The Master’s flawless insight into and persuasive explanation of Psalm 110 stunned the leadership into silence. Unfortunately, not into faith. If nothing in 3 ½ years convinced them, his brilliant exposition of David’s Psalm wouldn’t.
Their distrust of Jesus, beginning at the start of his Early Judean Ministry, continued as every issue surfaced the differences between them. More than a year before this confrontation their spiritual depravity considered him a stooge of Satan. The very idea brought Christ’s scathing rebuke, but didn’t change their view. Judas himself a year after this encounter had also become an activist tool of Satan against Jesus. And nothing changed his view. Indeed, on the very day Jesus confounded the leadership, they had determined to kill him Matthew 21:38-39. Today’s unbelievers usually take softer positions on Jesus, but nothing that leads them closer to his true Identity. While considering him a good man, maybe one of the best men ever to live, they flatly refuse to accept him as the God-in-the-Flesh MAN! That refusal characterized the leaders of his generation. Which is why they said NOTHING in reply to his question, “Whose son is the Christ?” Its trenchant edginess unsettled them. His clear, rational, logical interpretation of the Psalm posed the most unwelcome question possible: with him expressing sovereign powers of insight into their most sacred texts; with him brilliantly deciphering perhaps the most important of all prophecies of the Christ’s Identity, could he be the Lord whom God addressed through David? Indeed, was it even remotely possible that a mere mortal from Nazareth could BE the National Messiah and—even more incredible—the Son God sent for some mission beyond all their imaginations? Both ideas made them regurgitate: first, that a peasant should rule the aristocrats of Israel. (They conveniently ignored the peasant David being their greatest king. If he, why not his descendant Jesus of Nazareth?); second, since they couldn’t imagine God’s concern for Gentiles, they would never anticipate a role for Jesus, since they would never accept him as Messiah—and, even more distasteful and blasphemous—the Son of God, since they could never conceive of God having a Son. When spiritual innovation rammed into religious tradition, offering a new, better, superior way to God, tradition moved more persuasively. They sipped Christ’s wine, but swallowed none of it. For they considered “the old is better” Luke 5:37-39. It’s the same issue today. Many toy with Jesus, claiming him as this or that or the other thing, but braking to a halt before him being God-in-the-Flesh! They claim to respect Jesus. They say they admire Jesus. They even say they love Jesus. They won’t say they worship Jesus as the GOD-MAN! Leaving them merely infatuated with Jesus, and always secondary in their affection, not in love with him alone, whatever. Leaving them outside God’s grace, wanting to belong, but refusing to pay the admission price. Desiring the victory God assures all who believe in Jesus as his Son, but not willing to join the team. And, like the Pharisees, outside God’s Presence, in spiritual darkness, regretting that God hadn’t agreed with them; determined never to believe what God dictated. The mournful regret of Whittier’s poem is theirs, “For of all the sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these: ‘It might have been’”! Fini
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