Luke 19:29-40
THE DAY THE SHOUTING STOPPED
Intro: The life of our Lord was marked by contrasts. In
the beginning of His ministry, He operated in obscurity.
However, as the news of His power and His claims to
be the Messiah spread, people began to flock around
Him. They were drawn by the excitement of His
miracles and the uniqueness of His preaching. By the
second year of His earthly ministry, Jesus was thronged
with crowds of people everywhere He traveled. These
crowds were with Him until He began to preach the
message of extreme commitment as found in John 6.
By the time Jesus reached the end of His ministry, the
crowds was composed of those who were committed to
following Him. Of course, it must be stated that the
crowds were not always in favor of the Lord and what
He was doing and saying. Many times the crowds were
comprised of those who were violently opposed to His
teaching. Even among His own disciples there was
Judas. Please remember that the crowd is fickle!
Never allow anyone to force you to be part of the crowd.
You need to be man enough or woman enough to make
your own decisions.
As Jesus reached the last week of His life on earth,
the crowds are still there. One things that strikes me
about these crowds that surrounded Jesus during His
last week of earthly ministry is the fact that they were
engaged in a lot of shouting. This morning, I want to
travel with Jesus to three events in His life during His
last week of ministry. At all three of these events, the
crowds were shouting in the presence of the Lord. All
of these events lead up to that day when the shouting
stopped. That is what I would like to focus our attention
on this morning. Let's look together at The Day The
Shouting Stopped.
I. THE CROWDS SHOUTED AT HIS ENTRANCE
Luke 19:29-40
(Ill. The Context! Ill. Why all the Excitement?)
A. V. 37 Jesus The Man - They had experienced
Excitement. (Ill. The miracles and the power
they had seen Him demonstrate. Some in this
crowd were genuine in their love for Him, others
were there because of what they had seen Him
do.) (Ill. People are still interested in Jesus for
what they had seen! They only want the
miracles and the excitement.)
(Ill. Just because they love the miracles does
not mean they are saved!)
B. V. 37 Jesus The Messenger - They had
experienced Enlightenment. (Ill. Some were
there shouting because of the radical teachings
they had heard Jesus giving out. He was
different and they were drawn to that. Ill. John
6:47; Matt. 7:28-29) (Ill. There is still that crowd
that flocks to the unusual. Folk can hear
someone who is a little different, and they act
like they have heard an angel speaking to them.
People are attracted to the unusual!)
(Just because they love the message does not
mean they are saved!)
C. V. 38 Jesus The Messiah - They had
experienced Expectation. (Ill. Today is Palm
Sunday. Today is the day we commemorate our
Lord's triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem
some 2,000 years ago. For the disciples of
Jesus, this was a day of great excitement and
joy. However, for our Lord, it was a day of
disappointment and heartbreak. You see, this
was the day that Jesus made it clear to all who
saw Him just Who He was.
All through His life and public ministry Jesus
had proven Himself to be the Messiah. He had
fulfilled the prophecies, performed the miracles
and He had told the Jews repeatedly that He
was the Savior that they had been anticipating.
They, however, had steadfastly refused to
believe His claims. This was the day when
Jesus drew the line in the sand. When He
appeared on the donkey, riding down from the
Mount of Olives, there was no doubt as to what
He was doing. He was revealing Himself as the
Messiah of Israel.
At this great event, you will notice that the
multitudes are shouting and lifting their voices in
praise of the Lord. They know what He is doing
and they are certain that He has come to deliver
Israel from the bondage of Rome. Therefore,
they cheer Him and shout praises to God
because of Him.
Sadly, they missed the entire significance of
this event. It is true that Jesus came is
fulfillment of the prophecy of the prophet
Zechariah (Zech 9:9). And, He also did this to
force the hand of the Jewish leaders, (Matt.
26:1-5), they planned to kill Jesus after the
Passover. However, the reason Jesus came into
Jerusalem was for the sole purpose of going to
Calvary. These people missed it all! This man
was headed to the cross! It was the sole
purpose in his existence - Isa. 50:7; John
18:37; Matt. 16:21.)
(Ill. Just because someone thinks He is the Messiah does not mean that they are saved!)
