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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadBob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - Mark 12:35 - 12:37
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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mar_12:35-37
35And Jesus began to say, as He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? 36David himself said in the Holy Spirit, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet." 37David himself calls Him 'Lord'; so in what sense is He his son?" And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him.
Mar_12:35 "'How is it that'" This chapter records a series of questions
1. from the Sanhedrin (Mar_11:27 to Mar_12:12)
2. from the Pharisees and Herodians (Mar_12:13-17)
3. from the Sadducees (Mar_12:18-27)
4. from a scribe (Mar_12:28-34)
5. from Jesus (Mar_11:29-33)
Now Jesus asks them a question as He did in Mar_11:29-30. This question-and-answer method is characteristic of rabbinical Judaism.
▣ "'Christ is the son of David'" Read Mat_12:23 ff; Mat_21:15; 2Sa_7:11-16 and compare it to Psa_110:1. Jesus was trying to reach the religious leaders. He cared for them so He used their type of reasoning and exegesis. They had so much light, but were so blinded by tradition.
Mar_12:36 "David himself said in the Holy Spirit" This asserts the inspiration of Psalms 110 by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is divine truth (i.e., from the Spirit), but written in the language and culture of its original authors.
▣ "'the Lord said to my lord'" This is a quote from Psa_110:1 from the Septuagint. In Hebrew the first "Lord" (i.e., translated in English by all capitals) is our English translation's way of translating YHWH. This occurred because the Hebrews were very reluctant to use the covenant name for deity. Therefore, when one came to YHWH in a text to be read aloud, he substituted the Hebrew term Adon, which means "lord," "husband," "owner," or "master." In Greek this was translated by kurios. This distinction does not show up in the Greek text where kurios is translated both YHWH and adon.
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▣ "'Sit at My right hand'" The "My" refers to YHWH. This anthropomorphic phrase (i.e., speaking of God in human bodily terms) was meant to show the Messiah's place of power, authority, and preeminence. This would reflect the King of the universe sharing His throne with another (i.e., His Messiah, cf. Mar_14:62).
▣ "'Until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet'" This continues the quote from Psa_110:1. This phrase asserts YHWH's victory on behalf of His Messiah (cf. Psalms 2). This truth is further revealed in 1Co_15:24-27 and even carried on ultimately in the eternal kingdom of the Father in 1Co_15:28!
Mark's (and Mat_22:44) quote of Psa_110:1 deviates from the Masoretic Hebrew text and the Septuagint (as does Mark's quote of Deu_6:4-5 in Mar_12:29-30). The MT and the LXX have "until I make your enemies a footstool for Your feet" (cf. Luk_20:43; Act_2:34-35). The scribes (i.e., MSS à , A, L, and the Vulgate and Peshitta translations) changed Mark's quote to conform to the OT quote.
Mar_12:37 This was the crux of the question. It shows that (1) the religious leaders did not understand (i.e., were spiritually blind to) the Scriptures, even about the Messiah or (2) Christ, though son of David, was spiritually superior to David and in fact, had a divine origin. As they had tried to trick Jesus with questions, so now He asked them a question that silenced them.
I think #2 is theologically the appropriate answer. YHWH of the OT chose the Messianic line apart from human effort or cultural traditions (i.e., all the Patriarchs married infertile women and never did the eldest son become the chosen line)! This is a subtle, but strong, affirmation that the Messiah will be greater than David (i.e., David's "lord" or "master"), which surely implies a divine act, even a divine person.
▣ "And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him" Large crowds are a recurrent characteristic of Mark's Gospel. The people of the land, who were often ridiculed and overlooked by the religious elite (cf. Mar_12:38-40), enjoyed seeing Jesus turn the tables on the arrogant religionists using their very method.