Jesus and Joshua

As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen,

shouting:
"BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD;
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples."But Jesus answered, "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!" - Luke 19:40

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This passage has always confused me. I've heard sermons where the speaker would say that we should take this literally - that God, through his omnipotence, would make stones have lungs and mouths and they will audibly shout. Now I cannot dismiss this straight out, but it seems like this exegesis has always been short of imagination and thought. Miracles are possible and have happened, but I have always thought that this is a far fetched and simplistic interpretation.

I have also heard some say that the stones represent creation's language talked about Psalm 19 (my personal view until recently). The idea here is that the stones will not literally cry out, but it is a metaphor and representation of all of creation's testimony of it's Creator. This, to me, has always seemed more accurate, but it still leaves questions. Why does he reference stones? Wouldn't it be more sufficient to talk about birds singing or a lion's roar? Matthew Henry came to a position in between these two where the stones or earth will quake (and it did when he was on the cross and all alone).

I think I may have come to a new light on the passage though. I am not saying I am correct, but I think this is worth considering:
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Then Joshua said to the people, "You will not be able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression or your sins. If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you after He has done good to you." The people said to Joshua, "No, but we will serve the LORD." Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves the LORD, to serve Him." And they said, "We are witnesses." "Now therefore, put away the foreign gods which are in your midst, and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel." The people said to Joshua, "We will serve the LORD our God and we will obey His voice." So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be for a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke to us; thus it shall be for a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God." - Joshua 24:19-27

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I want to focus on verse 27, but the previous verses give the context, which is important. I am proposing that Jesus was making an allusion to this passage. Far-fetched? Sure, but interesting to examine. They stone's purpose in the passage in Joshua is to be a testimony to the covenant Isreal had made with God - to serve, obey, and incline their heart to God - or as Joshua put it, "do not deny your God." Now we must understand that any Jew would know this story well. It is a pivotal covenant made in the History of the Jews.

So fast forward about a thousand years, and Jesus makes a strange comment about stones crying out. I think he may have very well been alluding to this passage and telling the Pharisees (who for sure knew this passage in Joshua), "If these disciples do not praise me, then the stones will testify against you." In short, God would be denied if no one accepted Him when he came to earth. This allusion does multiple things, but most importantly it tells the Pharisees that he is God. Moreover, it tells them that they will be held accountable for breaking the covenant with God once again (the Isrealites broke this covenant shortly after they made it).

Now is this far-fetched? Maybe, its definitely different from anything I've heard, but we must remember Jesus' context. He was Jewish, talking to Jewish leaders, in a Jewish nation. I think it is easier to grasp in light of that and in light of the fact that we have no problem attributing other sayings of Jesus to be allusions to Old Testament passages.

With all of this said, the message is still ultimately the same: God has been denied and so the stones testify to that. Whether that means they literally speak, are representative, or an allusion to the covenant made with Israel is secondary. Just think about, comment if you wish.

The Gospel of Fear?

Marriage crisis. Moral crisis. Political crisis. Economic crisis.

Just a few of the terms I've heard major Christian voices say about America right now. The reason why this is so? Apparently because America is no longer a Christian nation. The answer? Get the right laws passed or the right man in office.

Thoughts?

My New Shoes

The 2008 debut of my new kicks.....