Three Voices

 The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Matthew 21:9

The above Scripture is part of the detail describing Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As He arrived, sitting on a donkey, the crowds hailed Him as their long awaited King, shouting "Hosanna," praise Him, over and over again. Joy swept through the hearts of the people. The One they had been waiting for had come. Yet, less than a week later, the streets of Jerusalem were filled with another cry. "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" Two entirely different cries from two different voices. Yet to these two, I would add a third; the voice of silence.

I think most of those in the crowds that shouted "Hosanna" upon His coming did so with sincerity. They were ready to receive Him as their Savior. Many surely did so. Yet, in just a few days, the forces of the enemy would gather and rise up against Him through the combination of the religious order of the day, the Pharisees, and the state, Rome. Jesus, so recently hailed as Savior, was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious governing order. A sham of a trial was held, and a number of Pharisees refused to participate, but those who were deeply threatened by the ministry and coming of Christ, succeeded in bringing a guilty verdict upon Him. Eventually He was brought before Pilate, who, though reluctant to condemn Him, realized the political danger of doing so. He brought Him out before the crowds now gathered before the Roman judgement seat and asked for their verdict. Many cried for His release, but they were drowned out by those who screamed, "Crucify Him!." And they did.....Two voices are now accounted for, but what of the third?

I think the third voice contained by far the highest number. They were the voice of silence. I believe almost all of them were found in the crowd that welcomed Christ on Palm Sunday and that proclaimed Him Messiah King. But adversity, fear, and the threat of the Sanhedrin silenced them. They were afraid to stand with Christ. The disciples themselves were among them. Where might we be among them today? Where might you, and where might I?

Anyone can be bold for Jesus in the sunshine, where we are assured of safety and security. What of when darkness and threats of death come against us? What of when a real and deep cost will be involved in our cries of "Hosanna?" Will we be so bold then? Scripture says that we are to be ready, in season and out of season, to proclaim the Truth of His Word. This means that whether the times are favorable or not, we are to be steadfast, true, and vocal in our witness, in what we believe. We don't seek to force this truth on anyone, but we proclaim it, the Good News of Christ, and invite people into it. We speak His Truth into the darkness of all the enemy's lies. And those lies are everywhere seen today.

The Third Voice is always the majority. They are silent for all the reasons listed above and more. Their silence saw Christ crucified, and their silence saw the rise of every murderous tyrant and dictator history has ever seen. It has always been so. The silence of the church over the course of the last 50 years has brought about the ever encroaching darkness of these days. We may have cried "Hosanna" in our gatherings, but not in the streets of towns, cities, and nations. Yet I believe it is changing.

Christ's resurrection, followed by Pentecost, brought the silent ones out of hiding. The followers of Christ became known as those who were "turning the world upside down," and they were. We, who have been silent ones, must be ready to do so once more. We can be sure that the same enemy in opposition 2000 years ago will be just as active today as he was then. On the cross he was conquered. At Pentecost he was conquered. Again and again through history, he was conquered. He is conquered. We are the ones called to victory, not him. Let us live that way. With courage. With boldness. With love. Not shrinking back, but pressing on. Whether the times are favorable or not. May the third voice, the voice of silence no longer be found among us. We who are His have been given a voice, His voice, calling the dead to life, and those trapped in darkness into His Light. Let us use it. Let us be silent no more.

Blessings,
Pastor O