Jesus
responded, as he taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? For David himself said in the Holy Spirit, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet.”’”
Mark 12:35-36
Mark 12 [34.] When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from God’s Kingdom.” No one dared ask him any question after that.
Mark 12 [35.] Jesus responded, as he taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? For David himself said in the Holy Spirit,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet.”’
Mark 12 [37.] Therefore David himself calls him Lord, so how can he be his son?” The common people heard him gladly.
Meaning:
For two days Jesus had been questioned in the temple courts: about his authority, about taxes, about the resurrection and about the greatest commandment. After he told a sincere scribe, “You are not far from God’s Kingdom,” Mark says, “No one dared ask him any question after that” (Mark 12:34). Now Jesus takes the initiative and asks a question of his own. It concerns the identity of the Messiah, and so, without saying it openly, it concerns himself. Matthew records that he put it to the Pharisees directly and that they could not answer (Matthew 22:41-45).
- “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?”
“Christ” is the Greek form of “Messiah”, the Anointed One. Everyone agreed that the Messiah would be a descendant of King David. God had promised David, “I will set up your offspring after you, who will proceed out of your body, and I will establish his kingdom” (2 Samuel 7:12). The prophets repeated the promise: “A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:1), and “I will raise to David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king” (Jeremiah 23:5).
The scribes were right, and Jesus did not deny it. Blind Bartimaeus had called out to him, “Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47), and the crowds at his entry into Jerusalem had shouted, “Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming in the name of the Lord!” (Mark 11:10). But for many, “son of David” meant a warrior king like David, who would drive out the Romans and restore Israel’s political glory. Jesus’ question shows that this title, though true, was far too small.
- “For David himself said in the Holy Spirit”
Jesus quoted Psalm 110, which bears the heading “By David”. He affirmed both that David wrote it and that he wrote it “in the Holy Spirit”, that is, as a prophet speaking God’s word. Peter used the same psalm on the day of Pentecost: “For David didn’t ascend into the heavens, but he says himself, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit by my right hand”’” (Acts 2:34). Because the words came from the Spirit, they carried God’s authority, and every detail in them mattered.
- “The Lord said to my Lord”
In the Hebrew of the psalm the first “Lord” is God’s own name: “Yahweh says to my Lord” (Psalm 110:1). The second is a title of honour, used for a master or king. So David, the greatest king of Israel, speaks of someone he calls “my Lord”, whom God invites to share his throne.
This was the puzzle. In Israel a father or ancestor was honoured by his descendants, not the other way round. No king would call his own great-grandson “my Lord”. If the Messiah was only David’s descendant, why would David bow before him? The psalm shows that the Messiah is greater than David, a Lord whom David himself worships.
- “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet”
To sit at a king’s right hand meant to share his authority and honour. A footstool was a picture of total victory, for conquered enemies were put under the victor’s feet. Psalm 110:1 is quoted or echoed in the New Testament more often than any other Old Testament verse, because the first Christians saw it fulfilled in Jesus.
Jesus applied it to himself at his trial: “You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power” (Mark 14:62). After his resurrection and ascension he took that seat. Hebrews says that “he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; from that time waiting until his enemies are made the footstool of his feet” (Hebrews 10:12-13). Paul adds, “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death” (1 Corinthians 15:25-26).
The Significance of Mark 12:35-36
- Jesus is more than a national hero
Many wanted a Messiah who would solve their political problems. Jesus is the Lord whom even David worshipped, and his kingdom is far greater than any earthly cause.
- Christ reigns now
Jesus is not waiting to become king. He is already seated at God’s right hand, and history is moving toward the day when every enemy, including death, is under his feet.
- Scripture reveals Christ
Jesus read the Psalms as speaking about himself. We understand the Old Testament best when we see how it points to him.
Cross-References:
Psalm 110:1: "Yahweh says to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet.”" The psalm Jesus quoted.
2 Samuel 7:12-13: "I will set up your offspring after you, who will proceed out of your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." God’s promise of a son of David.
Acts 2:36: "Let all the house of Israel therefore know certainly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." Peter’s conclusion from Psalm 110.
Hebrews 10:12-13: "but he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; from that time waiting until his enemies are made the footstool of his feet." Christ seated at God’s right hand.
Conclusion: Teaching in the temple, Jesus asked how the scribes could call the Messiah the son of David, when David, speaking by the Holy Spirit in Psalm 110, called him “my Lord” and heard God invite him to sit at his right hand until his enemies became his footstool. The Messiah is indeed David’s descendant, but he is also David’s Lord. The question pointed to Jesus himself, who now reigns at the right hand of God until every enemy, even death, is defeated.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible