"And Jesus answering began to say, as He taught in the temple, 'How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself said in the Holy Spirit, "The Lord said to my lord, 'Sit at My right hand, until I put Thine enemies beneath Thy feet.'" David himself calls Him "Lord"; and so in what sense is He his son?' And the great crowd enjoyed listening to Him. And in His teaching He was saying: 'Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They are the ones who devour widows' houses, and for appearance's sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.'" (Mark 12:35-40)
"It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you are sincere." So goes the saying. I have heard it many times before. It sounds broad-minded, even modern. It has a ring of truth to it, but is it right? Think about it.
You may sincerely believe you can fly. So you run and leap off of a cliff. You sincerely flap your arms. You think positively. But about three-quarters of the way down you know you've made a mistake. You may sincerely believe you are an excellent fighter pilot. After all, you've seen Top Gun. How hard can it be? Could you ever manage to get in a jet fighter, you would never get off the ground.
Being sincere is simply not enough. If the facts are false, you may sincerely believe them, but you would be sincerely wrong. Many people sincerely believed the earth was flat. They believed if you sailed a ship far enough, you would tumble off the earth's edge. Many believed that the sun revolved around the earth. They, like those who believed the earth to be flat, sincerely believed these things because of what they could see and observe with their human senses. They were wrong. What we believe is important. That what we believe is true is important.
The scribes were supposed experts in biblical knowledge. In our text, Jesus confronts them with an incisive question about what they really believed about the Messiah. Was the Messiah to be merely a human national deliverer? Or was he more? Jesus wanted to know whether they understood the truth about the Messiah. In our text today, Jesus reveals the supernatural nature of Christ's lordship and at the same time refutes the self-exalting nature of the scribes. The message is a simple one: Jesus Christ is Lord.
The question we need to ask ourselves is "What are the implications of Christ's lordship for me?" Do I really understand what it means when the Bible says Jesus is Lord? What do I say about Christ? What do I really believe about Him? What we believe is important. What we believe determines how we behave. It is extremely important for us to see the implications of Christ's lordship in terms of our responsibility to humbly serve Him. As we accept Christ for who He is - Lord - we will see ourselves for who we are - His servants.
Our text today points us in two directions: It challenges us to look upward and to look inward. These are two views we need to behold today. Let's study the views our text unveils as they instruct us concerning the implications of Christ's lordship.
We must remember that Jesus had been arguing with the scribes and religious leaders in a game of questions. Up to this point, they had been the ones asking the questions. Now it seems Jesus goes on the offensive. "And Jesus answering began to say, as He taught in the temple, 'How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?" (v. 35) Now it is Jesus who is asking the questions. He is challenging these scribes to tell Him what they really believe about the Messiah. He is putting them on the spot.
Now the scribes were looking for a nationalistic human deliverer. The word Messiah and Christ are the same word. Messiah is the Old Testament Hebrew version. Christ is the New Testament Greek version. Both mean "anointed one." The Messiah was to be the anointed one of God. And the Jews were expecting a political hero to emerge and deliver them from the bondage of Rome.
Now these scribes were supposed experts in the Old Testament. They were given great respect among the people because of their devotion to biblical knowledge and understanding. They knew the prophecies which indicated that the Messiah would come of David's seed. They believed what the Scriptures taught that the Messiah would be of the house of David and would sit on David's throne. Now Jesus, using their own Scripture, questions why these scribes believe that the Christ is merely the son of David. "David himself said in the Holy Spirit, 'The Lord said to my lord, "Sit at My right hand, until I put Thine enemies beneath Thy feet."'" (v. 36) Here Jesus quotes from Psalm 110. The scribes recognized this Psalm as a Psalm of David and as a Messianic prophecy. In other words, this psalm spoke of the coming Messiah. Then Jesus gets to the point. "David himself calls Him 'Lord'; and so in what sense is He his son?" (v. 37) The scribes were looking for a nationalistic deliverer. They expected someone like a David to be ushered forth for this time in history. This would be God's chosen one, God's anointed one. Because of what the Old Testament said concerning the Messiah coming from the lineage of David, they expected Him to be merely a physical descendant of David. But the thought of the supernatural never entered the picture. He would simply be a man.
So when Jesus said, "David himself calls him Lord" He threw the scribes into a theological dilemma. How could the Messiah be both David's son and his Lord? The scribes had never thought of that. The truth is, the Messiah could not be both David's son and his Lord if He were merely human. It would take a divine human being to do that. The scribes had no answer. They had never thought of the Messiah in terms of being a supernatural being. Yet, that is just what Jesus was.
The Jews were looking for a human deliverer. But what the world needed was a divine Savior. The Jews wanted freedom from the yoke of Rome. But what the world really needed was deliverance from the bondage of sin. A human leader could perhaps give them political freedom, but it would take a divine sacrificial lamb to give them spiritual freedom. In saying what He said, Jesus was revealing the truth about His nature.
Now Jesus was a physical descendant from David. As a matter of fact, as you trace the lineage of Jesus you find that on both sides of the family He descended from David. Joseph was a descendant of David and so was Mary. This is important to understand because Jesus really was not physically descended from Joseph. His physical descent had to be traced through Mary because He was divinely conceived in her womb by the Holy Spirit without the benefit of Joseph. Therefore, Jesus was both divine and human - divinely conceived by the Holy Spirit in a human vessel, Mary. The Son of Man would come forth to be proclaimed Lord of All. Romans 1:3 and 4 says, "Concerning a son who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord." According to the flesh, Jesus was a descendant of David. But according to the spirit of holiness, He was declared to be the Son of God and the resurrection proved it.
