Home > Jesus is God in Mark's Gospel
This is also mentioned in Matthew 21:33–46 and Luke 20:9–19.
Mark 12:35–37:
And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared,
“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’
David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.
This is the "apologetic bedrock" of the chapter. Jesus quotes Psalm 110:1: "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand...'" Jesus quotes Psalm 110:1 to show that the Messiah is not just David’s son, but David’s Lord (v. 35-37), implying a pre-existent and superior status. . The Messiah has a pre-existence and superiority to the greatest king of Israel. If He is David's Lord, He is David's God.
Jesus asks: If the Messiah is merely the "Son of David" (a human descendant), why does David, speaking by the Holy Spirit, call Him "my Lord"? In Middle Eastern culture, a father never calls his son "Lord."
For David to call a future descendant "Lord," that descendant must have existed in David's time and possessed a status superior to the greatest King of Israel. This claims a relationship of nature and essence rather than just a commission or office.
D.A. Carson and R.T. France point out that Jesus is forcing the scribes to admit that the Messiah is more than a political figure; He is a divine figure who shares the throne of Yahweh.
Theophylact (and later Aquinas) used this to prove the Two Natures of Christ: according to the flesh, He is David's Son; according to His divinity, He is David's Lord.