Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise

Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"

 

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read,

'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants

You have perfected praise'?"

Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.

 

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away.

 

And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

 - Matthew 21:12-22

On Saturday we read that when Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall just say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"  So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!"  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee." 

 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"   Those who bought and sold traded in live animals which were to be used in sacrifices; pilgrims coming for the Passover could purchase them in the temple for their sacrifice.  The money changers would trade Roman coins for Jewish coins.  As the Roman coins bore the image of Caesar, they were considered to be defiling in the temple.  The cleansing of the temple, my study bible says, also points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits.  Also, as each person is considered to be a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19), this is a sign that our hearts and minds must be cleansed of the things that don't help us in a faithful life.  Jesus quotes from Isaiah 56:7, Jeremiah 7:11.

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?" Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.  In the Eastern Church, my study bible notes, many liturgical hymns of Palm Sunday emphasize the perfect praise of the children.  Unlike that of the adults, the children's praise was innocent, fitting, unashamed, and from hearts of pure love.  We are called to glorify Christ in the same spirit (see 18:1-4).  By contrast, the adults' praise carried earthly expectations and agendas, which, when left unfulfilled, led them to rebel against Jesus just five day s later (27:20-23).  

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away.  The fig tree, according to my study bible, is a sign of both prosperity and peace.   It withers because it is fruitless.  This is a prophetic act, my study bible says, which is directed toward those who reject Him, since after three years of Christ's preaching, teaching, and healing, both the leaders and the crowds were destitute of spiritual fruit.  He curses the tree also to warn those in every generation about the result of disregarding or rejecting His spiritual message.

 

And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."   My study bible notes that while it is not recorded that any apostle literally moved a mountain, the patristic tradition is clear that they had this authority if the need had arisen (there are certain saints who are said to have made crevices appear in mountains).  Moreover, not everything the apostles accomplished was written down.  But beyond the literal meaning of Christ's words here, His promise is also an illustration of the power of faith and prayer in any are of our lives.  Theophan writes, "Whatever we ask, without hesitation and believing in God's power, we shall receive" when we ask for spiritual profitable things. 

What are we to make of Jesus' action?  We can't really recall any other quite so "violent" action by Christ as this one of cleansing the temple.  He does so, of course, in His role as Messiah and as the great high priest (Hebrews 4:14-16).  St. Paul's words in Hebrews characterizing this role of Christ are extremely important for us to pay attention to, in this seeming age of outrage and moral indignation we can find all around ourselves.  He writes, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin."  When Christ cleanses the temple, it is after a three year ministry in which He has gone everywhere throughout Israel, bringing His message.  He has lived among people and as one of them, and not simply as one of the poorest but one without a permanent home, with "nowhere to lay His head" (8:20).  Most importantly, as St. Paul says, He has lived as one of us who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, and who can empathize with our weaknesses.  Christ's judgment is not based on power and authority in a worldly sense.  It is rather based on a power and authority that come precisely from His condescension and humility, and in particular His capacity to empathize with our weaknesses.  Tied to this is His pronouncement on the fig tree, and also His teaching about prayer.  A judgment or curse from Christ could never be made simply out of authority or power in a worldly sense.  Rather, Jesus' judgment comes from empathy and humility, from walking in our shoes as one of us.  The power of prayer rests in the same place of humility.  Unless we really understand what we are praying for and what is best for us, can we expect that our prayers will be answered precisely as we imagine they will?  It is the faith that comes from humility that truly gives us a power and authority -- whether we speak of prayer, or indignation, or even judgment.  Christ's power and authority do not simply come from a title or a position, but rather from living the life of the Cross, His willing sacrifice to be led by the Father through all things, living the life of faith that comes not from popular approval and the voice of the crowds, but rather from the humble dedication to God the Father that asks of us meaningful sacrifices for the life of the Kingdom.  His is not a life of rules and law, but one of love that is learned in weakness.  Neither does He live as national liberator, but rather spiritual liberator for all people.  His prayer, His curse, His correction come not in a form that tells us one group is preferable to another, but rather from the depth of humility that sees each one as his or her own soul before God.  It is a true judgment of the heart that is only possible from a pure heart, tried and tested in the flames of love and the struggle for faith in a fallen and confusing world.  The children who give praise in the temple respond with pure hearts.  Our struggle for faith is not about finding the right "side" to believe in.  It is rather about struggling through the lies about our faith itself, the fear of placing our trust in Christ, especially when things are adverse, unclear, and confusing.  This is the place to which He will take the disciples with Him as He goes to the Cross.  Let our prayer, our judgment, and our faith reflect our willingness to do the same.