Kuyperian Commentary -

On April 20, 2025 By Bill Smith In Discipleship, Theology, Worship Like

The Stones Cry Out: The Stone Cut Out Of The Mountain

Easter Sunday Meditation

When Jesus made his Royal Entry into Jerusalem, his disciples proclaimed him King, singing Psalm 118. The Pharisees understood the implications of this. The disciples were confessing that Jesus was David’s son and heir. He was the one to whom the Father promised the nations for his inheritance (Ps 2). They demanded that Jesus quiet his disciples. Jesus replied that if his disciples were silenced, the stones would cry out that he was king (Lk 19:40).

The Pharisees, along with the rest of the Jews, became unwitting (?) characters in the story. Psalm 118 says that David’s son is a stone that the builder rejected. This stone would become the head of the corner or the chief cornerstone. These Jews were the builders who rejected David’s stone. They tried to silence the Stone.

It looked as if they succeeded. Since Jesus didn’t silence his disciples, they did by arresting Jesus and putting him to death. When Jesus cried out his last words from the cross, all the stones appeared to be silent. However, Jesus was placed in a tomb or memorial cut out of a rock with a stone rolled in front of the entrance. Luke’s word translated “tomb” is more literally, “memorial.” God sets up covenant memorials so that he can look upon them and hear them (cf. Ge 9:12-17; Ex 28:12, 29). They remind God of his promises; when he sees or hears the memorials, he moves to fulfill his promises.

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On April 19, 2025 By Bill Smith In Discipleship, Theology, Worship 1

The Stones Cry Out: The Memorial Stone

A Holy Saturday Meditation

The Pharisees’ desire that the disciples be silenced while Jesus was entering Jerusalem has been fulfilled. The disciples have been silenced since Jesus’ arrest. Now, Jesus himself has been silenced. His last cry on the cross was the last we heard from him.

But that is not the end of the story. Remember, Jesus told the Pharisees that if the disciples were silenced, the stones would cry out (Lk 19:40). The stones continue their proclamation.

After Jesus dies, Joseph of Arimathea comes and takes Jesus’ body to a tomb “cut from the rock” or “hewn from stone.” He lays his body in stone. Will the stones cry out that Jesus was right and the Jews were wrong? Will the stones cry out that Jesus is King? Will the stones cry out that sins are forgiven and death is defeated? Jesus said the stones will cry out, but for now, they are silent.

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On April 18, 2025 By Bill Smith In Discipleship, Theology, Worship Like

The Stones Cry Out: The Rejected Stone

A Good Friday Meditation

The crowds that hailed him as the heir to David’s throne a few days before now cry for the release of Barabbas and the crucifixion of Jesus. The Jews have silenced the disciples. Jesus wouldn’t silence them at their demand on Palm Sunday, so the Jews have taken it upon themselves to do it.

The Twelve have forsaken him. One of the Twelve betrayed him, handing him over to the Jews as some sort of insurrectionist. Peter denied him three times. The others are hiding in silence.

What will happen now? A few days before, Jesus told the Pharisees, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out” (Lk 19:40). With the disciples silenced, the rocks will begin to cry out.

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On April 17, 2025 By Bill Smith In Discipleship, Theology, Worship Like

The Stones Cry Out: Bread To Stone

A Maundy Thursday Meditation

Immediately after Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. The first temptation the devil throws at Jesus after his forty days of fasting is, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread” (Lk 4:3). Jesus isn’t into parlor tricks, nor does he grasp for life within the creation itself in disobedience to his Father’s word. The devil is offering Jesus something before the time he is supposed to have it. Jesus knows not to grasp this prematurely. However, the stones will become bread; or better, the Stone will become bread.

At the Passover before his death, Jesus takes bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to his disciples, proclaiming, “This is my body.” A few days before, on Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem to praise from the crowds, singing, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” This chorus was drawn from Psalm 118. We know that they sang more of the Psalm because the other Gospels record more being sung. They may have sung the whole Psalm. No matter how much of the Psalm they sang, the context of the whole Psalm comes to bear on the parts recorded in the Gospels. The Psalm 118 worshiper prays, “Save us now, we pray,” or “Hosanna.” God answers that prayer and becomes his salvation by making him the chief cornerstone. He is the stone that the builders rejected, but God makes him the head of the corner or the cornerstone of God’s house.

