The Pharisees, Sadduceees, Herodians, chief priests, scribes, and teachers of the law have been asking questions of Jesus, testing His understanding of God's word. Today it's Jesus' turn to ask a question.
"While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, He asked, 'Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David?'" (Mark 12:35) "Son of David" was a common Messianic title. The people knew that the Promised One would come from the line of David because the prophets told them so.
The prophet Isaiah spoke of the One who would "reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with righteousness from that time on and forever". (Isaiah 9:7) Isaiah knew that the Messiah would be a descendant of David, for he speaks of this One as being of the lineage of Jesse, David's father, "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him---the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord---and He will delight in the fear of the Lord." (Isaiah 11:1-3a)
The prophet Jeremiah understood that the Messiah would arise from the line of David. By inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Jeremiah said that the days were coming in which the Lord would raise up a righteous Branch from the line of David and that He would be a King whose name is the Lord. (Jeremiah 23:5-6, Jeremiah 33:14-18)
The Lord promised through the prophet Ezekiel that the King would arise from the line of David and, like David, would shepherd the people. (Ezekiel 34:23, Ezekiel 37:24-25)
All these prophets lived after the lifetime of David, yet they foresaw another David, and they understood that this meant that the Lord intended to raise up the Messiah and King from the Davidic line, and that this King would bring peace to His people Israel forever.
Jesus brings up the subject of the Messiah being the son of David because He wants the people to stop and think about who the son of David must be in order to reign forever. Can the Messiah be merely a man as David was? If so, how could He reign forever? David has been dead and buried for close to a thousand years by the time of Jesus, and if the Messiah were merely a man, He would someday also die and be buried. So He must be something more than a man, which is why Jesus asks His next question, "David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: 'The Lord said to my Lord: 'Sit at My right hand until I put My enemies under Your feet.' David himself calls him 'Lord'. How then can He be his son?" (Mark 12:36-37a)
Jesus very plainly and logically says something like this, "David called this King who will come from his line 'Lord'. Would a man call any of his descendants 'Lord'? Would you call any man on the face of the earth 'Lord'? It would be blasphemy to call anyone 'Lord' but God. Therefore, if David calls the Messiah 'Lord', He must also be God."
The Messiah is a human being descended from the line of David, and at the same time He is God with us. Unless a man fulfills both these requirements, he cannot be the promised Messiah. Jesus is the only one who can fulfill these requirements. His lineage is given to us by the gospel writers Matthew and Luke, with Matthew providing us with His genealogical record through Mary and Luke providing us with His genealogical record through His step-father Joseph. Both lines go straight back to David. (Although Jesus was not Joseph's biological son, an adopted son had all the legal rights of inheritance as a biological son.) The Messiah is also the Word of God made flesh (John 1:14), the One whom God called His Son when He spoke from heaven (Luke 3:22, Mark 9:7), the Child who was born and the Son that was given whose name is Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6), and the virgin-born child whose name is Immanuel, "God with us" (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23).
Many in the crowds believe Jesus is the Messiah and King of the line of David, but not all of them understand that He is also Lord and Savior. He cannot be one without being the other. He is trying to lead them, as a shepherd leads a flock, to the truth.
Mark tells us, "The large crowd listened to Him with delight." (Mark 12:37b) If we don't listen to the words of the Lord Jesus with delight, perhaps we have not made Him the Lord of our lives. If you do not already know Jesus as Lord, but you would like to, you can pray this simple prayer of salvation below. If you are already a child of God, but would enjoy praying this prayer to honor Jesus on this Christmas day, you are welcome to do so.
"Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God. I believe everything about You in the Bible is true. I am a sinner (because every human being is a sinner) and that means I have broken the laws of a holy God. I believe that You came into the world to save me from my sins and to make me right in the sight of a holy God. I believe You went to the cross and gave Yourself, as a sinless and spotless lamb, in my place. I believe You rose from the dead and that You are alive forevermore and that You have the power to save my soul. I want to accept You as the Lord of my life. I want You to be my Savior. You did something for me that I couldn't do for myself, and I accept Your sacrifice on my behalf. I ask You to come into my life and heart and to guide me with Your Holy Spirit. Help me to grow in the Christian faith and to learn of You through the Scriptures and through prayer. Be my Lord and King. I ask this in Your own name, the name above every name. Amen!"
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