(Ill. There are many who enjoy the miracles, the
message and the Messiah of the church, but they
miss the fact that salvation does not come through
anything else but a personal relationship with the
Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus did not come solely to
heal you, to feed you, to bless you, to teach you, or
to fulfill a bunch of dusty, old prophecies to the
people of Israel. Jesus came for the sole purpose
of going to the cross and dying for the sins of man.
He came to be the Savior of the world! Until you
know Him in that relationship, you don't know Him at
all!)
(Ill. They shouted at His Entrance to Jerusalem, but
they didn't understand that there was more to His
story. Those who know Him know that there is a
reason to shout and to praise His name! They know
He is worthy of honor and praise. However, those
who do not know Him will always attempt to stop
those who do know Him from glorifying His Name -
Luke 19:39-40! I don't know about you, but I don't
want a pile of rocks doing my praise for me!)
I. The Crowds Shouted At His Entrance
II. THE CROWDS SHOUTED AT HIS EXAMINATION
John 19:13-16
(Ill. The Context. Ill. The words "cried out" mean "to
scream for or to demand something be done."
This crowd is whipped into a frenzy that nothing but
the blood of Jesus can satisfy. Ill. Here, some of
that same crowd that shouted last Sunday are
shouting for His death during His trial before Pilate.
The crowd is fickle! When this Man, Whom they
supposed to be the Messiah, didn't act as they
thought He should, they wrote Him off as an
imposter. That is why we find some of the same
people who were calling Him the King when He rode
into Jerusalem, now crying our for His blood.)
(Ill. Why the sudden change?)
A. They Considered Him An Imposter - John
19:13-16 - He did not overthrow Rome. (Ill.
This was the Jewish expectation concerning the
promised Messiah, Jer. 33:14-18.)
B. They Considered Him An Instigator - John
11:49-52 - He defied their Rulers (Matt. 23:25-28). Jesus did not cow down under the authority
of the priests and scribes. He possessed an
authority that was far greater than any they
hoped to have.
C. They Considered Him An Intruder - He spoke
against their Religion. (Ill. He claimed to be
God - Matt. 26:63-65; John 8:58) (Ill. The high
priest rent his garments and disqualified himself -
Num. 10:6)
(Ill. Whether you know it or not, Jesus is on trial in
your heart today! You are either in His corner or you
are one of those who lifts their voice against Him.
You cannot have it both ways! You are either for
Jesus, or you are against Him, Matt. 12:30. If you
are one of those who has not yielded to the Lord by
trusting Jesus for your salvation, you are part of that
crowd that cries out against Him. Jesus is on trial in
your heart this morning! Which side of the issue are
you on? What is your verdict concerning Jesus?)
I. The Crowds Shouted At His Entrance
II. The Crowds Shouted At His Examination
III. THE CROWDS SHOUTED AT HIS EXECUTION
Mark 15:25-37
(Ill. The context. Ill. The horrors of His death and the indignities to
which the Lamb of God was subjected! Ill. While the Lord Jesus hung on
the cross, the crowds all around Him cried out to
Him. They mocked Him. They ridiculed Him. They
falsely accused Him. They even walked by and
wagged their heads at Him. (By the way, that is the
equivalent of what children do in elementary
school when they stick their tongues out at one
another. It was a sign of contempt and utter
hatred!) Even those men who were dying with Him
on the cross joined in with the crowd as they
mocked the Lord Jesus. By this time, their tolerance
of this strange man with the strange message had
turned to pure hatred. They wanted Jesus dead and
they wanted His teachings to die with Him!)
(Ill. Why all the anger?)
A. They Misunderstood Christ's Mission - Again,
they were looking for a man that would
overthrow Rome. They were looking for a
revolutionary. What they missed is that Jesus
did not come for revolt, but for redemption!
(They were so busy looking for this Messiah
Who would usher in the Kingdom, that they
totally missed Isa. 53:1-12. This passage is
clear in its teachings that their Messiah must die
for the people!) People still miss it today!
Jesus did not come to this earth to be an
example, a mere wayshower. He did not come
as a teacher, One Who communicated truth.
He did not come as a social reformer, One
Who desired to lift the standard of life for people.
No! Jesus Christ came to this world as THE
Way, THE Truth and THE Life (John 14:6) He
came for one purpose and for one purpose only:
Jesus Christ came to this world to die, John
18:37! Jesus summed up His mission in one
clear statement - Luke 19:10! Has He fulfilled
that mission in your life?
