Reflection

Meditation: What kind of ruler does the world need today? Who
can establish true peace and justice? When the people of Israel settled
into the promised land, they wanted a king to unite and rule them like
the other nations around them. Their first king, Saul, failed to establish
a dynasty. But when David was annointed king God established a covenant
with him and promised that his dynasty would last forever. Among the Jews
the most common title for the Messiah (the Hebrew word for
Christ
or the Anointed One) was the Son of David. The Jews looked
forward to the long-expected Savior who would come from the line of David.
Jesus was often addressed with that title, especially by the crowds (Mark
10:47ff, Matthew 9:27; 12:23).
Why did Jesus question the Jews on the claim that their Messiah or Christ
would be the son of David? After all the New Testament makes clear that
Jesus himself is a direct descendant from the line of David's throne (Romans
1:3, 2 Timothy 2:8, Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 3:23-38). Jesus posed the question
to make his hearers understand that the Messiah is more than the son of
David. Jesus makes his point in dramatic fashion by quoting from one of
David's prophetic psalms, Psalm 110: The
Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I put your enemies under
your feet. How can the son be the lord of his father? Jesus,
who took upon himself our human nature for our sake, is not only the son
of David, he is first and foremost the Son of God eternally begotten of
the Father. The Messiah King whom God promised to send would not only come
from David's line, but would be greater than any earthy ruler who came
before or would come after. Jesus claimed a sovereignty that only God can
claim – a sovereignty that extends not only to the ends of the earth but
to the heavens as well. But the way Jesus would establish his kingdom was
far different from any of the expectations of the tiny nation of Israel.
Jesus came to rule hearts and minds, not lands and entitlements. He came
to free people from the worst tyranny possible – slavery to sin, Satan,
and a world ruled by greed and lust for power and wealth.
Paul the Apostle states that no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except
by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). It is the role of the Holy
Spirit to make the Lord Jesus present and known in our lives. We can accept
the Lord Jesus or reject him, love him or ignore him. He will not force
his rule upon us. But the consequences of our choice will not only shape
our present life but our destiny as well. What does it mean to acknowledge
that Jesus is Lord? The word lord
means <span
style="font-style: italic;">ruler or <span
style="font-style: italic;">king
– the one who is owed fealty and submission. The Lord and Master of our
lives is the person or thing we give our lives over to and submit to in
a full way. We can be ruled by many things – our possessions, the love
of money, our unruly passions, alcohol, drugs, and other forms of addictions.
Only one Lord and Master can truly set us free to love and serve others
selflessly and to be loved as God intended from the beginning. When we
acknowledge that Jesus is Lord we invite him to be the king of our heart,
master of our home, our thoughts, our relationships, and everything we
do. Is the Lord Jesus the true king and master of your heart and do you
give him free reign in every area of your life?
"Lord Jesus, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of David and
the Son of God. You are my Lord and I willingly submit myself to
your rule in my life. Be Lord and King of my life, my thoughts, heart,
home, relationships, work, and all that I do."
This reflection is courtesy of Don Schwager (c) 2012, whose website is located at http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings

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Robin K Brookes
69 Beresford Road
LOWESTOFT
NR32 2NQ  UK