David’s Son, David’s Lord (Part 1 of 2)

After the religious leaders had asked Jesus a series of questions he turned the tables on them and responded with the question of his own today on Truth for Life. Alistair Begg helps us understand the question.

Jesus asked about his ancestry a puzzling question. Alister is titled today's message, David's son David's Lord, I invite you to turn with me to the gospel of Mark to chapter 12 and verse 35 and is Jesus taught in the temple. He said how can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David. David himself in the Holy Spirit, declared the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet. David calls him Lord.

So how is he his son and the great throng.

Harrington gladly and brief prayer make the book lives to me oh Lord, show me your self within your word. Show me myself and show me my Savior and make the book lifted me for Jesus sake on them while Mark tells us that the questions that have been addressed to Jesus have now stopped back in verse 27 of chapter 11 that we have recorded for as the initial challenge that is coming from his opponents, and since then they have been trying unsuccessfully to catch him out and we have been these last studies observed the way in which they have confronted Jesus with what in each instance.

I think they thought to be an unanswerable question, only to discover that Jesus was more than able to answer in the last encounter, which we looked at last time what we might refer to as a friendlier challenge. We discover that Jesus not only address the question of the man asked, but he also made clear. The man's condition perhaps recall that we ended there last time with the phrase you are not far from the kingdom of God.

The man was religious.

He was humble. He was clearly interested in matters of significance and yet he was still not within the kingdom of God and we noted then, with the warning and the expectation that that contains no it's not as if these questions have just petered out over time, but it seems as though they really come to a decisive and we might imagine that these individuals have finally looked at one another and said you know were done. I don't think there's really any point and is continuing, and you will notice that there are no exceptions to this at the end of verse 34. After that, no one dared ask you many questions is not as if there were a few people who still have a lingering desire for the questioner to know that all things come to an end were done with questions. We thought that this would be a more successful venture than it is been so Mark tells us in the class.

The class has no more questions for the teacher then immediately tells us that the teacher has a question for the class and there in verse 35 Jesus now addressing this great throng described there in verse 37. He has had his base of operations for some time now. The court of the Gentiles in the temple precincts and the crowds have been listening carefully, presumably in certain cases, standing on the sidelines as these encounters have taken place between religious orthodoxy as it where this un-credentialed rabbi from Nazareth and Holly must've delighted to discover that the scribes who are not necessarily their favorites that had their nose put out of joint.

On more than one occasion.

And Jesus is about to warn the people concerning the scribes in verse 38 and following. But before he does so he poses a question for which no answer is forthcoming is important I think to realize that that there is a sense in which this question is entirely rhetorical. We look in vain for it to be resolved within the few verses that we just read is a difficult question. I want to acknowledge that freely in case some of you might miss the point. But when I camp on the challenge that it represents. Instead, what I'd like us to do is to consider the fact that it is first of all a biblical question and then that it is a theological question and then that it is a vital question biblical theological and vital. First of all, and noticing the nature of it being a biblical question one exit biblical. Well, it's about the Bible. Jesus is quoting from the Old Testament. If you want to turn there it some hundred and 10. If you don't need the page numbers were not going to read it all. But this along with this Sam that was read earlier is clearly messianic. In other words, it is a sign that points forward to the Messiah who wants to come and Jesus is here quoting from Psalm 110 verse one the Lord says to my Lord, sit on my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool and I leave you with the rest of the sun to read at your leisure.

Later on. Interestingly, at this is more frequently quoted and referred to than any other set in the in the entire Bible and find it maybe the most quoted Old Testament passage. I'm not sure and in quoting this we should not miss what is obvious first of all, and Jesus is quoting the Bible is quoting the Old Testament some of the might of the notion that why would Jesus use the Bible and why he would really need to use the Bible really yes what is important for us to recognize is that Jesus knew the Old Testament and that Jesus will leave the Old Testament and that Jesus understood that the Old Testament was inspired was inspired. It was breathed out by God. The reason that they Old Testament existed was because God shows to reveal it and you will notice that he uses the very terminology. How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David. David himself, and here's the phrase in between two corners.

David himself in the Holy Spirit, declared, or if you like by the Holy Spirit, declared so that as David wrote as David spoke his words were God's words.

Let me just give you two cross-references one in the old one in the new and you can proceed from there on your own. Second Samuel chapter 23 and verse one now these are the last words of David, the Oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the Oracle of the man who was raised on high. That is this great king of Israel, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel. Okay, we know we've got it now and everybody verse two, the spirit of the Lord speaks by me. His word is on my tongue so David's awareness of what he is doing, includes his awareness of the work of God in inspiring know when the pie when we reference the notion of inspiration when I talk about the kind of inspiration that is represented in the work of Chopin or are Beethoven or Lennon and McCartney that they were inspired in some way to be able to do what he did what we are referencing here is the fact the Bible is breathed out by God and in the same way that if I stood here in complete silence before you, for any period of time at all. It would be impossible for you to know what was going on in my mind.

