As we continue on through Mark 12, the Jewish religious elite have been asking Jesus tricky questions to embarrass him in front of the crowds. Imagine it being a festive atmosphere with people from all over the world gathered around. The crowds would look at the religious scholars as they asked a question and then at Jesus as he answered. One by one, they would be silenced and then, in the previous passage, we saw that Jesus’ last answer silenced them all.
Now Jesus speaks and, for the first time, he asks a question:
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? (vv. 35-37)
To understand what’s going on here, we have to get into an ancient Jewish frame of mind. “Christ” is not Jesus’ last name, it is a title which means “anointed one.” Whenever someone became king, he would be anointed with oil, signifying that he was a special person set apart by God for a special task. So the Christ was a special person chosen by God for a special task whom the Jewish people had been looking and waiting for for generations.
The most common phrase used to describe this coming Christ in the Old Testament is “son of David.” David was probably the greatest king that Israel had ever had. He was a man after God’s own heart. And God had made a covenant with David, saying that through his sons, a king would come whose kingdom would be everlasting. So the people were waiting for this son of David who would be a great king and would make Israel great again.
Who Is the Christ?
Now, the great throng gathered around was beginning to suspect that Jesus was the Christ, the anointed one, the great king. Jesus talks about this but doesn’t address those rumors. Instead, he poses an academic question in order to embarrass the scribes: How can the Christ be David’s son and David’s Lord at the same time (v. 36)? Fathers don’t call their sons “Lord.” David calling him “Lord” implies that the Christ would be even greater than he was, and David himself would owe him allegiance and authority.
The point was that the scribes had misunderstood the Christ. When they thought about the son of David, they remembered the golden age when Israel was great, and they didn’t understand that the Christ was far more than that. They didn’t understand that he wouldn’t just be the son of David, but he would be the son of God. He wouldn’t just be a great king, he would be King of kings and Lord of lords. The scribes (who should have known) misunderstood. And because they misunderstood, they couldn’t see the Christ even though he was right in front of them.
Who Is Jesus?
So what does any of this have to do with us at Christmas time? The scribes missed the Christ; let’s not do the same. Here they were at Passover time, in the temple, in Jerusalem, looking at Jesus but missing him. Here we are at Christmas time, in church, singing these songs, wearing these colors – could we be missing it too? If the scribes could miss it, we could miss it.
When you look in the manger, who do you see? Who is the person that that baby represents? Do you see the Christ who is the son of David, the Lord, the King of kings, or, like the scribes, do you mistakenly see a false Christ of your own imagination? If we don’t continually return to how Jesus Christ has revealed Himself in the Bible, we can easily misunderstand who He is. And if we get Christ wrong, we get Christianity wrong.
Through Jesus Christ, we receive
- forgiveness of our sins;
- reconciliation with God;
- the Way;
- the Truth;
- the Life.
So this Christmas, let’s remember that when Jesus was born, our Savior was born, our Lord was born, our King was born.
Discussion Starters
- Read and discuss Mark 12:35-37 together.
- What is the answer to the question Jesus asked?
- What are some false ideas we might have about who Christ is?
- Do you believe in and know the true Jesus Christ?
- Does it matter if we are right or wrong about Jesus? Why or why not?
- How should we live in light of who Jesus Christ is?
