'out of the mouth of babes and sucklings' has He 'perfected praise.'26 And this, also, is
the Music of the Gospel.
25. We may here note, once for all, that the manner of answering used by Christ, that of
answering a question by putting another in which the answer appeared with irresistible
force. was very common among the Jews (rbd Kwtm rbd by#m). Another mode was by an
allegory - whether of word or action.
26. So in the LXX., rightly giving the sense; in the original 'strength.' It is perhaps one of
the grandest of the grand contrasts in the Psalms: God opposing and appeasing His
enemies, not by a display of power, as they understand it, but by the mouth of young
boys [such is the proper rendering] and sucklings. The Eternal of Hosts has these for His
armourbearers, and needs none other. The ancient Synagogue, somewhat realistically,
yet with a basis of higher truth, declared (in the Haggadah), that at the Red Sea little
children, even the babes in the womb, had joined in Israel's song of triumph, so fulfilling
this saying of the Psalmist.
Book V
THE CROSS AND THE CROWN
Chapter 3
THE THIRD DAY IN PASSION -WEEK
THE EVENTS OF THAT DAY
THE QUESTION OF CHRIST'S AUTHORITY
THE QUESTION OF TRIBUTE TO CAESAR
THE WIDOW'S FARTHING
THE GREEKS WHO SOUGHT TO SEE JESUS
SUMMARY AND RETROSPECT OF THE PUBLIC MINISTRY OF CHRIST
(St. Matthew 21:23-27; St. Mark 11:27-33; St. Luke 20:1-8; St. Matthew 22:15-22; St.
Mark 12:13-17; St. Luke 20:20-26; St. Matthew 22:41-46; St. Luke 21:1-4; St. John
12:20-50.)
THE record of this third day is so crowded, the actors introduced on the scene are so
many, the occurrences so varied, and the transitions so rapid, that it is even more than
usually difficult to arrange all in chronological order. Nor need we wonder at this, when
we remember that this was, so to speak, Christ's last working -day - the last, of His
public Mission to Israel, so far as its active part was concerned; the last day in the
Temple; the last, of teaching and warning to Pharisees and Sadducees; the last, of his
call to national repentance.
That what follows must be included in one day, appears from the circumstance that its
beginning is expressly mentioned by St. Mark1 in connection with the notice of the
withering of the fig-tree, while its close is not only indicated in the last words of Christ's
Discourses, as reported by the Synoptists,2 but the beginning of another day is
afterwards equally clearly marked.3
1. St. Mark xi. 20.
2. St. Matt. xxv. 46; St. Mark xiii. 37; St. Luke xxi. 36-38.