. Envious and fearful that the crowd would make Him king, their attempt to suppress the acclaim failed.
Jesus answered that if the disciples and multitude held their peace the stones would immediately cry out proclaiming Christ, declaring Behold your God. The demand to rebuke them and silence their loud praise and public honor as King could not be granted, because prophecy must be fulfilled and the acclamation had to go on. The disciples were praising God with blessing from their lips by loudly repeating His healings, His raisings of the dead, and all His other good works they could remember. God will have a people on earth who are not cold and dead but praise and glorify Him, and He will receive glory and praise from some people, so the praise of Christ and the proclamation could not be suppressed or stopped by men.
It was not error for the disciples to act according to their belief, for their shouting fulfilled what had to be fulfilled, and they would not have fulfilled it if they had understood His true work. They were utterly mistaken in thinking He was then to be crowned king on David's throne when He was going to judgment and to death, yet their blunted understanding contrasts with the Pharisees whose understanding was so blunted that they could not see the fulfillment. The same unstoppable certainty belongs to the work shown to John on Patmos for the future, the present truth of the third angel assisted by a mighty angel whose glory is to lighten the whole earth, which no man can stop any more than the Pharisees could stop the Hosanna voices. When the people's voices were intimidated into silence, children took up the proclamation in the temple, as children did in Sweden when the first message was suppressed, showing God can use children to proclaim the Saviour's coming and ensure the message reaches all peoples, tongues and nations. The scene also teaches that people should not be silenced because they are less able or experienced, since God gives each person work according to ability and those with one talent can reach people whom more gifted workers cannot.
Praise and Final Warning
God will have a people on earth who are not cold and dead but who praise and glorify Him, and He will receive glory and praise from some people even if His chosen must be replaced by crying stones. When some Pharisees in the multitude told Jesus as He meekly rode into Jerusalem to rebuke His disciples for rejoicing and praising God with a loud voice, spreading garments and palm branches and crying Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord, He answered that if these should hold their peace the stones would immediately cry out. His commandment-keeping people therefore should not be so cold or silent that they withhold praise, for the disciples' loud praise at His entry is the pattern for joyful praise and not an excess to be suppressed. Since the prospect of Christ coming in the glory of the Father with the angels is far more glorious than the disciples' prospect at the first Advent, believers must not hold their peace but praise God even with a loud voice, and no one dare forbid them.
The demand to silence joyful praise is repeated by a large portion of those professing to look for Christ, who would do the same as the Pharisees. They want the joyful disciples silenced as extravagant and wild, regarding those who proclaim Him as fanatical, extravagant, wild, and under improper influence. Their cry is Fanaticism and Mesmerism against fervent praise, condemning as fanaticism what God has appointed to receive.
Such unbelief rejects the very truth necessary to salvation, for the demand to silence the disciples expressed hostility toward Christ and opposition to the messengers who rebuke wrongdoing. The Pharisees were disturbed at the attention paid to the Son of God while the multitude cried Hosanna to the Son of David in fulfillment of prophecy, and their understanding was so blunted by unbelief that they could not see the fulfillment in the very act before them. The disciples were praising God with blessing from their lips by loudly repeating His merciful works, His healings, His raisings of the dead, and all His other good works they could remember, and the acclamation had to go on because prophecy must be fulfilled and could not be stopped by men. Those who wanted the praise stopped were thus refusing Christ, though He was their only hope.
The entry amid the acclaim of His disciples serves as a warning and a lesson for the last great day. Those who come to hear must recognize Jesus as the One who gave His life for them and accept Him. They must respond to the warning of coming judgments by bringing others to Him.