If you turn in your bibles to Mark 12:35-37, you will encounter a few short scriptures that can be a powerful witness to those who question the divinity of Jesus.

Yeshua Jesus reveals so much information in just these few sentences.

The religious leaders at that time were expecting a messiah to come defeat the Roman government.  Just like today, many are looking for a political leader to come in and fix our problems.  Have you noticed Donald Trump’s political platform being shared everywhere on facebook? People are looking to him for hope for this country, and if you recall, it wasn’t too long ago that we saw the same enthusiasm for Obama.

Here in Mark 12 starting in verse 35 Yeshua is explaining something they couldn’t quite seem to grasp.

Little did they know, the Messiah wasn’t going to enter into politics, but He had a destiny which was SO much more than that.  Yeshua Jesus points back to Psalm 110, a book they held in high regard.

Psalm 110 : The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” The LORD.

So here in Mark 12 He was pointing to scripture that revealed that the Messiah would be 1st, a son, ( a man ), but also would be “Lord”, ( meaning God )

Also we see, He reveals that Holy Spirit was the one who inspired the writings of David.

Then, …..this passage also reveals that the Messiah would be sitting at the right hand of the Father.

AND FINALLY….  in this short passage we see the “trinity” as it is coined (The Father, The Son, And The Holy Spirit ) mentioned all together.

Why Does This Scripture Sound So Complicated And Hard To Understand?  

In the New Testament we see the phrase ……Yeshua as the “son of David” all over the place. But the natural question arises, “How could Jesus be the son of David if David lived approximately 1,000 years before Jesus?”

Beyond a title, the other answer to that question is that Christ (the Messiah) fit the exact fulfillment of the prophecy of the “seed of David” found in 2 Samuel 7:14–16.

Yeshua Jesus fulfilled the prophecy that He would be that son born through the lineage of King David.  Two lineages are mentioned.  One in Matthew, and the other in Luke.

Matthew’s Genealogy was a clear reference to his right to inherit King David’s throne.  Kingdoms were passed down from the father to the son, so we see in Matthew 1, listing out long, hard to pronounce names because it shows genealogical proof that Yeshua, was a direct descendant of Abraham and David through Joseph, Yeshua’s legal father.

So way back in 2 Sam 7:12-17 God tells David (through the prophet Nathan) that David’s kingdom would remain forever and his royal line would go through the son who would build the (temple) house of God. This son of David is Solomon, is found in 1Chr 22:7-10. Matthew’s genealogy mentions Solomon as well as the kings after him, and this concludes that Yeshua had the legal right to David’s throne which passed down to Joseph who adopted Jesus.

The genealogy in Luke 3 is slightly different, and the reason for that is this lineage through His mother Mary. Jesus is a descendant of David by adoption through Joseph BUT by blood through Mary.

There was a reason why the “wise men ” came bearing gifts at His birth.  It wasn’t a mystery to everyone who His identity was.  These men were actually government officials from Parthia, who knew that Yeshua could be a candidate to hold the throne.  They came bearing gifts, because they knew He could very well hold a title some day.  So He could be a king in the natural, and today is Our King the scriptures talk about.  The Messianic King.

That long list of names was recorded for all generations to see the evidence which proves Yeshua fulfilled this prophecy.

Is Jesus a descendant of both David and Solomon?

Genealogy of Jesus, Jesus family tree – Complete Bible

So back to the Mark….  the original scripture we were discussing…..

Within these few sentences, we see Yeshua addressing that the Messiah would be God, according to the very scriptures they held in high regard.  In addition, God the Messiah (God in the flesh) would be sitting next to God the Father, and that the Holy Spirit, is God was the one who inspired the writings .

Jesus’ point in asking the question of Mark 12:35 was that the Messiah is more than the physical son of David. If He is David’s Lord, He must be greater than King David. As Jesus says in Revelation 22:16, “I am the Root and the Offspring of David.” That is, He is both the Creator of David and the Descendant of David. Only the Son of God made flesh could say that.

So again, to sum it up, you can see, that Yeshua explains that the Messiah was, and is God, and that HE had the legal right to be the Messiah.

Second Temple Model at the Israel Museum. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins- ferrelljenkins.wordpress.com

Jesus Christ With Pharisees, lds.org

Here Is What I Found Thought Provoking……..

Take some time to read how this whole conversation plays out, starting in verse 11 of Mark.  It is quite an interesting read.  Yeshua walks through the temple, and it is there that the Scribes and the Chief Priests and those who held powerful positions try to corner Him by asking him tricky questions.  You have to understand they know what He has been claiming, and I can only imagine EVERYONE is listening to His answers.

The way I imagine it in my head was these were NOT private conversations Yeshua had, but rather a pin drop could be heard on the floor of the temple, because everyone wanted to hear his responses.

He answers their questions with such intellect, and in reading through the scriptures, you will find that in many of the conversations Yeshua had with the religious elite, He was not impressed by the way they lived out the scriptures. In many instances Yeshua insulted them right to their faces.

For example, imagine you started a world wide business and happened to be visiting your international headquarters and those who claimed to represent you did a despicable job of running the company.  Upon your arrival, those who were in charge, didn’t even take notice that you were the president and CEO.  They lead millions in your name.  How would you handle that?

In the scriptures we read that these leaders followed Yeshua around, overlooking what He was doing through out His ministry journeys.  After observing Him, they understood His claims, and it profoundly upset them. One could only speculate what they were thinking.  At first, they looked on with curiosity, and over time, it outraged them to the point when they picked up stones, and were ready to kill Him.

Another set of scriptures talk about this interplay between the religious leadership and Yeshua.  In John starting in verse 7, all the way through 10 you can read about the confrontations He had with those in authority.  Yeshua proclaims who He was, and you can read how they wouldn’t accept it.  Here are some examples of what Yeshua claimed between those few chapters:

“Then said they unto Him, Where is your Father?  Yeshua answered, you neither know Me, nor my Father: If you had known Me, you should have known my Father also” 

“For I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent me”

“I go my way, and you shall seek me, and shall die in your sins, where I go, you cannot come”  (They rejected Him.  They want the Father, but cannot have the Father without the son)

“I do nothing of myself, but as My Father has taught me, I speak these things”

“He who has sent Me, is with Me”

” If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I procceded forth and came from God”

“Yeshua said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM”  (Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.)

“My sheep hear my voice, and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life”

“I and MY Father are ONE”

“Then when the Jews took up stones to stone Him, Yeshua answered, Many good works have I showed you from my Father, for which one of these works do you stone me?  The Jews answered Him, saying, For good work we don’t stone you not, but for blasphemy, and because that YOU, being a man, make yourself God.” 

Those who claim that he didn’t say He was God are also fooling themselves.  Yeshua made it exceedingly clear, so much so, that a group of elite religious leaders picked up stones because they very much understood that He was claiming to be GOD In the flesh.

So there is absolutely NO debate on that issue.  If you cannot see it, I would suggest you READ through the scriptures because the topic of WHO HE WAS, and IS, which goes on for several chapters.

So back to the confrontation between Yeshua and the religious leaders in Mark 12…

Read how Yeshua takes the time to answer their questions.  He finds himself put on the spot, and asked questions to potentially humiliate him, but notice, He ENDS the discussion with asking THEM, who the Son of David is.  Yeshua throws a question back to them forcing them to admit what their hearts truly believe.

(You will notice that Yeshua often does this.  He asks questions of people in which He knows they know the answer to, only for them to make a decision with their hearts which direction they want to head.  Maybe He does this as a witness, so on judgement day they will be accountable)

The God they proclaimed to adore, and the beloved Messiah, who they were waiting for, was is standing before them in the flesh.  They know He claimed to be the Messiah, and goes on to give them historical PROOF that He was in fact held that title.  What do they do?  Sadly, they reject Him.  Yeshua exits the temple, (His rightful throne), and his disciples instead of commenting on what took place….they comment on how beautiful the temple is.

So, imagine this for a second…

Yeshua walks into the temple, has these heart breaking discussions with those who are in charge and in authority of leading His people to a greater relationship with Him, and they simply reject Him.

Finally, He pulls out the very scriptures they should know about Him, and STILL they reject Him. They reject Him over and over and over again.  He leaves the temple that He has resided in before His coming in the flesh, and His disciples don’t have a clue what is going on.  (I assume they didn’t have a clue, but I could be wrong).  They exit the temple, and remark on how stunning the stones are…  I can only imagine the conversation went along the lines of … ‘oh, did you see how beautiful such and such was’

They comment on how breathtaking things looked, (granted, it WAS one of the wonders of the world) but still not comprehending that the very man they exited with was WHO that grand building was set up for.  The leadership inside did all they did for God, yet He was right there in front of them, and they outright rejected Him.  Can you imagine being one of those religious leaders watching Yeshua exit the building?  I wonder if they thought to themselves, ‘was that REALLY God that just left?’   Yeshua then comments that the temple would be destroyed not too long after that.

Just like today, many will read these scriptures and either embrace the Messiah who did come or outright reject him.

Other Interesting Scriptures To Note:

Yeshua said that He existed before Abraham (John 8:58)

Yeshua said He was equal with the Father (John 5:17, 18)

Yeshua claimed to be the “I AM” in Exodus 3:14

Paul said that God was manifest in the flesh in 1st Timothy 3:16, and John said that “the Word was God” in (John 1:1). The writers of the New Testament said He was more than mere man; He was God.

Yeshua claimed the ability to forgive sins (Mark 2:5–7) …… something that God alone could do (Isaiah 43:25).

The New Testament regarded Yeshua as the creator of the universe (John 1:3).  Colossians 1:17 says Yeshua holds all things together.

The sign which Jesus Himself said would demonstrate that He was the Son of God, was His resurrection from the dead.  “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up… but he spake of the temple of his body” (John 2:19, 21). The ability to raise His life back from the dead was the very sign that separated Him from anyone else who has ever lived.