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On April 17, 2025 By Adam McIntosh In History, Theology 2

From the Last Supper to Easter: Reconciling John and the Synoptics

Introduction

The first three gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke – are called the “Synoptic Gospels” because they each give a similar synopsis of Jesus’s life and ministry.

The fourth gospel – John – is noticeably different. In many cases, John gives more or less information than the Synoptics. For example, John gives a longer time frame than the others, with three years of Jesus’s ministry accounted for.

The differences between John and the Synoptics sometimes pose chronological difficulties. One example is the timeline of Jesus’s crucifixion with two main problems to reconcile.

The problems

Problem #1: The Synoptics indicate that Passover began the night before Jesus’s crucifixion, with Jesus eating the Passover (and instituting the Lord’s Supper) on the same night of his betrayal. Yet on the day of the crucifixion, John states: “Then [the Jewish rulers] led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover” (John 18:28). This sounds as if Passover had not yet begun. John also states that the crucifixion and burial took place on the “Preparation Day of the Passover” (John 19:14).

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On April 10, 2025 By Bill Smith In Theology, Worship Like

The Stones Cry Out: The Royal Proclamation

“… I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” ~Luke 19:40

Stones speak. That is not the fanciful imagination of authors who personify non-human creatures. The Scriptures reveal that stones talk. Stones aren’t the only non-human creatures that speak. The entire non-human creation speaks. Psalm 19 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” So, when Jesus responds to the Pharisees’ command to quiet his disciples from declaring him king, his response of the “stones crying out” is not telling the Pharisees that the speechless stones will, all of a sudden, be able to speak. He tells them that the stones will use their voices to declare him king. At that moment, the disciples give voice to the creation, but the creation will continue to declare, “Jesus is King,” even if the disciples are silenced.

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On April 5, 2025 By Nathan Zekveld In Culture Like

The Hunt for Gold: Delving for Deep Pastoral Theology in an Age of Immaturity

It has been said about Africa that the church there is “a mile wide and an inch deep.” I would contend that if the church in Africa is “a mile wide and an inch deep” then the Church in North America is “A mile wide and a centimeter deep.”

One of these places of late has been the arena of pastoral theology.

Much of pastoral theology has to do with a Biblical wisdom. The way a pastor interacts in his community, the way that he raises his children and loves his wife, the language and the care that he puts into both the content and the wording of a sermon, the way that he uses platforms like social media, demonstrate the way that the Bible has shaped his heart and mind and tongue.

Forms, Authenticity and Pastoral Depth

In modern day evangelicalism, there has been a reaction to forms – form prayers, forms for baptism or the Lord’s Supper, forms for marriage, etc. The use of forms appears to be inauthentic, etc. It is increasingly uncommon for a couple to use form vows on their wedding day. It has to come from me. It has to be authentic. That’s the slogan. Much of the Biblical nature of a wedding vow, of a covenant between a man and a woman before God, has been lost as a result.

I acknowledge that forms can be used in a wooden manner. That it can become rote. That it can become thoughtless.

But think about it this way. A form used in a wooden way, but from the heart and in language shaped by the Word of God, is still better than the Biblical/theological ignorance that is becoming so widespread in our times.

I don’t believe that it is necessary to put the church in a straight-jacket – “you have to use this Book of Common Prayer or else”. That kind of behavior becomes conscience-binding. But at this point in history we have access to many traditions that have warm, pastoral theology. Consider not least Anglicanism, Lutheranism and the Dutch Reformed & Presbyterian traditions.

What new prayer & song books will develop in the next 200 years as we dig deep into our rich theological history?

Resources for Pastors

My collection is growing. These books have great value for family worship, for church liturgies, and for pastoral care in the church.

My newest book is the Pastoral Care Companion of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. This book has resources for services and rites, for pastoral care, for feast days. It includes prayers for a vast array of pastoral issues, as well as applicable Bible verses.

I’ve been quite familiar with the Book of Forms and Prayers of the United Reformed Churches of North America which includes forms for baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the Three Forms of Unity, liturgical prayers, as well as a variety of prayers for daily life. My familiarity comes from my time working as a pastor in the URCNA.

This would include access to the Trinity Psalter Hymnal of the URCNA and OPC as well as the Book of Praise of the Canadian Reformed Churches.

On my shelf I have the Service Book and Hymnal authorized by the Lutheran Churches cooperating in The Commission on the Liturgy and Hymnal. I also have a couple different versions of the Book of Common Prayer from the Anglican world.

