When Jesus was entering Jerusalem a few days before he was crucified, many of his followers paid tribute to him. They had seen him perform miracle after miracle and believed he was about to take on his role as some sort of king. They shouted, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” The religious leaders of the day didn’t take too kindly to anyone being compared to God, so they politely asked Jesus—or maybe not so politely—“Jesus, tell those people to quit saying that about you… tell them to quit worshipping you in that way!”
The New Testament writer Luke tells us what Jesus said in response… and Jesus didn’t BACK down from what people were saying about him. He DOUBLED down: “Well, if THEY stop saying it… if they stop worshipping me” says Jesus, “The ROCKS will cry out and say it.” In other words, what they are saying is going to be said, one way or another. Now, whether rocks REALLY would have started singing… who knows… he was probably just trying to get a point across. And here’s his point: “People are recognizing who I am and they are going to worship me. But even if they don’t, nature itself will draw attention to me.”
In the song “Joy to the World,” the writer wants us to sing… expressing joy to the world that Jesus, our Saviour, reigns! “Let men their songs employ” is what the song says. We should SING! But, according to the song, we won’t be alone. Not only will people sing about their King, Jesus, we have a choir backing us up, REPEATING our songs… maybe not in our OUR words, but in their own way. After we sing, this song reminds us: fields, water, rocks, hills, the grass… they will all REPEAT the sounding joy we make.
So when the song “Joy to the World” plays, sing loud and proud. We have a King worth celebrating, and nature itself is listening to our praises—and even nature is going to repeat those praises we sing to our King.
Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing joy to the world. I worship you. Thank you for sending Jesus to me.
View all SongsJoy to the world! the Saviour reigns Let men their songs employ While fields and floods Rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy