https://youtu.be/KOKGhGYNa7U

How did the scribes claim that the Christ is the Son of David? In chapter 12 of Saint Mark’s Gospel, the Jewish leaders try to trip Jesus up in order to curb his growing popularity among the people. In Tuesday’s Gospel, for example, the Pharisees ask Jesus, “Who deserves our first loyalties? God or Caesar?”

On Wednesday, the Sadducees challenge Him on the resurrection with their convoluted, hypothetical question about a woman married seven times. Yesterday, a scribe asked Jesus, “What is the greatest commandment of all?” Jesus answers each challenge with a clear insight into the love and mercy of God. Today, Jesus challenges the traditional understanding of the Messiah as a descendant of David.

How can the Messiah be a descendant of David the King when David himself refers to the Messiah in Psalm 110 as “my Lord?” Jesus poses this conundrum to His inquisitors not to undermine their sense of tradition, but to see beyond it. To understand that the Messiah comes not just for the sake of Judaism, but for all of humankind.