Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:
‘ The LORD said to my Lord,
“ Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
Therefore David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?” And the common people heard Him gladly. --Mark 12:35-37
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
Jesus made the Pharisees, the Herodians and the Sadducees angry when he told them the parable of the wicked vinedressers. (See previous study in Mark) You see, they knew that they were the wicked vinedressers that Jesus was referring to and because He had exposed their hypocrisy, they wanted to catch Jesus in His own words so they could lay hands on Him and kill Him. They tried...they sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to Him...they questioned Jesus about taxes, wives, and which is the first commandment of all. Jesus answered them so well that one of the scribes said to Him, "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." Jesus said this in reply: "Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "you are not far from the kingdom of God." This Scribe understood that God does not want an outward show without an inward heart that is loyal to Him. The Scripture goes on to say that after that no one dared question Him further.
Here is what happened next and I cannot help but think that Jesus asked this particular question of the ones that had come to Him to trip Him up, for the express purpose of gently leading this one scribe closer to the kingdom. Jesus knew this man had a teachable heart...He knew His questions and His words might be wasted on the others there, but our God is a God who cares for the individual. This man was searcher of Scripture..Jesus was going to reward him for his diligent search and open the Scriptures up even further for him and illuminate a section of Scripture for those who had ears to hear.
Jesus then asks those who had come to catch Him in His words this question.
"How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: 'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, TILL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES YOUR FOOTSTOOL." 'Therefore David himself calls Him 'LORD'; how is He then his Son?"
It says next that the common people heard Him gladly. But methinks this scribe who was not far from the kingdom did also.
Here is what Jesus was saying. The scribes had always understood that the Messiah would be of the lineage of David. Jesus quotes from Psalm 110 here...a Messianic psalm, where David speaks of the coming Messiah as his Lord. The answer was clear to the common people and probably to this scribe whom Jesus described as being not far from the kingdom of God, also. My guess is, however, that most of the others did not want to understand and were offended. The answer is that the Messiah would be both Man and God. Jesus was the Son of David, the Son of Man, but also the Son of God...both David's Son and Lord.
Jesus ends this section with a warning to the common people to beware of those who keep the outside of their cups clean but inwardly are filled with sin, wrong motives and greed. They may make a good impression on some, but they would not fool God.
I like what Matthew Henry says here and will end with it:
"When we attend to what the Scriptures declare, as to the person and offices of Christ, we shall be led to confess him as our Lord and God; to obey him as our exalted Redeemer. If the common people hear these things gladly, while the learned and distinguished oppose, the former are happy, and the latter to be pitied. And as sin, disguised with a show of piety, is double iniquity, so its doom will be doubly heavy."
Love
Mom
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