The Whole Story: A Life in God's Kingdom, Part ThreeSample

Daily Reflection: Mark 12:35 takes an exciting turn in this portion of the book of Mark. The narrative moves from Jesus being questioned to Jesus now doing all the asking. In this setting, Jesus looks to the teachers and Pharisees of the day and asks them, “whose son is the Messiah.” The punchline to this joke is that the answer to the question was standing right in front of them! In quoting Psalm 110, Jesus points to the Godly nature of this son, while the reference to David points to the human nature of this son. The Messiah is fully God and fully man – the Messiah was standing right in front of them. Thus, Jesus takes this opportunity to warn the teachers. If they can’t understand what they see with their eyes, how are they to understand the Father?

Daily Demonstration: This episode in the book of Mark provides insight into a crucial aspect of Jesus’ character. Jesus is committed to his people coming to the revelation of him on their own. All of the signs are there, but people must have skin in the game – loyalty is theirs to declare. Analyze the people in your world. How many of them have all the signs in front of them, but have not taken a step? Consider sparking a conversation. Consider also serving them in some way. Looking to Jesus as the model, do not rebuke, but instead love generously and compassionately.