+ This is a very short but strange gospel passage that needs to be interpreted very carefully to be understood well. [Stay with me on this one]: The bottom line is that Son of David
is not meant to be a completely adequate and exhaustive definition of the Messiah. Something more lofty like "Kyrios" "Lord" is need to capture the character of Jesus' messiaship! Assuming that David is the speaker of Psalm 110 (which is being referred to here), "The Lord said to my lord," (regarding the second "lord") – he must be speaking of someone other than himself. The first Lord is God, the second "my lord" must be someone different from and superior to David. Therefore the Messiah is not adequately and exhaustively described as Son of David. What delights the crowd is that Jesus turns around easily the claim of the scribes that "son of David" fully defines who this Jesus is, therefore making him less than he can be in his full majesty and power.
Jesus suffers opposition, tricks and persecutions small and great in his public life, and in the first reading today St. Paul tells Timothy that anyone who wants to follow Christ and live religiously in him will be also opposed, tricked and persecuted but if they hold on fast to what they have learned by means of the Scriptures and valid teachings about him then they will be equipped for every good work in saving themselves and others along the way!
Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come to him – and they will experience who the true Lord and Messiah is - Son of David, and o so much more – and they will have the strength needed to stand fast in the world day by day!
No comments:
Post a Comment