usness, before which the forces of evil had to give way.

His wrath of indignation was followed by the calmness of gentle
ministry; there in the cleared courts of His house, blind and lame folk
came limping and groping about Him, and He healed them. The anger of the
chief priests and scribes was raging against Him; but it was impotent.
They had decreed His death, and had made repeated efforts to take Him,
and there He sat within the very area over which they claimed supreme
jurisdiction, and they were afraid to touch Him because of the common
people, whom they professed to despize yet heartily feared--"for all the
people were very attentive to hear him."

The rage of the officials was further aggravated by a touching incident,
which seems to have accompanied or to have immediately followed His
merciful healing of the afflicted folk at the temple. Children saw what
He did; with their innocent minds yet unsullied by the prejudice of
tradition and their sight yet undarkened by sin, they perceived in Him
the Christ, and burst forth into praise and worship in a hymn that was
heard by the angels: "Hosanna to the son of David." With ill-concealed
anger the temple officials demanded of Him: "Hearest thou what these
say?" They probably expected Him to disclaim the title, or possibly
hoped that He would reassert His claim in a manner that would afford
excuse for legal action against Him, for to most of them the Son of
David was the Messiah, the promised King. Would He clear Himself of the
blasphemy that attached to the unjustified acknowledgment of so awful a
dignity? Jesus answered, with an implied rebuke for their ignorance of
the scriptures: "Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and
sucklings thou hast perfected praise?"[1087]

It was now Monday evening; Jesus left the city and retired again to
Bethany, where He lodged. This course was a prudent one, in view of the
determination of the rulers to get Him into their power provided they
could do so without arousing the people. This they could not accomplish
by day, for wherever He appeared He was the center of a multitude; but
had He remained in Jerusalem over night the vigilant emissaries of the
hierarchy might have succeeded in taking Him, unless He withstood them
by some miraculous action. Near as was His hour, it had not yet struck;
and He would be made captive only as He permitted Himself, a voluntary
victim, to be taken into the hands of His enemies.

CHR