In many parts of the Gospel the most significant groups of Judaism from the time of Jesus (Pharisees, scribes, Sadducees) ask and Jesus answers. Yesterday’s Gospel was one of them. Today we hear that it is Jesus’ turn to ask. While Jesus was in the temple, He takes the initiative and questions the scribes about the lineage of the Messiah. David calls the Messiah “Lord,” that is, he acknowledges his divine lineage. On his side, the scribes recognize Him as the son of David, that is, of human lineage. The question of Jesus to the scribes is then: Is the Messiah human or divine?
The text goes on to say that people listened to Him with delight. Before, in this same gospel of Mark, the blind Bartimaeus and the crowds acclaimed Him as Lord and son of David, as a merciful representative of God, who heals the blind and as a messianic king, who enters the city on a donkey, but without taking power and making it his own. However, Jesus is not just a Messiah of royal origin. The powerful of his time expected Jesus to drive out the Romans and restore David’s kingship. Here Jesus shows His true origin; being David’s son, He is at the same time his Lord.
However, what does it mean to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord? The word Lord means “ruler” or “king.” It is the one who is owed “fealty” and “submission”. The Lord or Master of our lives is the person or thing we give our lives over to or submit to in full. We can be ruled by many things (our unruly passions, the love of money, power, alcohol, drugs, etc.). Only one Lord can truly set us free to love and to be loved as God intended from the beginning. When we acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, we invite Him to be the King of our heart and the ruler of our thoughts, relationships, and all that we do. Is the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, the true King of our heart and do we give Him free reign in every area of our lives?
Let us, together with David, be led by the Spirit to recognize Jesus as the Christ, our Lord, the Son of God and submit ourselves to His rule in our lives, thoughts, hearts, homes, relationships, work, and all that we do.