Reflecting on Mark 12:35-37
"Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David?" (Mark 12:35)For the Jews, there was no greater king than David.
To call the coming messiah ‘the son of David’ meant he would be like David.
Another king like David, who established and expanded the kingdom of Israel.
Jesus does not come like David, with armies to establish Israel for God.
Jesus seems to do the opposite: He challenges Israel and the temple.
He spoke to and worked with Israel’s enemies, sinners, traitors and soldiers.
Yet He performed miracles, doing what only God could do.
And people were drawn by – and delighted in – the wisdom of His teaching.
He even silenced the religious leaders in their bible debates.
Jesus challenges the thinking of the religious leaders.
He quotes Psalm 110:1, a passage associated with the coming messiah.
How can the great king David call the coming messiah ‘Lord’.
The verse actually says: YHWH (LORD) says to my master (Lord).
The Spirit inspires David to call the coming messiah ‘Master’.
The lesson is that the coming messiah will not just be like David.
He will be greater than and superior to David.
Many times Jesus is described as greater than…
* Greater than the temple (Matthew 12:6)
* Greater than the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8)
* Greater than Jonah (Matthew 12:41)
* Greater than Solomon (Matthew 12:42)
* Greater than Moses and Elijah (Matthew 17:3-5)
* Greater than Jacob (John 4:12)
* Greater than Abraham (John 8:53,58)
Altogether we see that Jesus represents something new, something better.
“‘The days are coming,” declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors…'” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
The author of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34, and then says:
“By calling this covenant ‘new’, he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.” (Hebrews 8:13)
Today’s reading is challenging us to rethink how we view Jesus and the bible.
The bible is not a flat book, with every part equal to the other.
God’s message of grace unfolds in stages.
Jesus is it’s heart, peak and center.
The OT anticipates Jesus, and the NT (Acts-Revelation) applies Jesus.
But Jesus is the greatest, greater than Moses, greater than Paul.
Of course the Spirit inspired them (Mark 12:36).
But being inspired does not make them equal to Jesus.
They are witnesses to Jesus, and not Jesus themselves.
As John the Baptist said, “He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30)
Jesus takes us beyond the message of Moses and Elijah.
Jesus surpasses the witness of Peter and Paul.
“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)
If Jesus is the greatest, why do we equate Him with these others.
Why do we quote Moses or Paul equally, alongside of Jesus?
Why do our theologies and practices often depend more on Moses or Paul?
Both are inspired to point us to Jesus, so that we listen to Jesus!
This is why I spend most of my time reading the Jesus stories.
Jesus is the real thing; everything and everyone else is shadow (Colossians 2:17).
Jesus is my Lord and Master, greater than all others!
This is why I choose to listen to Him, to read the bible through Him.
Everything else in the bible hangs on and depends on Him.
Reading the bible this way has changed how I interpret the bible.
My focus is less on judging people, and more on saving people.
My focus is less on the Law of Moses, more on the Law of Love.
My focus is less on how Paul did things, more on how Jesus did things.
If something in the bible doesn’t seem to fit with Jesus, I defer to Jesus.
My sense of the church today is that it needs to focus on Jesus.
When Moses and Paul are elevated alongside Jesus, the church doesn’t look like Jesus.
It talks more about the Law of Moses, judging people, and how Paul did things.
It strives to be great in a human way, rather than great in the Jesus Way.
Jesus’s greatness was humility and grace; the church seems to get this wrong.
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28)
This changes what it means to ‘make _________ great again’!
Jesus defines greatness, not David, not Moses, not Paul, not ______.
May we as Jesus followers choose to make Jesus great again!
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, forgive us, for we do not know what we are doing. We have failed to understand Your greatness, and how we become greater with, like and for You. May You be my heart, my peak, my center! For You are my Lord, and I want to listen to You!
What Would Jesus Do? Be Christlike. Words to guide you. They speak to me
Remember the wrist bands years ago with the saying – WWLD – What Would Jesus Do? That needs to be our go to place. And His Word – the Bible – is the Basic Insructions Before Leaving Earth – has the focus on Jesus. And so should I.