The only way that you can know what is going on in my mind is if I verbalize things. Words are the building blocks of communication words individual words are the key to sentences, sentences are the key paragraphs, and so on and so the Bible is God's word to ours, spoken out the New Testament references acts chapter 1 as Peter speaks concerning what is been going on in the past. Acts chapter 1 and in verse 15.

In those days Peter stood up among the brothers brothers he says, verse 16. The Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before hand how did the Holy Spirit speak before and answer by the mouth of David saying that the only way in which the Holy Spirit spoke before hand was by the mouth of David, but he saying that the words that David wrote all that we have of the divinity record is there. As a result of God raising up David and David becoming the very mouthpiece of God. Note what makes this a biblical question is that the scribes share this view of Scripture, the scribes believed the Scriptures where the word of God.

The scribes believed that the Old Testament Scriptures pointed referenced the Messiah who wants to come to me just parenthetically, point out to you what the doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture is not the doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture is not that God used individuals. The way that we might use a typewriter or the way that we might use a Dictaphone or an old-fashioned words as stenographer that actually is a Muslim view of Scripture, the Muslim view of the authorship of the Koran is that Al through the angel Gabriel dictated in Arabic to Mohammed Mohammed then took down the dictation and wrote the Koran. That's their doctrine of Scripture that Mohammed all Mohammed had to have which to 30 years and a pen that is not what the Scriptures teach the Scriptures teach that the Holy Spirit spoke, his words through the human authors in such a way that their words were simultaneously his words. That is something vastly harder to comprehend and vastly more significant than the idea that people like David and Paul in the New Testament of the gospel writers. The elders sat in a room somewhere, waiting for it to hit them clearly that is what happened.

For example, an arm off on a diatribe and understand that I'll come back. But if you take for example the beginning of Luke's gospel, you realize how vastly different. That is because research into the history of things and the doctrine of inspiration that God breathes it out are not said in opposition to one another.

They are sent in opposition to one another and that's why Luke says what I've done in writing his gospel for your Theophilus is do a lot of research.*Why we have to do research only has to have as to who nears an end, a pen, and God dictated any rights it down. No Luke given his personality. Given his historical context. Given the influences upon him, and given the resources available to him to God's pen and brought the gospel and as he put his gospel out simultaneously the words that he wrote were the very words that God himself, inspire, you may go on from there on your own and think these things out by the are of importance back to our passage is because as I say that the scribes believe that the Messiah would come from the family of David that Jesus is able to pose this question if they didn't believe that he couldn't then ask about meaning, because you will notice that it is a question about meaning, how can the scribes say the Christ is the son of David, given that comes back to the verse 37 David himself calls him Lord.

So how is he his son how you put these two things together. He says this is this this is apparently in the realm of potential contradiction while father calls his son, Lord, in the scheme of things it should be the other way around. So what is going on here know we've already had the son of David, reference having weight in the story of Wine bar Timaeus, but they were leaving Jerusalem the right leaving Jericho with her on the outskirts of Jericho and the blind man arrests the crowd as they go shouting. Mark tells us that when he heard a better check that this is true, and they came to Jericho.

And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples in the gray cardboard to me as a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus was sitting by the roadside and when he Herod that it was Jesus of Nazareth. When you hear that he was Jesus of Nazareth when he heard that it was the man who'd grown up in the Carpenters workshop when he heard that it was his son of Mary and Joseph when he heard that he was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out Jesus son of David, have mercy on me. He could've cried out Jesus of Nazareth, have mercy on me, but he cries her Jesus son of David, have mercy on me and the people try to silence Emily comes back at it again, what is he doing many uses of phraseology, son of David. He is using the most common phrase for Messiah ship, he is shouting out Jesus as your Messiah. You can heal me.

What an embarrassment to the people who were the proponents of Jesus who can get the get the picture clear in their own minds and here is a blind man who can see better than the cited people can see he is able to name him in this way, and so the phraseology son of David is built into the very heart of this biblical discussion.

Now the fact that Jesus throughout the gospel of Mark urges his followers to refrain from making much of the notion of his Messiah ship is not because we have a terminology wrong because son of David is fine. Son of Man is fine, but because their expectation of what it meant for him to be the Messiah was wrong terminology wasn't wrong, their understanding of the terminology was wrong. They saw it in nationalistic terms. They saw it in political terms. Jesus had not come as a national hero. He had not come as a political Aiko here come as a savior and if these people to their expectations, Messiah ship and charged as well into Jerusalem with that. Then the whole thing would go scoop with and so he is urging them just just leave that alone just now once you understand what it means for me to be the Messiah. Then you can go make a fuss about it but until you do really should just bite your lip.

