20
Son of David, Lord of All
(Mark 12:35–37)
And Jesus began to say, as He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself said in the Holy Spirit, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies beneath your feet.”’ David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son?” And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him. (12:35–37)
This brief but highly impactful conversation also took place as Christ was teaching in the temple on Wednesday of Passion Week. It addressed His identity and involved the most momentous question that could ever be asked: “Who do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16:15). The answer each person gives to that question determines his or her eternal destiny.
Historically, the Jewish people viewed the messiah as nothing more than a man. They expected him to be an earthly ruler of unparalleled power and influence. He would conquer Israel’s enemies and fulfill all the promises that were given to Abraham, repeated to his children, and reiterated and expanded in the promises given to David of a coming king and kingdom. The messiah would be a son (descendant) of David and, like him, defeat Israel’s foes and usher in the glorious kingdom. The Jewish people viewed the messiah as the savior of the nation as a whole, but not of individual souls. They did not (and still do not) believe the messiah would be God in human flesh.
Earlier that Wednesday morning, the leaders of Judaism demanded from Jesus to know, “By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?” (Mark 11:28). That was a further indication that they did not believe that He was the Messiah, despite His words (John 7:46) and works (John 5:36; 10:25, 32–33; 14:11). Instead, they hated Jesus because of His assault on their theology, His rebuke of their hypocrisy, His disruption of their business operations in the temple, His widespread influence, all of which diminished them in the eyes of the people, His publicly denouncing them, His exposing their corruption and hypocrisy, and His presenting the divine view of true religion that was in opposition to theirs. Most significantly, however, they hated Jesus and sought to kill Him as a blasphemer because He claimed to be God incarnate (cf. John 5:18; 8:40, 58–59; 10:31–33).
Desperate to eliminate Him, the Sanhedrin had made three attempts to trap and destroy or discredit Jesus (Mark 12:13–33). He had defeated those attempts, in the process humiliating them to the point that they dared not humiliate themselves further by asking Him any more questions (Mark 12:34). In this passage, the Lord turned the tables and posed to them a question, which they proved unable to answer. Fittingly, this final conversation with Israel’s religious leaders focused on His identity as the Messiah. The epic conversation consisted of three aspects: the final invitation, the final misconception, and the final exposition.
THE FINAL INVITATION
And Jesus began to say, as He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? (12:35)
Jesus began the discussion with the Jewish religious leaders as He taught in the temple by asking them a question, most likely prompted by the Lord’s statement to the scribe in Mark 12:34, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” It was also a final invitation to that man and the rest of the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees to embrace Him as Messiah, Son of God, and Savior.
Despite all the rancor and hatred directed at Him by those leaders, and the superficial, vacillating, indecisiveness of the crowds, Jesus remained a compassionate evangelist. The Son of God took no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 18:23; 33:11), whose destruction moved Him to weeping (Luke 19:41–44).
Not all of the members of the Sanhedrin, the scribes, Pharisees, and priests were equally evil, nor had all permanently rejected Christ. In fact, at least two members of the Sanhedrin, Joseph of Arimathea (Mark 15:43) and Nicodemus (John 3:1), became followers of Jesus (albeit in secret; cf. John 19:38), as their willingness to bury His body indicates (John 19:38–39; Joseph is explicitly called a disciple of Jesus in Matt. 27:57). Acts 6:7 records that after Christ’s resurrection, “a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.” The Lord’s question directed one final evangelistic appeal to those who might have been open to the gospel. His question was not like the ones asked Him by the emissaries from the Sanhedrin. Theirs came from evil motives and were intended to trap and destroy; Jesus’ question was an offering of salvation.
According to Matthew’s parallel account, Jesus began by asking the religious leaders, “What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?” They replied, “The son of David.” As Mark picks up the conversation, Jesus turned to His disciples and the crowd in the temple courtyard and asked, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?” The implication of the Lord’s question is, how can they say that the Messiah is nothing more than the human descendant of David? It exposed their erroneous view that the messiah would be nothing more than a powerful military and political leader, who would deliver Israel from her enemies and establish the promised kingdom.
THE FINAL MISCONCEPTION
The answer given by the religious elites to Jesus’ question concerning the Messiah’s identity, “The son of David,” (Matt. 22:42) was correct. The Old Testament clearly taught that that would be the case. In 2 Samuel 7:12–14 God promised David,
When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men.
In Psalm 89 God declared,
I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, I will establish your seed forever and build up your throne to all generations.… Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David. His descendants shall endure forever and his throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established forever like the moon, and the witness in the sky is faithful. (vv. 3–4, 35–37; cf. Amos 9:11; Mic. 5:2)
That was the Jewish popular belief in Jesus’ day as well. Matthew 9:27 records that “two blind men followed Him, crying out, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’” (cf. 20:30–31). After the Lord healed a blind and mute man, “all the crowds were amazed, and were saying, ‘This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?’” (Matt. 12:23). Matthew 15:22 notes that even “a Canaanite woman from that region [Tyre and Sidon] came out and began to cry out, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.’” The frenzied crowds at Christ’s triumphal entry “were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!’” (Matt. 21:9).
