When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
“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 Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
- Luke 19:37-39
 
Why did the Pharisees want Jesus to rebuke his disciples?
 
We can be tempted to read their comment as grumpy, frustrated faithlessness. Maybe they didn’t like the fun. Maybe they were jealous. They’re easy to caricature.
 
And perhaps those motives were at play. But if you’re willing to take a deeper look at these religious leaders, there are deeper motivations at work, motivations harder to brush aside or treat with an eye roll.
 
What might this expression of praise in the streets cost the crowd and the city? The Roman army occupied Jerusalem. Their Herodian puppets enforced the occupation. No democracy. No election. No campaigns. Massive bloodshed and heartache would roll through Judea every time another would-be king made a run for the Jewish throne.
 
The voice of the Pharisees is the voice of safety and prudence. It’s the voice that cautions against irrational exuberance and urges more moderate approaches to reform. Their voice rings with the burden of civic responsibility. And their voice reveals something in them (and perhaps in us).
 
When you’re swept into the worship of God, lifted to the heights of prayer, plunged into the depths of scripture, filled with zeal for justice … those are always the moments when the pharisaical voices begin to ring in our hearts: “That wouldn’t be prudent” or “Don’t be so radical” or “You have responsibilities—don’t forget those!”
 
What will Jesus do as the crowd is pulled into a wild ecstasy and the adults in the room keep trying to tamp it down? And then, what will you do when you’re invited to join the sweeping-lifting-plunging-filling celebrations that swirl around Jesus?