Corona Chronicles - Crown of Thorns

Welcome back to the Corona Chronicles. We are still working our way through Mark's Gospel, and we called this series Crown Thorn because we're approaching the cross, and we are getting closer and closer to the cross now. And so we're here in chapter to 38 chapter 12 rather and we're on verse 35. While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked why did teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David. David himself speaking by the Holy Spirit declared, the Lord said to my Lord, up my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.

David himself calls him lord. How then can he be his son? The large crowd listened to him with delight. Mhmm. Yeah.

And this this comes as we've seen in the last coronavirus. It comes after a series of questions. Yep. So people have been asking Jesus questions. They've been coming up to him sort of almost like a barrage What about this?

What about that? What about this? So there's been questions about taxes and about resurrection. So political stuff, religious stuff. And then there's this 1 guy who who comes up who who has a sincerity really, and he's asking which is the most important compartment.

So about the law. And then it says at the end of verse 34. And from then on, no 1 dared ask him any more questions. Yes. Yeah.

So it's been a barrage of questions towards Jesus, and he's answered all of them. Yep. And probably, he's surprised a few people with his answers because can imagine some of these answers, particularly the 1 with the about the resurrection. That's that's a question that is designed really to be like to ping Jesus and trap him and go. He's there's no possible way he's got a good answer to this, but he still manages to.

And then at the end of all of that, they they don't know what to say anymore. No. And he's gonna capitalize on that silence, isn't he? And so now now it's his turn to start putting the questions to the people. And he's in the temple courts here so we can assume a religious audience.

And he asks a question which is quite strange at first because He seems to be challenging an idea which was well established and definitely true. Yeah. So he's saying why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David. And at first glance, it sounds like he's saying, you know, why do they do that? That's not right.

But of course that's not his point here. The Messiah is the son of David and Jesus himself is happy to receive the title son of David. Mhmm. Everyone would have known that the Messiah was the son of David who will sit on his throne forever. Yep.

So the problem is not with that statement. Mhmm. But there is a problem if that's all that is said -- Yes. -- about the Messiah. Because that is only part of who he is and what he is.

And Jesus is now gonna use Psalm a hundred and 10 in order to not correct but expand -- Right. -- what is already being said about him. Yeah. That's great, isn't it? And then he says, David himself speaking by the Holy Spirit, So this is authoritative.

This is true. This is trustworthy. This is God himself speaking through David. The Lord said to my lord, sit at my right hand until I put enemies under your feet. So the lord, that's sort of God, the father, said to my lord.

So David is speaking about 2 lords. Mhmm. Yes. Which is quite interesting for an old testament text, really isn't it? But you know, he and and this is David calling the Messiah, my Lord.

So it's it's a really great question because obviously the teachers of the in the temple courts would have known both of these scriptures. Very well. So they would be they they would sort of be faced very clearly with this conundrum in in their Jewish minds. Hang on a minute. On the 1 hand, the Messiah is the son of David.

Yes, we know that we believe that it's authoritative. But here, the Holy Spirit has spoken and said that the Messiah is also going to be David's Lord. It's a fantastic question as you say to try and open their eyes at all. It is. Yeah.

Who who who the Messiah really is. And as you say, these would have been very well known scriptures and that is 1 of the things that Jesus is just so master for that because he takes that which was very well known and just shows the the profound depths of it. So in the question about the resurrection, He takes them to the story of the burning bush. I mean, that was just would be from you, the moment you were a kid, you would know that story. Yeah.

And Jesus proves that God is the living God from there. Yeah. He takes this psalm which would have been so well known and proves, although he stops short of saying it here, that he is David's Lord. He is the father's son -- Yeah. -- who would be in the context of some hundred and 10 sat at his right hand.

Mhmm. With all authority given to him, enemies coming under his feet, it is a it is a picture of total lordship, you know, much more than just an earthly king -- Mhmm. -- but but heaven's heaven's lord. Yep. You know?

So that question then in verse 37, David calls him lord how then can he be his son. Mhmm. It's not to say that he's not his son, but that he's so much more. Than his son. Yes.

Yeah. Because you could imagine someone perhaps like a a Muslim using that very sentence as an argument against Yes. Jesus. Well, you know, David calls him in Lord. You know, or he's his son.

How can he be Lord then? But but Jesus isn't trying to disprove the scriptures. Yeah. He's trying to get them to put these 2 scriptures together -- Mhmm. -- which as you say when knitted together, say something more than they already understand about this Messiah.

That's right. And it is a marvel. It says at the end of verse 37, the the large crowd listened to him with delight. This is this is God himself, Jesus pulling back the veil ever so slightly. About the true nature of God and about the true nature of himself and the Messiah.

And it must have just been a joy to listen to. Mhmm. God himself unveiling through words, who he is. And they don't say anything. They're just listening with delight.

And and I I guess that's that really is quite that's a good reaction to happen in many ways because God, you know, the lord of all being also born into this world and therefore someone's son is just a crazy idea, which we can't get our heads around in lots of ways. And I I You know, it's Christmas now. We think about the angels appearing to -- Yes. -- shepherds on the hillside. And they're declaring that the Messiah is born.

So he he's the king of kings and he's a Savior, but he's been born. And as they're proclaiming it, they are delighting and they're joyful. It's such an exciting beautiful thing to proclaim. And then the shepherds then go joyfully tell other people. So there's just a a joy about God and who and what he's like and And this mystery of him being incarnated as as a son.

It's Yeah. The crowd the crowd of something's going on in them, which is right. Yeah. I think that is the case, isn't it? And they're responding to Jesus' teaching with faith and joy and obedience is absolutely the right the right thing to do.

And, you know, I guess there were others in the crowd who were just delighted because the teachers of the law had been bamboozled again. And, you know, they perhaps were, you know, just just excited to see those who teach others. There's nothing quite like that, is it? Yeah. Someone asked question after question after question.

And that's 1 question that's then back them and they Exposes them to freeze. So I'm sure some were just enjoying the rhetoric and the experience and the back and forth. But I guess as you say others really really were delighting that that such authoritative teaching was landing and they were seeing that it was true. And and that's a good question to finish on, isn't it, for people? You know, often we bring our questions to Jesus and we want him to answer.

And we try to put him in the dock and pin him. But actually, he is the 1 who asks the questions. Who do you say I am? Do you know who I am. This is who I am and we should respond with with faith and delight.