Matthew 21 - "Out of the Mouths of Babes!"
14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. 16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”
As Jesus nears Jerusalem and the cross, he comes into the temple courts, and what a scene it is. The moneychangers were making money on the exchange of currency, as were people selling doves needed for the sacrifice. Barclay notes, “A pair of doves could cost as little as 4p outside the Temple and as much as 75p inside the Temple.” This is almost 20 times more expensive.What was supposed to be a sacred place was now in Jesus' words, "a den robbers".
But at least two holy things were going on. The blind and the lame were being healed, and true worship was happening. Because the Gentiles could not go into the temple, they were only allowed in the outer courts. So where the was the buying and selling was transformed into a worship service. Jesus met the people where they were at.
The infants were singing and dancing and proclaiming that Jesus was the Son of David. The leaders were indignant that the children were praising Jesus, but Jesus quoted Psalm 8:2 saying, "Out of the mouths of babes you have called forth your praise."
What is it about the praise of the children that Jesus uplifted and affirmed.
1. It recognized who Jesus was as the Messiah. When we worship, Jesus the Messiah should be at the center of everything we do in a worship service.
2. The kids shouted! Yes they got a little irreverant! But they were so excited they could not contain themselves. I wonder what that might look like today?
3. They were giving thanks that God would save through Jesus. "Hosanna" meant, "God save us now!" It was a call to God for deliverance from sin and sickness.
I think these characteristics, which made the religious leaders indignant, made Jesus happy and he received it with gladness. Might our worship look the same today as we worship Jesus the Son of David, the Savior of the World!
Comments
Post a Comment