35 And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? 36 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.”’
37 David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly. 38 And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces 39 and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40 who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
At the beginning of Mark's gospel, there is a familiar and beautiful episode. Jesus walked on the shore of Galilee and saw Peter, Andrew, James, and John engaged in fishermen’s business. He called them:
“Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17)
Jesus would do the work of turning these men, as well as others, into something else. He would make them into disciples, into messengers, into true followers.
For this to occur, quite a bit of reprogramming was necessary. The scribes and Pharisees had defined true devotion to God for the populace for many years. But Jesus would not turn his followers into Pharisees. He had other plans.
And in his words, he demonstrated how the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes weren't fit for his kingdom. They were not bearing the marks of Christ-followers.
In his confrontation with these men, we can glean lessons on what a Christ-follower isn't by putting them in the positive. We will see what the religious leaders weren't in an attempt to discover what Jesus' people can be by the power of the Holy Spirit.
1. A Christ-Follower Calls Jesus Lord
David knew the coming King would be Lord of all. He knew he was subject to the One who came after him. And Christ-followers today believe Jesus is Lord.
We know he came and died a brutal death in our place, rising from the grave so that all who believe in him would receive forgiveness of all sin. He came to bring us home to God, and that happens through his feat of the cross.
So, with David, we see Jesus as the Lord. He has earned this position because of who he is and what he has done. As God, it is his rightful place. And as Savior, it is his rightful place. He must be the Lord of our lives.
Enemies Under Your Feet
But this leads me to another attribute of a Christ-follower. For this next point, notice David's quotation. David heard God tell the Christ, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet" (36). The day would come when the Messiah would sit on Father God's right hand and wait for the subjection of all his enemies.
Their Anticipation
Israelites in Jesus' day were certainly waiting for victory over all their earthly enemies. They craved a day when the Messiah would drive out all foreign powers -- like the Roman government -- and set up Israel as a superpower.
But David's Psalm should have tipped them off to something beyond an earthly kingdom. The son of David, David's Lord, the Christ, would one day sit at the Father's right hand, waiting for complete and total victory over all his enemies.
This speaks of the nature of Christ's first coming. He came, suffered and died, rose from the grave, and ascended, all without establishing Israel as a superpower. Instead, he sat at the right hand of the Father, where he now awaits the visible coming of his kingdom and the subjection of every enemy that is out of step with him.
2. A Christ-Follower Looks Beyond Earth's Kingdoms
Since Jesus is God the Son, and since he departed earth and sat at the Father's right hand, his kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). He did not come to establish a visible nation or kingdom, but an invisible and spiritual one.
And, as Daniel said, one day, Jesus will return, and:
"...the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever... (Daniel 2:44)
In our day, it is easy to get caught up in the turmoil of the nations, including our own. But this turmoil is to be expected. And though we are called to pray and work for the betterment of our nation, we also look beyond it to the kingdom that has no end.
"But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself." (Philippians 3:20–21)
David Himself, in the Holy Spirit
The third mark of a Christ-follower comes from a comment Jesus made before he quoted David. He said, "David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared" the passage from Psalm 110 (36).
Notice that phrase. Jesus considered Psalm 110 to be written by David but also by the Holy Spirit. The insinuation is that God moved David along to write, that God is the true author of Psalm 110, and that he inspired his authors to write Scripture.
As Paul said:
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…" (2 Timothy 3:16)
Or, as Peter said:
"...men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:21)
And God inspired the authors of Scripture. He carried them along by his Spirit to pen the precise words he wanted written. It isn't only the general thoughts of Scripture, but the very words that God inspires (1 Corinthians 2:13 -- "words...which the Holy Spirit teaches").
3. A Christ-Follower Believes Scripture Is Inspired by God
Someone might choose not to believe this about the Bible, but my point is that Jesus thought this way about Scripture. And he is the One who rose from the dead. Personally, he gets my vote. I am going to side with him.
38 And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces 39 and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40 who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
Beware of the Scribes
This is a summary of Jesus' lambasting of the religious leaders. Matthew gave the expanded version.
His words were direct and sharp. Some might object to such forcefulness, but Jesus saw the behavior of the scribes and Pharisees in the way an oncologist sees cigarettes. They were dangerous for his people, so Jesus called them out.
Long Robes
The first thing he said was that the scribes liked to walk around in long robes (38). This is a reference to the long, white linen garments that priests, scribes, and Levites wore in that era.
They also might have specially modified their garments. God had told ancient Israel to put blue tassels on the corners of their garments to differentiate them as God's people (Numbers 15:38). It's possible these religious leaders had made enormous tassels for their robes.
And God had also told Israel to bind the Scripture to their heads and wrists. Some went so far as to produce little boxes called phylacteries that contained Bible verses or passages. In another place, Jesus said these religious people made "their phylacteries broad and their fringes long" (Matthew 23:5). So you can picture these religious leaders going around with huge robes, huge tassels, and huge boxes on their heads. It was all meant to communicate how super-duper-godly they were.
At Halloween, people dress up in all kinds of costumes. For instance, this past year, there were lots of Mandalorians invading our spaceport. But the costume didn't make any of them a tough bounty hunter from a far-away galaxy. No, it's just a costume.
Anyone can put on a religious costume, but that doesn't make you spiritual. These religious leaders had a godly look, but they weren't inwardly devoted to God.
Next week, we will look at the final three marks of a Christ-follower in part two.