B. They Misapplied Scriptures Message - When
Jesus came to this world, He came to a people
and a nation that was very religious. He came to
a people who knew the Word of God, and who
were looking for the advent of their Messiah.
However, in all of their study of the Scripture,
they totally missed Jesus. They were looking for
this reformer, this great military leader who
would overthrow their enemies and lead the
Jewish people to world dominance. They were
looking for a King! When Jesus came as the
Son of Man, as a Servant of the people, as One
destined to die on a cross, they stumbled and
totally missed what the Word of God had taught
them. Remember what Jesus told them in John
5:39? From the time God slew the first animal in
Eden to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve,
through the many years and millions of animals
that were slain at the Tabernacle and Temple,
God was teaching His people that an innocent
sacrifice had to die to take away the sins of
those who are guilty. These people missed the
Servant while they looked for the Soldier!
Certainly, Messiah would do all the things they
expected, just not when they expected. When
they saw Jesus on that cross, they were finished
with Him. The cross became their great
stumbling block, 1 Cor. 1:18-25.
(Ill. It still is to many people! Where do you
stand in regard to the cross? Friend, Jesus the
Teacher cannot save you! Jesus the Miracle
Worker cannot save you! Jesus the good
Example cannot save you. However, Jesus, the
sinless Lamb of God, Who shed His blood on
the old rugged cross can save you! It took the
death of Christ to open the way to God, 1 Pet.
1:18-19! It took the shedding of His blood wash
away man's sin, Rev. 1:5, Heb. 9:22. Have you
come under that crimson flow this morning?
Have you received Jesus and His death on the
cross as the atonement for your sins? Are you
saved today?)
C. They Missed God's Methods - They expected
a King and got a Savior! Jesus truly came to set
them free, but not like they thought He would,
John 10:10. (Ill. In those 6 hours on that cross,
Jesus accomplished more then any conqueror in
history! He defeated the most persistent, and
terrible of man's enemies: Death, Sin, Satan,
Hell, Eternity, etc! If those people had just
understood the message of God, they would not
have been reviling, they would have been
rejoicing! They would have been shouting the
victory knowing that their sin debt was forever
being settled on that cross! But they didn't get it
then, and many in our do not get it now!)
(Ill. Friends, don't let anyone deceive you this
morning! Salvation is not to the good, the
diligent, the holy, the hard worker, or those who
have turned over a new leaf. Salvation belongs
to those who come face to face with their own
sinfulness. To those who are willing to admit
that they are sinners. To those who look to the
Christ Who died on that cross and come before
Him confessing their sins and calling on Him for
salvation. Have you done that? Have you ever
been lost in sin? That is the first step to
salvation! You must come to the place where
you see yourself as a sinner. Have you ever
confessed yourself a sinner before the Lord?
Have you come to the place where you knew
that you would never be saved apart from the
death and resurrection of Christ? Have you
turned to Him, and Him alone for the saving of
your soul? If you will, He will save you today!)
Conc: Finally, that terrible day ended. The lifeless body
of Jesus hung dead on that cross. The blood that had
poured out of His body was coagulating at His feet. The
awful death He endured on that cross was mercifully
over. The two men who were crucified with Him are
also dead. There is silence as the crowd slowly leaves
the wretched scene and heads to their homes. They
aren't shouting now. The shouting stopped because
the object of their anger was dead!
If those people on the hillside had known what I
know this morning, they would not have been silent, but
they would have been shouting the victory! If they could
have just seen the fact that in three days, this One they
had watched die would rise from the dead and conquer
death Hell and the grave, they would have bowed
before Him in humble submission and left that hillside
shouting the victory. Before I finish, let me tell you that,
yes, the shouting stopped the day Jesus died. His
enemies stopped because the object of their hatred was
dead. Even His followers lost their shout because
the object of their affection was dead. But let me
remind you there came a day, just three days later,
when the shouting started up again! I am not here
today to preach a dead Savior! I am here to tell you
about a Savior Who died on the cross and Who rose
again from the dead. I am telling you about One
Who is alive forever to provide you with salvation is
you will come to Him, Heb. 7:25; Rev. 1:18.
Are you saved today? Are you sure you are trusting
Jesus? Are you walking in fellowship with Him today?
Are there needs in your life that only He can meet? If
there are needs, if there are burdens, if there are sins,
if there is anything at all that needs to be taken care of,
bring it to Jesus right now.