As a heads up some of these denominations have woke newer versions and theologically sound older versions. You also have to be discerning as to some of the minor theological differences between these various traditions.

Always Ready

The ups and downs of ministry take a toll on a pastor and sometimes it can be an emotional and spiritual roller coaster for a pastor to move from one disaster and/or challenge to the next.

Having these kinds of resources means that a pastor can turn to and receive the pastoral wisdom and deep piety of the ages in the heat of these present spiritual battles.

Resources for New Churches

We live during times of revolution, but we also see reform breaking out in the midst of spiritual death and liberalism in so many different churches.

Many elders who deeply desire to serve the Lord are uneducated or are new to service in the church. They have many of the qualifications for eldership, but are not always particularly knowledgeable in the Scriptures or historic Christian theology.

These kinds of resources can help guide and educate elders on the job.

Deepening a Sense of Pastoral Theology

As Reformed Churches & pastors we want to not just be walking and talking theology heads.

We want to bring the warmth of the ministry of the Word and Spirit into dark places & in dark times. And so it is important for all the pastors & elders & deacons of the church to be learning from the church of the past as we shepherd our congregants in the present. That will come from pastors who have a robust love for Scripture, for prayer, and are willing to learn with the church of all times and ages, as the Spirit carries godly men into dark places with the light of Christ burning bright.

There is a gold mine that we are sitting on. We have but to dig.

Photo by suradeach saetang on Unsplash

Note. You will also find this article published over at nathanzekveld.substack.com

On April 3, 2025 By Bill Smith In Discipleship 1

What Are You Seeking?

We are all familiar with Christian swindlers who overpromise about the immediate rewards of faith in Christ. Televangelists promise health and wealth to those who have faith, but “faith” turns out to be sending in money or buying some “anointed trinket” that would have made John Tetzel blush. These men and women raise their listeners’ expectations to unrealistic, unbiblical heights.

The televangelist types are not the only ones who do this. The well-meaning average Christian sharing his faith using the presentation he learned in a personal evangelism class may do the same. There are promises of peace and joy that are easily misinterpreted by the evangelized as a life free from suffering and pain in the present. Everything will be puffy clouds and fluffy bunnies. Not many evangelism classes teach a presentation that includes promising the evangelized a life that involves suffering. Peace and joy are real in this life, but they are in the midst of persecution and suffering, not their absence.

Expectations must be managed when calling people to follow Jesus.

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On March 24, 2025 By Bill Smith In Church, Men, Wisdom 2

The High Calling of Pastors

The pastorate is a unique calling. While there are similarities to other callings or jobs, there are qualifications for the position that other callings don’t have. To become and remain a pastor, your wife and children (in your household) must be in proper order. If your wife is rebellious, you are unqualified. If the children in our household reject the faith, you are unqualified (1 Tim 3:1-7; Ti 1:5-9). What other “job” has these qualifications? If you are in IT or on the line at the factory, if you perform well on the job, it matters not what your home life is like. Your family can be a mess, but that doesn’t affect your job qualifications. You can have several baby mamas and be the wealthiest man in the world, running multi-billion dollar companies. You can have been married three times and been a philanderer even apart from marriage and still become president of the USA. However, according to Scripture, these lifestyles would disqualify you from being a pastor.

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On March 20, 2025 By Bill Smith In Church, Theology Like

Baptism: Spirit v. Water?

Baptism debates are constantly rumbling through the Christian church. Who are the proper recipients of baptism? Should baptism be performed by total submersion, or is pouring water over the head a proper baptism? Does God genuinely do something in baptism, or is it a wet testimony of the faith that I have professed in Christ that accomplishes anything regarding forgiveness of sins, union with Christ, or the reception of the Spirit? Is baptism the work of God or the work of man?

Another debate that sometimes arises when discussing baptism is whether genuine baptism is visible or invisible. Some will say that real baptism is the invisible baptism of the Spirit. Visible water baptism is only an inert witness to this invisible baptism. Scriptures such as Romans 6 are approached with presuppositions that deny the possibility that in water baptism, we truly are buried with Christ into his death and are raised by the glory of the Father (Rom 6:4). “Water can’t do that. Paul is referring to a “spiritual baptism,” by which they mean an invisible baptism, a baptism performed by the Spirit in conversion apart from water.

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