Mark 12:35-37

Mark 12:35-37

As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said,

“How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David?

David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said:

The Lord said to my lord,

‘Sit at my right hand

until I place your enemies under your feet.’

David himself calls him ‘lord;’

so how is he his son?”

The great crowd heard this with delight.

Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, you revealed that your Son, Jesus Christ, is both the Son of David and the eternal Lord seated at your right hand. Grant us the grace to recognize your Son with faith, reverence, and joyful obedience. May our hearts delight in his kingdom and proclaim his glory before the world.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Riddle about the Messiah: In the Gospel, Jesus has met the three challenges to his authority posed by the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Scribes, and answered each of their questions perfectly. The Pharisees needed to stop their emphasis on separation from the Gentiles and outright rejection of political authorities, the Sadducees needed to correct their understanding of the afterlife and have hope in the resurrection, and the scribes needed to return to the heart of God’s law and not get lost in arbitrary arguments about minutiae and lesser matters. Jesus has established his teaching authority, and now he sits, teaching in the temple area. He poses a question to the crowds about the Messiah and asks the people listening to ponder a riddle found in Psalm 110: “How is it that the Messiah is both ‘the son of David’ and yet also David’s Lord?” 

2. The Messiah as David’s Lord: Jesus’ question about Psalm 110 reveals that the Messiah is greater than merely an earthly descendant of David. Many in Israel expected the Messiah to be a political ruler who would restore the kingdom of David and free the nation from foreign oppression. To elevate their thinking about the Messiah, Jesus points to David’s own words: “The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand.” If David himself calls the Messiah “Lord,” then the Messiah must possess a dignity and authority greater than King David’s. Psalm 110 was widely regarded by ancient Jews as a messianic psalm, and Jesus uses it to lead his hearers beyond a merely political understanding of the Messiah. The Messiah is not only David’s son according to the flesh; he also shares in the authority and reign of God himself. By drawing attention to this mystery, Jesus begins to prepare the crowds to understand that the promised Messiah would establish not simply an earthly kingdom, but the everlasting Kingdom of God.

3. Jesus’ Messianic and Divine Identity: The Gospels tell us how Jesus identified himself as both the Messiah and the divine Son of God. He not only performed miraculous signs but also proposed riddles for the crowds to ponder. “Thus Jesus is using the question about the Messiah in Psalm 110 to reveal the mystery of his own divine identity. He is both a descendant of King David and the Lord of King David. He is both the long-awaited Messiah and the pre-existent Son of God. In other words, he is both human and divine. And he reveals all this without ever coming out and explicitly declaring, ‘I am the Messiah,’ or ‘I am David’s Lord,’ or ‘I existed from before the dawn of creation.’ Jesus uses the question about the Messiah in Psalm 110 just as he used the riddle about the Son of Man in Daniel 7 to reveal and conceal his messianic and divine identity – until the time was right” (Pitre, The Case for Jesus, 148). Jesus will be revealed as a king who reigns from the Cross and now sits enthroned at the right hand of the Father in power. Jesus is the royal Messiah who offers mercy, grace, wisdom, peace, and eternal life.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, Son of David and eternal Lord, you reign in power at the right hand of the Father. Teach me to listen to your word with a humble heart and to follow you with steadfast faith. May I rejoice in your victory and live each day under your loving kingship.

Living the Word of God: Do I truly recognize Jesus not only as a wise teacher or historical figure, but as the Lord who deserves my worship, obedience, and trust? Am I willing to place every area of my life under the loving kingship of Christ, even when it challenges my own plans or desires? How can I grow this week in listening more attentively to the words of Jesus through prayer, Sacred Scripture, and faithful discipleship?