“Hosanna To The Son Of God!”

“Hosanna To The Son Of David!”(Mt.21:14-17).
Whoever coined this proverb????had studied humanity well. “The bucket becomes jealous when it sees the basket holding water.” In world religions, religious authorities define doctrine and moral code, prescribe guidelines for interpretations and decide on correct interpretations.
As such the religious authorities become so protective of their own understanding of scriptures, such that any contrary understanding is considered as heresy.
Studies on heresies has led to a definition of heresy as “contested interpretation.”
Martin Luther was a heretic to Roman Catholicism.
To the religious authorities of Judaism Jesus Christ was a heretic and a blasphemer!
Today’s text is one action of Jesus which reveals a contested interpretation between him and the chief priests and the teachers of the law.
Jesus had just entered the temple and overturned tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. They had missed out on the scriptures that “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it to ‘a den of robbers'”(Mt.21:12-13).
Soon after this “the blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.” These were wonderful acts of love that only God can do; deserving of praise!
On the contrary, “… when the chief priests and teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David,’ they were indignant.”
In their indignation they asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” In other words, “Are you hearing this blasphemy from the children and you are not stopping them?”
Of course, Jesus heard the children. He answered the religious authorities with an affirmative “Yes!” Then he asked them, “Have you never read, ‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise.’?
Here is a good example of contested interpretation for which the leaders of Judaism considered it to be heresy. Jesus wondered if they had never read Psalm 8. They surely had read how necessary it was to praise God for the good things he is doing – to the extent that God has caused even children and infants to praise him. But for Jesus to allow such praise to be directed to himself was blasphemy. That was heresy!
My friend, no matter how much you know, you can never know enough.
While we the adults take delight in arguing and justifying our understanding of right interpretations, we become blind to the healing and restoration of life that flows from the Saviour. And when, full of our own knowledge we fail to praise God for what he has done in Christ Jesus, God puts his praise in the mouths of children and infants to praise the Lord Jesus Christ.
Find time always to “praise God from whom all blessings flow…!”
Sunday prayer: We praise you Lord Jesus Christ for being our source of life here, and in the hereafter. Amen!
Have a blessed Sunday! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.