Turning the Tables. Mark 12:35-37.
And as Jesus taught in the temple he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? “David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”‘ “David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.
Dear Holy Nation,
Now that the detractors have run out of questions, it is time for Jesus to ask a question of his own.
Insistence (v. 35). The scribes had taught consistently over a long time, that the Messiah was the son of David. Of course, this was clearly taught in the Old Testament. But Jesus wants his audience to think through what they have taken for granted. What is the meaning of it?
Intrigue (v. 36). The David who is the father of the Messiah calls him Lord. Jesus says that David spoke “in the Holy Spirit,” clearly affirming the inspiration of the Old Testament by the Holy Spirit, because Jesus is quoting Psalm 110:1. Jesus is inviting his hearers to interrogate scripture and reconcile its different parts.
Inference (v. 37). David was the greatest king of Israel. The Messiah was his descendant, yet by calling him Lord, David, the great king of Israel, acknowledged that the Messiah was greater. Jesus is challenging the people to put together the two pictures of the Messiah in the Old Testament – the son of David and the Messiah coming in the clouds (Daniel 7:13-14) and acknowledge that the Messiah was divine. When Jesus claimed divinity, he was accused of blaspheming (2:5-7). But now he was challenging them to make sense of what the scriptures had always taught. Are you stuck in a tradition and unwilling to give it up, even when scripture says otherwise? It is time to reexamine our beliefs in the light of what the scriptures teach.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.