The message is clear: Jesus is saying that the Messiah is both human and divine. He is both physical and supernatural. He is both David's son and David's Lord, and indeed He is the Lord of all. The testimony of the early church was a simple and clear one: Jesus Christ is Lord. That is probably the earliest statement of faith known to Christianity. Jesus Christ is Lord. We must understand the implications of calling Jesus Lord, however. What does it mean to say Jesus is Lord? What does it mean in terms of my life and yours?
Most of us have grown up thinking that Lord is simply part of Jesus' name. We grew up hearing about the Lord Jesus Christ. It is almost as if Lord is His first name, Jesus His middle, and Christ His last. But Jesus would have been known as He grew up as Jesus ben Joseph. That literally means Jesus, son of Joseph. Jesus is His earthly name. Christ, of course, means anointed one. It is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament Messiah. Lord, on the other hand, means God. It was the term used for the sacred name Jehovah. To say that the Messiah, the Christ, is Lord, is to say that the Messiah is God. As God, He is the supreme ruler of all creation. He is the divine governor of all of mankind, including me.
The implications of Jesus being Lord are great. If Jesus is Lord, then one day I will be accountable to Him. If Jesus is my Lord, then I'm under obligation to obey Him. The scribes did not see his lordship, so they went blissfully on their way, doing what they did best - exalting themselves. And unless we see the reality of the lordship of Christ and grapple with its implications for our lives, we will, like the scribes, go about our business and end up serving ourselves instead of the risen Christ. That was precisely what these scribes had done.
Jesus has given us a look up. And we have seen the revealing of a supernatural Lord. Now He gives us a look in and we will see the refuting of a self-exalting lifestyle. It is the kind of lifestyle which we are destined to adopt apart from Jesus Christ. It was the lifestyle which characterized these scribes.
Before we look at what Jesus said to them, we must understand just how these scribes lived. Scribes were easily recognized because they wore a long, white linen robe which reached all the way to their feet. Around the bottom of this robe, it was hemmed by a long, white fringe. Most of the common people wore bright colors. But this resplendent white dress caused the scribes to stand out wherever they went. Someone has said they were "power dressers par excellence! They were ecclesiastical swans, regally gliding amongst the common mud hens of humanity." The scribes were commonly greeted in respectful tones as "rabbi" which means my great one or "master" or "father." When a scribe passed by, the people rose respectfully to honor him. At the feasts which the wealthy gave, scribes were given the place of honor, seated to the right and left of the host. In Jesus' day, scribes were honored above the elderly, even above their own parents. In the synagogues, the scribes were given the place of ultimate honor - they sat on a bench with their backs against the chest holding the Torah and with their faces toward the congregation so all could behold them. They were considered holy men, and they played the part well. They were proud and arrogant. Jesus next turned His attention to them.
"And in His teaching He was saying: 'Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They are the ones who devour widows' houses, and for appearance's sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.'" (vv. 38-40)
To these power dressing, prideful pretenders, Jesus issues a stirring rebuke. Actually, it is a refutation of a self-exalting lifestyle. Because the scribes did not fully understand the implications of the Messiah's lordship, they continued to seek to feather their own nest, to build up their own esteem, and to climb the power ladder of success. You see, in the words of one of Bob Dylan's tunes, "You gotta serve somebody." We will either serve the Lord Jesus Christ, or we will end up serving ourselves. This is precisely what the scribes did.
A self-exalting lifestyle, however, is the antithesis of the lifestyle a Christian should have. A Christian should be known as one who seeks to serve, seeks to give, seeks to love, seeks to build up. But often because of the greedy materialism of our world, we but into the worldly ideas of success even in the area of religion. Unfortunately, the worldly ideas of success accept greed and pride and manipulation as appropriate. We place ourselves at the center of our universe instead of God. And unless you understand the implications of the lordship of Christ, that is precisely what you will do.
But Jesus rebuked and refuted this self-exalting lifestyle of the scribes. They loved to walk around in their flowing robes so people could see them and could greet them respectfully and could stand in their presence. They loved to go to the banquets so they could sit in the most prestigious seats. They loved this lifestyle of honor and deference. They had not understood that they served the supreme Lord and they were busy making themselves lord.
What you believe determines how you behave. What you believe about Jesus determines how you will live for Him, or whether you will live for Him. On one occasion, Jesus asked His disciples a very important question. He asked them what they believed about Him. He said, "Who do you say that I am?" The same question could be asked to us. Who do we say Jesus is? Is He merely a historical figure? Is He simply someone we've learned about in church and Sunday School? Is He someone who was a prophet or a good teacher? Is He Savior of the world? Is He the Son of God? But who is He to me personally? Is He my Savior? Is He my Lord? Have I come to the place where I really see the implications of Christ's lordship in terms of my life? Or am I captive to my culture, much like the scribes?
Only as we see the risen Christ as our Lord can we begin to see ourselves for who we need to be - His servants. Becoming a Christian means that I commit myself to allow Jesus to make a difference in my life on a daily basis. It means that I not only acknowledge Him as the Lord, I also acknowledge Him as my Lord. The acknowledgement is not merely a verbal acknowledgement, it is an acknowledgement by the way I live my life for Him, in accordance to His holy word.
Charles Sheldon wrote a powerful little book entitled, In His Steps. In that book, people in one community decide that they will begin to live their lives and run their businesses with one thought in mind - What would Jesus do? In every decision they faced, in every course of action they planned, they asked, "What would Jesus do?" It seems to me that the pressing need for Christians today is to ask that very same question: What would Jesus do? You see, the implications of Christ's lordship in my life mean that I must ask myself the question in every decision, "What would Jesus have me do?" And then I must do it.
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