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14在殿里有瞎子、瘸子到耶稣跟前，他就治好了他们。15祭司长和文士看见耶稣所行的奇事，又见小孩子在殿里喊着说：“和散那归于大卫的子孙！”就甚恼怒，16对他说：“这些人所说的，你听见了吗？”耶稣说：“是的。经上说：‘你从婴孩和吃奶的口中完全了赞美的话。’你们没有念过吗？”17于是离开他们，出城到伯大尼去，在那里住宿。
圣殿里的孩子们可能是一些12岁的男孩，他们第一次来过逾越节。他们曾经在橄榄山上听见人们所唱的颂歌，他们学会了；现在他们看见了耶稣所行的神迹，他们在圣殿里再次唱起了这些颂歌。他们知道在唱什么吗？或许知道或许不知道。但是那些犹太人的领袖知道他们在唱什么，这些歌词是在欢迎那位弥赛亚，他们想让耶稣制止这些孩子们。他们可以忍受圣殿里那些吵闹的兑换银钱之人，那些做买卖的人，但是孩子们的赞美歌声让他们不信的耳朵感到难以忍受。他们“甚恼怒”，表明他们听见孩子们唱的内容，确实感到很愤怒。
耶稣是怎样回应他们的呢？他引用诗篇第8章的经文回应，那些经文的意思是，在面对主的敌人时，他决定要从婴孩和吃奶的口中接受赞美。诗篇第8章是一篇弥赛亚诗篇，讲的是救主的位格和他的工作。耶稣引用这些话来回应那些犹太领袖，非常完美的契合这篇诗篇的语境。孩子们都明白，但是耶稣的敌人不明白！
这让我想起了我上小学时的一些事，一对无神论夫妇把他们的两个男孩送到我们路德宗学校，因为我们学校以好的教育闻名。圣诞节期间，这两个男孩来到我阿姨开的音像店，请她帮着挑选一些关于耶稣的圣诞节唱片。她问这两个男孩什么要这些唱片，他们说，“因为我们想让我们的父母听一听耶稣的故事”。从吃奶的和婴孩口中，他要完全他的赞美。
祷告：主耶稣啊，总有一些人不相信你，甚至对你恶言相向。但是也有很多人，你在他们心里创造了孩童般的信心，从他们口中你完全了你的赞美。主啊，求你开启我的口，让我的口宣扬对你的赞美。阿们。
Matthew 21
Matthew 21:14-17: 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’?” 17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.
The children in the temple were probably the 12 year old boys who came up to their first Passover. They heard the chants on the Mt. of Olives, and now they take up the chant once more in the temple when they see the miracles that Jesus did. Did they know what they were saying? Perhaps and perhaps not. But the leaders of the Jews knew what they were saying. These words were meant to welcome the Messiah, and they wanted Jesus to silence them. They could put up with the noisy money changers and sellers in the temple, but the praise from the children grated on their unbelieving ears. They were “indignant,” which means they were really angry when they heard what the children were saying.
How did Jesus answer them? He answered them with a quote from Psalm 8, which says that in the face of the Lord’s enemies, he determined that he would receive praise from the lips of the children and infants. Psalm 8 is a Messianic psalm which speaks of the person and work of the Savior. The words Jesus quotes to the Jewish leaders fits perfectly with the context of the psalm. Children understood, but Jesus’ enemies did not!
This reminds me of something that happened when I was in grade school. A couple who were atheists sent their two boys to our small Lutheran school, because it had a reputation for good education. At Christmas time, the two boys came to my aunt’s radio and T.V. store and asked her to help them pick out some Christmas records about Jesus. When she asked why they wanted those records, they said, “Because we want our parents to hear about Jesus.” Out of the mouths of infants and children he has ordained his praise!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, there will always be those who do not believe in you and who even speak maliciously against you. But there are also many in whose hearts you have worked a childlike faith and from whom you have ordained your praise. Open my lips, Lord, and let my mouth declare your praise. Amen.