Evening, March 23
Charles Spurgeon · Morning and Evening: Daily Readings
Luke 19:40
"I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would
immediately cry out."
Luke 19:40
But could the stones cry out? Assuredly they could if he who opens the
mouth of the dumb should bid them lift up their voice. Certainly if
they were to speak, they would have much to testify in praise of him
who created them by the word of his power; they could extol the wisdom
and power of their Maker who called them into being. Shall not we speak
well of him who made us anew, and out of stones raised up children unto
Abraham? The old rocks could tell of chaos and order, and the handiwork
of God in successive stages of creation's drama; and cannot we talk of
God's decrees, of God's great work in ancient times, in all that he did
for his church in the days of old? If the stones were to speak, they
could tell of their breaker, how he took them from the quarry, and made
them fit for the temple, and cannot we tell of our glorious Breaker,
who broke our hearts with the hammer of his word, that he might build
us into his temple? If the stones should cry out they would magnify
their builder, who polished them and fashioned them after the
similitude of a palace; and shall not we talk of our Architect and
Builder, who has put us in our place in the temple of the living God?
If the stones could cry out, they might have a long, long story to tell
by way of memorial, for many a time hath a great stone been rolled as a
memorial before the Lord; and we too can testify of Ebenezers, stones
of help, pillars of remembrance. The broken stones of the law cry out
against us, but Christ himself, who has rolled away the stone from the
door of the sepulchre, speaks for us. Stones might well cry out, but we
will not let them: we will hush their noise with ours; we will break
forth into sacred song, and bless the majesty of the Most High, all our
days glorifying him who is called by Jacob the Shepherd and Stone of
Israel.