SCRIPTURE: Luke 20:41-47
Jesus, grilled by the religious leaders, turns the tables on them, and challenges their spiritual authority.
Quoting from Psalm 110, He shows them that the Messiah is supposed to be even greater than David.
Not just the son of David, but the ‘Lord’ of David.
The problem is that we need a Leader (Messiah) who is greater than all human leaders.
These religious leaders were crooked, self-centred, cruel and pompous.
In fact, all human leaders (including the line of David) have failed as leaders.
Jesus comes as a new creation leader, a sin-free Adam (human) able to set things straight.
He obeys God, breaks the grip of sin, defeats the lies of the devil, restores the creation kingdom to God.
This reading reminds us that we need a better leader than Obama, Harper, Putin, Ghandi, Mandela…
It warns us not to put our hope or trust in human leaders, for they all fail in some way.
We need one who rises above the worse and best human leaders, we need a Messiah from God.
God (the LORD) becomes human to be that Messiah for us, to do for us what we could not do ourselves.
We need Jesus for King, President, CEO, Prime Minister, Premier, because He is different.
As someone observed, ‘many kings have sent their people to die, but only one king died for his people!’
Jesus is the Leader we need, the Leader our world needs!
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, You are not pompous or cruel, You are humble and kind. You are Lord above all lords, King above all kings. I want You for my leader, I choose to submit to You.
Observation/Application
Remember the games – I’m the leader? Go where I go.
Who am I following?
As foretold, the Messiah is from the stump of Jesse and thus David’s line, yet David’s Lord because Christ is Lord over all. The religious leaders were seeking prominence/position/people esteem/recognition/worship/self-advancement/etc rather than the advancement of the Lord of lords and King of kings. True worship is to put God first and by His Spirit we are able/I am able to love God and neighbour. He is my Lord and I submit to His rule each day anew in all I do and say in all areas of life.
He reigns.
He is Lord.
He is Lord, He is Lord!
He is risen from the dead
And He is Lord!
Every knee shall bow
Every tongue confess
That Jesus Christ is Lord!