Now here's a question, and in light of that is that then what Jesus is doing here in this question is Jesus simply addressing the fact that they have a faulty view of things.

When they say how can they say that the Christ is the son of David, is he saying how can they say that he is the Messiah on if you think about it for money. Surely not saying that, nor is see disagreeing with the scribes interpretation of the Messiah is coming from the lying of David, so what in the world you do when Jesus asks how can they say that the Christ, the Messiah is the son of David.

He is clearly not suggesting that the Messiah is not the son of David Wright what he is leading his listeners to is the conclusion that the Messiah is the son of David, but he is not just the son of David, that he is both Son of Man and he is son of God, and that's why he is able to take verse one of 710 and point out that in this passage the Messiah is referred to as David's Lord I'm not as David's son.

So he says, how can they say that the Messiah is the site is the son of David, I'm just calling to you from the Bible and in the Bible. Here in Psalm 110 verse one is no reference to them being the son of David.

It says that he is David's Lord, how can the great king of Israel speak of his son as his Lord. This actually I think that's the dictionary definition of a rental because here you have two notions, both of which are actually true, but it is very very difficult to understand how they fit together.

And so Jesus question must be considered in the light of all of the gospel so that Mark was writing his gospel recognizes that when the people, the readers, namely ourselves come to this little difficult session. Here in verse 35 to 37 of chapter 12 and they're saying to themselves what what in the world is Jesus doing here, how does this work. How do we resolve this Mark assumes that we going to seek to resolve it, not by taking a microscope or and and and and fastening in on these verses to drive ourselves to distraction, but actually standing back from the verses far enough to put them in context. What context well the context. For example of Peter's declaration in chapter 8 and verse 29 Jesus was asking who are people saying that I am who was the word on the street concerning Mises and they give them a variety of answers, and then he narrows it down and he says, but who do you fellas say that I have requested you think I have and that's when Peter says you are the Christ, while you're in the Messiah will now that has has landed right there in chapter 9 of the gospel of Mark is right in the gospel so expensive when we come to chapter 12, we will neglect while reducing in the previous chapter, and he also went is basically going to read the whole thing and so we will be able to get, for example, to chapter 14 and verse 61 and 62, where Jesus is before the Council there asking them questions. Have you no answer.

You remain silent, and then the high priest asked him are you the Christ the son of the blessed and Jesus said I am. I am okay so here we are in chapter 12. With this enigma is enigmatic encounter. This rhetorical question Jesus now give the class a question you know your Bibles you believe the Bible you believe the Bible is inspired on you. You know that that the Messiah comes from the house of David, let me ask your question and could be recalled son of David, when in actual fact, he is David's Lord. One of the benefits of studying through Mark's gospel. As we get to see Jesus engaging with religious leaders with his disciples and with a wide variety of the people he encountered. This is Truth for Life in today's message is titled David's son David's Lord Alastair Bragg has more to say about this rhetorical question from Jesus on the conversation that followed, will hear that on tomorrow's program.

Today's message as part of a comprehensive study through the gospel of Mark. There are 13 complete sermons in volume 6 of Alastair study the gospel according to Mark.

You can download all of them by using our mobile app or by going to Truth for Life.org Mark's account of Jesus provides a vivid picture of discipleship. You see becoming a disciple isn't a one time a bent that happens at conversion. That's where it starts. But as Mark's gospel shows us.

Discipleship is a process of learning to be more like Jesus, a Truth for Life. We've selected a book that addresses the subject in a way that is thoroughly biblical and highly practical. It's written by the late pastor and theologian John Stott's book is called the disciple God's word for today. In this brief book John Stott addresses four dimensions of active discipleship. First he says followers of Jesus should be good listeners. Second, both the mind and the emotions have an indispensable place in discipleship.

Third, discipleship is about finding God's will and forth. It's about adopting the distinguishing mark of a Christian love. We'd love to send you a copy of John Stott's book called the disciple, it's yours.

When you request along with your donation to support Truth for Life.

Make your donation and request the book online at truthforlife.org/donate or tap the book image in the mobile app you can also give us a call at 888588788. If you'd like to send your contribution and request a copy of the book by mail back to us the truth for PO Box 39, 8000, Cleveland, OH 44139 Bob Lapine hope you can join us tomorrow as Alastair describes the remarkable dialogue Jesus had with the temple crowd. It's a beautiful lesson on how to engage our critics in meaningful conversation about the gospel.

The Bible teaching of Alastair Begg is furnished by truthfully learning is prolific