Turning Theologians on Their Heads

The Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One of God, will be a human descendent of David. On this they could all agree.

Jesus now extends the question by taking His audience to Psalm 110. Jesus both ascribes this psalm to David and says that David was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Here is a wonderful description of what the Bible is. It is words written by men who were moved and empowered by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet 1:21). It is uniquely a divine-human book.

Psalm 110 is the most quoted psalm in the New Testament. The first verse reads, “This is the declaration of the Lord to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool.’” So Jesus asks, “David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how then can the Messiah be his Son?”

Here is a problem no one had seen until Jesus raised it. The Messiah is both David’s Son and David’s Lord at the same time. Think about it. What father would ever call his son or great-grandson his Lord? The Messiah is not simply David’s Son; He is David’s Sovereign. He is God’s Son who reigns as King seated at His heavenly Father’s right hand. David’s words will not work if Messiah is just a human being. He must be more. This is where Jesus is trying to take them. This is what they had failed to see. Tragically, many still don’t see it.

Jesus will cite this text again when the high priest asks Him, “Are You the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” (Mark 14:61). “‘I am,’ said Jesus, ‘and all of you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven’” (v. 62). Yes, He is the Messiah. He is also the Son of the Blessed. He indeed is the God Man.

296The Pharisees no doubt scoffed and fumed at His words. In contrast, “the large crowd was listening to Him with delight.” Don Carson says, “The teacher who never attended the right schools (John 7:15-18) confounds the greatest theologians in the land” (Carson, “Matthew,” 468).

Mark 12:38-40

“Revelation brings responsibility. The more you know, the greater is your accountability.” Where does this come from? It comes from Jesus (12:40; Matt 11:20-24).

One of the most dangerous vocations in life is being a theologian. One of the most dangerous places you can go is to a Bible-believing church that faithfully proclaims the gospel. Each time you hear God’s Word taught, your accountability before Him increases. Tragically, those who often receive God’s revelation and traffic in His truth become deaf, even hardened. Rather than walk humbly, they become proud. Having drawn so near to Jesus, they think and act nothing like Jesus. God will not overlook such hypocrisy and sin.

Mark warns the “large crowd” of verse 37 to “beware” of the teachers of the law. Why? Seven reasons are given.

First, the scribes craved recognition as they walked about in their full-length prayer shawls with showy tassels. They were not interested in seeing the needs and hurts of others. Rather they wanted others to see and admire them! “Bling” is not new! Neither is religion exempt from its lure.

Second, they demanded acknowledgment of status. They expected people to rise and honor them with titles fitting their significance and importance. Such titles included “rabbi,” “master,” and even “father” (Matt 23:7-10).

Third, they demanded people pay attention to their rank and position of authority. No back rows for these boys. They were to sit up front looking down on the commoners in the congregation.

Fourth, they expected “the places of honor at banquets.” They insisted on sitting near the host. Jesus addressed this plainly: “The greatest among you will be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt 23:11-12). These religious elite would have none of this.

Jesus provides a fifth warning to the people concerning their religious leaders. “They devour” and take advantage of the vulnerable, who in this context were the widows. Like some televangelist and religious charlatans in our day, they preyed on the weak. “There is money to be made in ministry” was their philosophy. The prophets condemned in the strongest terms those who took advantage of widows and orphans (Isa 10:2; Amos 2; Mic 3). Had they not read Leviticus 19, especially verse 18?! Did they not hear Jesus when He spoke of the two great commands, the two great loves?

Sixth, the religious hirelings were experts in pseudo-piety. They could “say long prayers” in public while their private prayer closet fell into disuse. Their public prayers were eloquent, but Jesus judged them empty. Better a few fumbling words from a humble heart than a marvelous oration from a proud heart.

The Bible says, “Much will be required of everyone who has been given much” (Luke 12:48). The greater our revelation, the greater our accountability. To know what is right and not do it invites “the harsher punishment” in judgment. No wonder James would write in James 3:1, “Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment.”

Heaven will not be equally delightful for all, though all will be fully satisfied. And hell will not mete out equal punishment for all, though all will be punished. Indeed God will judge with special severity hypocritical religious leaders who strut like peacocks, abuse the less fortunate, and traffic in false worship that is all show with no substance. Such wickedness in motive and action makes plain they never embraced the greatest servant of all, the greater Son of David, Jesus the Christ.

In his classic Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis takes us to the heart of our faith when he addresses the identity of Jesus Christ and the response we all must give. The “trilemma” of “Liar, Lunatic, or Lord” has become famous and rightfully so. He explains,

298I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. (Lewis, Mere Christianity, 55-56)

It is so clear, isn’t it? Jesus is both David’s Son and David’s Savior. Jesus is both David’s Son and God’s Son. Jesus is both human and divine. Jesus is both man and God.

So now you know who He is. There is no sitting on the fence. You must decide for Him or against Him. Your accountability has never been greater. To say no now is only to invite greater judgment when you stand before God and explain to Him why you rejected His Son. Please make sure you choose wisely. Your eternal destiny is at stake!