And as 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 himself calls Him Lord. So how is He his son?" And the great throng heard Him gladly. (Mark 12:35-37)
There must have been quite a few arguments in Jerusalem that night! The problem Jesus brought up had to do with the Messiah—the One everyone was waiting for, that God would send to save His people. Everybody knew that He would come from King David's family; He would be "the Son of David." God promised that to David long ago.
But then what about Psalm 110? David himself wrote that, and it's clearly about the Messiah. And David calls Him "Lord"! How can this be? Isn't a father always greater than his great-great-grandson? Who is this Messiah, that His own ancestor calls Him "Lord"?
I wonder if any of the people arguing that night managed to figure it out. Because this riddle is only solvable if you know that Jesus, the Messiah, is both God and Man—human and divine. As a Man, He is David's son; as God, He is David's Lord.
But this is more than just an academic exercise. Who Jesus is matters to us, because of what Jesus was going to do just a few days later. Only a man could rightly pay the debt of human beings; it's only fair. But only God Himself could be strong enough, holy enough, worthy enough to redeem the whole world at once. Only God could defeat the power of death and the devil, and bring us all to everlasting life.
Who Jesus is affects what Jesus does. He is God, He is Man—He is our Savior.
THE PRAYER: Please bring me to know You better, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* What is your favorite riddle?
* When in your life have you not been recognized for who or what you are?
* What does it feel like, to have God as a member of your own human family?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Today's Bible Readings: Numbers 7-8 Mark 13:21-37
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