Tag Archives: your enemies

DAVID’S SON

Christian Life, ,

DAVID’S SON

“Then He put a question to them. ‘How is it that they say that the Messiah is David’s son? In the book of Psalms, David clearly says,

“God says to my Master,

‘Sit here at my right hand

until I put your enemies under your feet.'”

“David designates the Messiah as ‘my Master’ — so how can the Messiah also be his son?'” Luke 20:41-44 (The Message).

That got them!

This was no trick question. The one thing that stuck in the throats of His religious opponents was that Jesus, an obviously perfectly ordinary human being, whom they rejected because to them He was only the son of Joseph and Mary, was claiming to be the Son of God. This was blasphemy, and blasphemy was punishable by death.

Had the claim come from anyone else, they would have had every reason to have him tried and executed, but from Jesus…that was another story. They had all the evidence they needed but they refused to examine it objectively. Jesus was a man; He was claiming to be God; He must die.

Their questions were designed to trick Him into incriminating Himself either by contradicting Moses or teaching something treasonable against Rome. Jesus was too smart to be outwitted by these religious ‘experts’ who were ignorant of the truths concealed in their ‘Law’.

So, He asked them a question, one that would get them to the crux of their issue with Him. ‘Who are you?’ they kept asking.  Moses, David…these were the heroes of their religion. What they said went. What the religious leaders failed to realise was that Moses and David wrote about Him and what they said accurately presented Him.

David’s statement, quoted from Psalm 110:1, highlights two of Jesus’ qualifications which they refused to believe and which, incidentally, are still rejected by some sects today. Two phrases are glaringly contradictory — ‘my (David’s) Master’ and ‘his (David’s) son.’ That was a teaser for the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and one which focuses on one of the central truths of our faith.

The Bible clearly teaches that Messiah was fully God and fully man. He is both David’s Master and his son. He is God and He is man of the lineage of David, Israel’s greatest king and the model of kingship in the Old Testament. Therefore, Jesus is the rightful king of Israel even though the religious leaders refused to acknowledge Him.

In His own masterful question, Jesus’ answer to their persistent interrogation, ‘Who are you?’ was always the same. ‘The evidence is right in front of you. You decide.’

This is the question that everyone must answer for themselves. Our eternal destiny depends on it. ‘Who do you say that I am?’ Even if we ignore the question, we have still answered it. Whether willingly or reluctantly, this will be our final response:

“And being found in appearance as a man,

He humbled Himself

and became obedient to death —

even death on a cross!

Therefore, God exalted Him to the highest place

and gave Him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord

to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:8-11 (NIV).

Guess what! Even the devil himself will bow on that day, and that will seal his final doom and the doom of those who refused to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord! That was their choice.

What’s yours?

TOO LATE

Christian Life, ,

TOO LATE

“When the city came into view, He wept over it. ‘If you had only recognised this day, and everything that was good for you! But now it’s too late. In the days ahead your enemies are going to bring up their heavy artillery and surround you, pressing in from every side. They’ll smash you and your babies on the pavement. Not one stone will be left intact. All because you didn’t recognise and welcome God’s personal visit.'” Luke 19:41-44 (The Message).

“To late!” These are the saddest and most terrifying words ever to fall on human ears! They have been said and will be said in every kind of circumstance, Sometimes they are no more serious than a missed appointment or a missed flight, and can be remedied with a little inconvenience.

But what about those who heard Jesus’ words and witnessed His tears on that day when He rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey to declare His right to rule over the hearts of people? Did they even understand or heed what He said?

This incident gives us a glimpse into the heart of God and into the absolute justice of His justice. Because He built into every human being the right and freedom to choose, it follows that every choice we make has consequences, and those consequences are the natural result of our choices.

We don’t like that because we don’t want to take responsibility for what we choose and what follows our choices. We prefer to blame someone else, usually God when some catastrophe overtakes us. A drunken driver causes a serious accident and it’s God’s fault, as though He were behind the wheel of the offending vehicle! An unwanted pregnancy follows irresponsible behaviour and the hapless girl cries, ‘Why did God let this happen?’ as though she were a helpless pawn in His hands!

Jesus saw the terrible destruction of Jerusalem, at the hands of the Romans, looming on the horizon and He wept at the horror of it, knowing that it was unnecessary and avoidable if only His people would have listened to Him, but now it was too late!

The justice of God’s judgment lies in the choices we make. He is not like a heartless tyrant who feels nothing for those he oppresses. He always makes our options clear to us and warns us of the consequences if we choose our own way. The Bible is littered with warnings about the consequences of disobedience.

God treats us like responsible people. He does not beg or cajole. He tells us the truth and warns of the consequences of disregarding His words with the understanding that we listen to Him and heed His words because He does not lie and is true to His own nature.      

Israel was a nation with a tragic history of the consequences of defying God’s warnings. Through the prophet Ezekiel He had this to say to them: “The word of the Lord came to me, ‘Son of man, this is what the Lord says to the land of Israel: The end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land. The end is now upon you and I will unleash my anger against you. I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices. I will not look upon you with pity or spare you…Then you will know that I am the Lord.'” Ezekiel 7:1-4 (NIV).

Only once in history did God come to earth in person to show us what He is really like. He created man in His own image to represent Him on earth but man chose his own way and created a false and distorted picture of God. Throughout history, man made up false religions and worshipped idols that show what man is like.

This was Israel’s opportunity to come back to the truth so that God’s people could become His true representatives again. But they blew it, preferring their own way to the way of truth Jesus taught and demonstrated. They killed him for it, not realising that His very death was the crown of His revelation of God’s true nature. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” John 3:16,17 (NIV). 

So what option does God have but to give us what we choose? That’s the justest justice ever! Right down to our eternal destiny He says, ‘These are the facts. These are the options. You choose.’