Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
In Mark 12:35b-37a, Jesus quotes Psalm 110:1 in His teaching at the Temple: “How say the scribes that Christ [the Messiah] is the son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Set Thou on My right hand, till I make Mine enemies Thy footstool.”’ David therefore himself calleth Him Lord; and whence is He then his son?” In Jewish thought, the son (or any descendant) cannot be greater than the father (or any ancestor). Since the son owes his very existence to the father, the son is dependent on him from the beginning and thus cannot be greater. No one else would have suggested that any descendant of David could possibly be greater than him – no one, that is, except “David himself”! Writing prophetically under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, David called his illustrious descendant “my Lord.” The Messiah’s place at the “right hand” of God the Father is further stated in Romans 8:34, Ephesians 1:20, Colossians 3:1, I Peter 3:22, and Hebrews 1:3, 8:1, 10:12, and 12:2 (and there are other references as well). David’s humility in rejoicing in the Messiah’s superiority is winsome and sets a fine example for us to follow. Even more importantly, his statement of fact about Jesus’ infinite superiority is part of the Gospel message. David loved God, but David could not save himself or anyone else eternally. Only “Christ” as “Lord” can and will do that work of salvation.