“Therefore
David himself calls him Lord, so how can he be his son?” The common people heard him gladly.
Mark 12:37
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.
Mark 12 [38.] In his teaching he said to them, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes, and to get greetings in the marketplaces, and the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts: those who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”
Meaning:
Jesus had asked the crowd in the temple how the scribes could call the Messiah the son of David, when David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, said, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand’” (Mark 12:35-36). In this verse he presses the point home, and Mark records how the ordinary people responded.
- “Therefore David himself calls him Lord”
David was Israel’s greatest king, the man after God’s own heart, the founder of the royal line. Yet in Psalm 110 he speaks of the coming Messiah as “my Lord” (Psalm 110:1). The king bows to someone greater than himself. Whoever the Messiah is, he is not merely another king in David’s line.
- “So how can he be his son?”
Jesus left the question hanging, and Matthew notes that no one could answer it (Matthew 22:41-46). The answer is that the Messiah is both. He is David’s son by human descent, and he is David’s Lord because he comes from God. The angel told Mary, “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David” (Luke 1:32). Isaiah foresaw a child born “on David’s throne” whose name would be called “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6-7). The risen Jesus says, “I am the root and the offspring of David” (Revelation 22:16): the root from which David came, and the descendant who came from David.
Jesus did not spell out the answer, but within days he would. When the high priest asked, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”, he replied, “I am. You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power” (Mark 14:62), using the very words of Psalm 110.
- “The common people heard him gladly”
Literally, “the great crowd” listened to him with delight. The leaders had been silenced and embarrassed, but ordinary people enjoyed hearing Jesus speak with such wisdom and authority. Earlier in his ministry the crowds were astonished because “he taught them with authority, and not like the scribes” (Matthew 7:28-29).
Yet Mark uses the same expression of King Herod, who heard John the Baptist “gladly” but still had him killed (Mark 6:20). Jesus had warned that some “receive it with joy” but “have no root in themselves” (Mark 4:16-17). Before the week was over, a crowd in Jerusalem would cry, “Crucify him!” (Mark 15:13). Hearing gladly is a good beginning, but it must lead to faith and obedience.
The Significance of Mark 12:37
- Jesus is both Son and Lord
Jesus is truly human, born into David’s family, and truly divine, the Lord whom David worshipped. Every knee will bow and “every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:11).
- Gladness must become faith
It is possible to enjoy Jesus’ teaching without submitting to him. The right response to the Lord of David is worship and obedience.
Cross-References:
Revelation 22:16: "I am the root and the offspring of David; the Bright and Morning Star." Jesus is both David’s root and his descendant.
Luke 1:32: "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David" Son of David and Son of the Most High.
Mark 6:20: "When he heard him, he did many things, and he heard him gladly." Herod heard John gladly, but did not repent.
Conclusion: Jesus concluded his question about Psalm 110: if David calls the Messiah “Lord”, how can he be only David’s son? The answer is that the Messiah is both David’s descendant and David’s Lord, the Son of God who would sit at God’s right hand. The ordinary people listened to Jesus with delight, yet the passage reminds us that gladly hearing him must grow into faith that confesses him as Lord.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible