Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

Read Luke 20:41-44.
TEXT: "David calls Him Lord, so how is He
his Son?" (Luke 20:44).

Jesus has completely silenced His enemies,
easily evading their traps. Now it's His turn to
ask the questions and show the priests and
scribes-those who are considered experts in
the Old Testament-how little they truly
understand of God's Word.

The scribes readily accept that the Messiah
is David's Son, a human. For them the hard
leap is the transition from thinking of the
Messiah as a mere man to believing He is
God's Son. But Jesus starts on the other
side. First establishing from Psalm 110:1
that the Christ is David's Lord, Jesus asks
how God's almighty Son can possibly be
human?

Jesus is revealing the very heart of the Old
Testament, which the scribes had missed
despite all their careful study. The promised
Savior is the Son of God, begotten of His
Heavenly Father from eternity, before all
creation. But here in time God's Son
became human by the miraculous power of
the Holy Spirit, when He was conceived of
the Virgin Mary. This should sound familiar.
Jesus is talking about the mystery of
Christmas!

But that Baby lying in the manger was not
just Mary's human child; He was God's own
eternal Son, who had become human. That
is the reason the angels proclaimed His birth,
and the reason the wise men bowed down to
worship Him. Being human He could submit
Himself to God's Law and earn our home in
heaven by His perfect obedience. And since
He is human He could take our sins upon
Himself and suffer and die. Since the Christ
is also God's Son, His suffering and death
will suffice for all humans of all time.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, we thank You for humbling
Yourself to leave Your glorious throne, for
becoming human, and for saving us from
our sins. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries(