Mark 12:35  And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David?
36  For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
37  David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.

The temple was to be the house of God. It was the place that replaced the tabernacle of earlier Jewish history. Everything about the temple was a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. For the average Jew of Jesus’ day, the temple was a magnificent structure, but it had no spiritual significance. For king Herod the temple was a political tool he used to buy the fragile loyalty of the Jews. Jesus had already cleansed the temple twice. It had been turned into a house of merchandise and a den of thieves. Quite the contrast with what the temple was supposed to be.
Since the coming of Christ, His name and His person have been used as a place of merchandise and a hang out for the den of thieves. From the Catholics to the Protestants, to the Kenneth Copelands, and the Joseph Princes and many others of this world, people have been profiting off the most precious name known to man. Those who have chosen to make merchandise off Jesus Christ, are the losers. As they die, they leave all their gold and silver behind. They will stand naked before the Saviour they rejected. They have no mediator to stand in the gap for them. They have no robe of righteousness to clothe them. They are all alone and broke. Sadly, they chose not to be broken. Their eternal destiny is the lake of fire, not a home in heaven.
Jesus showed the importance of the temple. It was to be the place where Truth was taught. Jesus Christ is the Truth. His Word is THE Truth. Since His coming, He has declared Himself to be THE Builder of a new entity called the Church. The church is to be a local assembly called out by the Lord Jesus Christ to glorify Him in a dark and dying world.
It was important while Jesus was on this earth, that people would know Who He truly was. The angels announced His coming to the shepherds. They went to see Jesus and they worshipped Him. They left rejoicing and speaking of Him. The wise men were drawn to where Jesus was by a star. They found Him and they worshipped Him and they left with a wonderful message in their hearts. Mary certainly was given the great privilege of being that vessel that God would use to bring flesh to His Son. He did not need to use a woman, but way back in Genesis 3 He promised that would be His way of providing redemption for mankind. God never breaks His Word.
In our text, Jesus was nearing the moment when He would lay down His life for the sheep. Yet there were so many who did not catch the truth of Who Jesus was. That was not His fault. It was the hardheartedness of the people. Jesus loved them as much as He loves mankind now. He wanted them to know the peace they were so desperately searching for, but would not receive.
Jesus gave a gentle rebuke to His generation by referring back to king David. King David was led by the Holy Ghost, to speak prophetic words that he likely did not fully grasp, but he wrote them down by faith. David wrote those words in Psalm 110:1. Jehovah God spoke to His Son, the Messiah, and told Him to sit on His right hand until He would make Messiah’s enemies His footstool. Man cannot fight and win against God. Those who would cry out “crucify Him, crucify Him”, would miss out on great blessings for all eternity. Some of those people may have repented and been saved in Acts 2 and beyond. Many of them perished.
Jesus asked a profound question, to get the deniers of His time to stop and reconsider their fight against the truth. How could David call the Messiah Lord, if He was his Son? Jesus spoke of His incarnation. David spoke of Jesus’ incarnation. As mentioned, he may well not have understood it all. He did not need to understand it all. He just needed to trust in the One Who was in charge and wait for God’s timing to give him the opportunity to see what he was told to write about.
We noted just a few verses back that the Sadducees rejected the resurrection. Yet, David wrote of the fact that he would call Jesus Christ Lord one day. In order for that to happen, Jesus would have to be alive in the same place where David would be. Where might that be? Jesus Christ is seated on the right hand of His Father right now. He is alive. He rose from the dead and He ascended back up to glory. David’s soul is in heaven now. His body will be raised up out of his tomb one day and he will be in heaven with his glorified body and he, as a king, will acknowledge Jesus Christ as his Lord, in person. Amazing facts that David wrote of and that the scribes could read about. What was needed was for the scribes to actually believe what they were reading.
We read in verse 37 that the common people heard Him gladly. Sometimes we can become too sophisticated for our own good. The Bible is a spiritual book. It requires the Spirit of God to receive It. Human ‘wisdom’ will interfere with the Truth. Human ‘wisdom’ equals pride. The Truth is not wrong. It is contrary to sin. The Truth is what makes man free. Man must humble himself to receive the Truth.
The perversions have started with a corrupted source and then picked it apart and they have concocted a story that sounds good to the undiscerning ear, but it does not ring true in the heart of man. Those who are truly born again have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them and He will show them that the perversions are just that. It is alarming that so few of those who claim to have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, see the perversions for what they truly are. According to God’s Word this does not speak well for the health of their souls.
Today is the Lord’s Day. It is another day that God has set aside for people to go to His house, the true, local church. The purpose of the true local church is to be the place where His Word is opened and studied to find His approval. It is not a place of entertainment. Many people are looking for a place where they can go to feel good about themselves in their sin. Some time back someone told me of the religious social club they attended and they liked it because the pastor was a good jokester and could make them laugh. When your soul is right with God, you will know His peace in your heart.
I have never read one place in the Bible where anyone of God’s servants sat around and cracked jokes with the people. I know there are people who suggest that God must have a good sense of humour. In Psalm 2 God speaks of laughing at the foolishness of man. He is laughing in a mocking way because rulers assume they are wiser than God.
I trust that you will get up this morning and seek out a true, local church that can help you to know the true God in a real way. You will never regret it if you follow God’s lead to such a church. You will most definitely regret it if you choose to ignore God’s leading for you today. You cannot take back lost time. You can benefit from choosing wisely.
Pastor Bartel