The genealogies of Jesus offer irrefutable proof that He was a descendant of David. Both His earthly father, Joseph (Matt. 1:1–17), and His mother, Mary (Luke 3:23–38), were direct descendants of David, thus Jesus was also. His Davidic descent claim could be easily verified or falsified. The genealogical records were carefully preserved in the temple and were no doubt examined by the Sanhedrin. If the Lord had not been descended from David, His claim would have been proven false. That none of His opponents ever challenged Christ’s Davidic ancestry offers convincing proof of its validity.
THE FINAL EXPOSITION
David himself said in the Holy Spirit, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies beneath your feet.”’ David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son?” And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him. (12:36–37)
The scribes’ belief that the messiah would be the son of David was correct, but incomplete. As previously noted, they taught that the messiah would be merely a powerful, triumphant human ruler who would bring Israel’s promised prominence. Jesus’ exposition of Psalm 110:1, however, reveals the inadequacy of that belief. Psalm 110 is a messianic psalm, quoted several times in the New Testament. Peter used it in Acts 2:34–35, as did the writer of Hebrews (Heb. 1:13; 10:13), while the apostle Paul alluded to it in 1 Corinthians 15:25. Verse 1 proves that the messiah could not be merely a man, since David referred to him as his Lord.
Jesus’ simple argument was so powerful and convincing that when it became widely known after the New Testament was written, many Jews, to avoid that obvious reality, denied the historical view that Psalm 110 was messianic. Instead, it was argued that it referred to Abraham, or Melchizedek, or the intertestamental Jewish leader Judas Maccabeus. Modern liberal scholars, who deny Christ’s deity and the infallibility of Scripture, have argued that David was simply mistaken in viewing the messiah as his Lord. However, all of those arguments require rejecting the revealed truth that David himself called the messiah his Lord because of revelation from the Holy Spirit.
Further, God declared to David’s Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies beneath your feet.” Elevating the Messiah to His right hand, a reference to the divine position of power (cf. Ex. 15:6; Pss. 20:6; 44:3; 60:5; 89:13), symbolizes His being coequal with the Father in rank and authority, and essentially affirms His deity. Messiah’s rule will be absolute, as God will put His enemies beneath His feet or, as Luke writes, “make [his] enemies a footstool for [his] feet” (Luke 20:43). The reference is to the execution of the Messiah’s enemies, as illustrated by an incident in Joshua 10:24–26:
When they brought these kings out to Joshua, … Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, “Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came near and put their feet on their necks. Joshua then said to them, “Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies with whom you fight.” So afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he hanged them on five trees; and they hung on the trees until evening.
The Old Testament, then, reveals not only the Messiah Jesus’ humanity as David’s son but also His deity as David’s Lord, exalted at the right hand of the Father. Here is the incomprehensible, infinite truth that Jesus Christ is both fully God and man.
Christ’s humanity is clearly revealed in Scripture. He “was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh” (Rom. 1:3), and “kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52). “Since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same” (Heb. 2:14). The writer of Hebrews also notes that Jesus “had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Heb. 2:17). Jesus endured the physical limitations of being human. He became hungry (Matt. 4:1–2), thirsty (John 4:7), and tired (John 4:5–6; cf. Matt. 8:23–24). He also experienced the full range of human emotions, including joy (Luke 10:21), grief (Matt. 26:37), love (John 11:5, 36; 15:9), compassion (Matt. 9:36), amazement (Luke 7:9), and anger (Mark 3:5).
But Jesus’ deity is also made unmistakably clear in Scripture:
John 1:1 states that “the Word [Jesus; cf. v. 14] was God.” He took for Himself the sacred name of God (YHWH; Ex. 3:14) when He said to His opponents “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8:58). That the Jewish leaders (unlike modern cultists) understood clearly what He meant is evident from their reaction: they attempted to stone Him for blasphemy (v. 59; cf. Lev. 24:16). In John 10:30, Jesus claimed to be the same essence as God the Father. Once again the Jews attempted to stone Him for blasphemy, because “being a man [He made Himself] out to be God” (v. 33). When Thomas addressed Him as God (John 20:28), Jesus accepted that affirmation of His deity and praised his faith (v. 29). Philippians 2:6 says that Jesus “existed in the form of God” (i.e., that He is God by nature), and Colossians 2:9 adds that “in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” Titus 2:13 calls Him, “our great God and Savior,” and 2 Peter 1:1 calls Him “our God and Savior.” In Hebrews 1:8 God the Father said to Jesus, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.”
