One of my readers from my last blog, commented about one of the lines I cited from U2’s song I’ll go Crazy if I don’t go crazy tonight. It was the line, “Shout at the darkness”… and he asked me, “Did Jesus ever shout?”
It’s a good question! What do you think?
From a quick glance at some scriptures, it sure seems that if we’re supposed to be like Christ, raising our voice (especially at the darkness) is a Christ-like thing .
Remember the story of Lazarus, who had been in the tomb for four days and Martha, Lazarus’ sister didn’t want to roll the stone away because of the stench of the dead body. “When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!” John 11:43
And the story of the disciples, crossing the Sea of Galilee, when they thought the boat was surely going to capsize. “He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!'” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. Mark 4:39 Now I haven’t been at sea many times, but I can just imagine that during a storm like that, the decibel level of the wind and waves would be pretty high. He must have shouted.
Later on in Mark, there’s a great story of Jesus healing a demon-possessed boy. “When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. ‘You deaf and mute spirit’, he said, ‘I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.'” Mark 9:25
We already know that Jesus amazed his audience, because he taught as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Mark 1:22
So he rebuked death, chaos and demon-possession but did he ever shout at his own disciples?
“But when he turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter, ‘Get behind me Satan!’ he said, ‘You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Mark 8:33. And again in John, Jesus raised his voice at Peter. “Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away!” John 18:11
Well, maybe loud voices are only a thing of the New Testament? Nah! You remember the most famous shout of the Old Testament, right? When the Israelites had finally entered the promised land, with Joshua as their leader, they faced the mighty city of Jericho, with seemingly impenetrable walls. The priests and the people were supposed to march around the city for six days, and on the seventh day, after circling the city seven times and hearing the long trumpet blast, they were supposed to shout. “But Joshua had commanded the people, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then SHOUT!” Joshua 6:10
With a word, God created the heavens and the earth and everything in it. Gen 1: 3-26
Like all the prophets before him, John the Baptist was “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘ Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him’ Matthew 3:3
“And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani”…”and with a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.” Mark 15: 34, 37
We learn in James 3 that the tongue has the power of life and death, praising and cursing in it. I don’t know about you, but these verses make me think again about the notion that silence equals piety.