Many names or titles used in the Old Testament to refer to God are used in the New Testament to refer to Christ:
YHWH (cf. Isa. 6:5, 10 with John 12:39–41; Jer.23:5–6)
Shepherd (cf. Ps. 23:1 with John 10:14)
Judge (cf. Gen. 18:25 with 2 Tim. 4:1, 8)
Holy One (cf. Isa. 10:20 with Acts 3:14; cf. Ps. 16:10 with Acts 2:27)
First and Last (cf. Isa. 44:6; 48:12 with Rev. 1:17; 22:13)
Light (cf. Ps. 27:1 with John 8:12)
Lord of the Sabbath (cf. Ex. 16:23, 29; Lev. 19:3 with Matt. 12:8)
Savior (cf. Isa. 43:11 with Acts 4:12; Titus 2:13)
I AM (cf. Ex. 3:14 with John 8:58)
Pierced One (cf. Zech. 12:10 with John 19:37)
Mighty God (cf. Isa. 10:21 with Isa. 9:6)
Lord of Lords (cf. Deut. 10:17 with Rev. 17:14)
Alpha and Omega (cf. Rev. 1:8 with Rev. 22:13)
Lord of Glory (cf. Ps. 24:10 with 1 Cor. 2:8)
Redeemer (cf. Isa. 41:14; 48:17; 63:16 with Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:12)
Jesus Christ possesses the incommunicable attributes of God (those that are unique to God and have no analogy in man):
Eternity (Mic. 5:2; Isa. 9:6)
Omnipresence (Matt. 18:20; 28:20)
Omniscience (Matt. 11:23; John 16:30; 21:17)
Omnipotence (Phil. 3:21)
Immutability (Heb. 13:8)
Absolute sovereignty (Matt. 28:18)
Glory (John 17:5; 1 Cor. 2:8; cf. Isa. 42:8; 48:11)
Jesus Christ also did the works that only God can do:
Creation (John 1:3; Col. 1:16)
Providence (sustaining the creation) (Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3)
Giving life (John 5:21)
Forgiving sin (Mark 2:7, 10)
Having His Word stand forever (Matt. 24:35; cf. Isa. 40:8)
Finally, Jesus Christ accepted worship, even though He taught that God alone is to be worshiped (Matt. 4:10), and Scripture records that both men (Acts 10:25–26) and angels (Rev. 22:8–9) refused worship:
Another way of demonstrating Christ’s deity is to ask the question, “If God became a man, what would we expect Him to be like?”
First, if God became a man, we would expect Him to be sinless, because God is absolutely holy (Isa. 6:3). So is Jesus. Even His bitter enemies could make no reply to His challenge, “Which one of you convicts Me of sin?” (John 8:46). He is “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens” (Heb. 7:26).
Second, if God became a man, we would expect His words to be the greatest words ever spoken, because God is omniscient, perfectly wise, and has infinite command of the truth and the ability to perfectly express it. Jesus’ words demonstrated all that. The officers sent to arrest Him reported back to their superiors, “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks” (John 7:46; cf. Matt. 7:28–29).
Third, if God became a man, we would expect Him to display supernatural power, because God is all-powerful. Jesus controlled nature, walked on water, healed the sick, raised the dead, dominated the kingdom of Satan and the demons, supernaturally avoided those who tried to kill Him, and performed miracles too numerous to be counted (John 21:25).
Fourth, if God became a man, we would expect Him to exert a profound influence over humanity. Jesus did. He changed the world like no one else in history.
Fifth, if God became a man, we would expect Him to manifest God’s love, grace, kindness, compassion, justice, judgment, and wrath. Jesus did.
Jesus Christ was in every way the exact representation of God’s nature (Heb. 1:3). (John Macarthur, Luke 18–24, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 2014], 155–58)
The conclusion to this passage is anticlimactic and tragic. From the majestic heights of Jesus’ profound wisdom and masterful exposition of Psalm 110 proving His deity, the reader is plunged into the depths of the hate-driven rejection by the nation’s hardened leaders, as well as the amused apathy of the large crowd, who merely enjoyed listening to Him, but two days would later cry for His execution. Some hated Him, others were entertained by Him. None, apparently, fell on their faces in the presence of almighty God incarnate to repent and confess Him as Lord and Savior.
In fact, the responses would become far worse two days later. Judas, who was undoubtedly present, would betray Him to His enemies for the price of a slave, knowing all the while that they intended to kill their Messiah. Those enemies, the standard bearers of Judaism, would conduct a series of mock trials and manipulations, leaving the Romans convinced Jesus had to be executed. Christ’s gracious final invitation to them, and attempt to overturn their final misconception with a final exposition of a pertinent Old Testament text, only increased their guilt. They were so resolute in their hatred and so blinded by the darkness of their sin, that they could not see the Light of the World when He was standing before them.