“How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David?”
The full verse · Mark 12:35 · KJV
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Asked by
Jesus: the Son of God and promised Messiah, teaching in the temple after no one dared ask Him any more questions (Mark 12:34-35)
Asked to
Crowd: the people listening as Jesus taught in the temple, called "the common people" who "heard him gladly" (Mark 12:37); Matthew says the question was put to the Pharisees gathered there (Matthew 22:41-42)
The Scene
In the temple, after the scribe's question and after "no man after that durst ask him any question," Jesus turns and asks a question of His own as He teaches (Mark 12:34-35).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionHis questioners had gone quiet, so Jesus raised the question that mattered most: who is the Christ? The scribes taught, rightly, that the Christ would be the Son of David. Jesus does not deny that. He asks how they can say only that, when David himself calls the Christ "my Lord" (Mark 12:36). The question pushes His hearers past a title they all accepted toward a truth they had not faced. Matthew Henry explains the answer the question points to: the Christ "should be the Son of God, and, as such, and not otherwise, David's Lord."
The Response
What Scripture recordsJesus answers by quoting David: "For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool" (Mark 12:36). Then He presses the point: "David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son?" (Mark 12:37). Mark records no answer from the scribes, only that "the common people heard him gladly." Matthew adds that "no man was able to answer him a word" (Matthew 22:46).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsThe scribes were the experts who taught the law. Their teaching that the Christ would be "the Son of David" matches the answer the Pharisees give in Matthew 22:42. The verse Jesus quotes is Psalm 110:1. Jesus says David spoke it "by the Holy Ghost" (Mark 12:36). In that psalm "The LORD" (God) speaks to David's "Lord" and invites Him to sit at His right hand. It was striking for David, the great king, to call his own descendant "my Lord."
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThis question is about the identity of Jesus. The Christ is truly David's son, born in David's royal line. But He is also David's Lord, seated at God's right hand. Gill sums up the answer the scribes did not give: "The Messiah was God, as well as man."
Jesus asks this in the temple, days before the cross, about the teaching of the very leaders who would reject Him. He does not shout His claim; He opens their own Scripture and lets it speak. After His resurrection Peter preached the same psalm, saying David "is not ascended into the heavens" but spoke of the Lord at God's right hand (Acts 2:34-35).
Look Closer
What did the scribes teach about the Christ?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord Jesus, You are David's son and David's Lord; where have I settled for a smaller picture of You, and who do You want me to see You to be?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- The scribes had the right title for the Christ but not the whole truth. What are some ways people today hold a true but too-small view of Jesus?
- Jesus used Scripture to open a bigger view of Himself. Tell about a time a passage of the Bible changed how you saw Jesus.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
It is possible to say true things about Jesus and still miss who He is. The scribes were right that the Christ is the Son of David, but they stopped short. Jesus invites you to keep reading until you see Him as Lord.
Let His question shape how you speak of Him. He is near enough to be called a son of David, a man of real history and family. He is great enough that David called Him "my Lord." Both are true, and you need both.
This does not mean every honest question about Jesus is a sign of unbelief. Jesus Himself asked this question to help people see more, not less. Scripture's own application: Acts 2:34-36
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son?”
“What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he?”
“How say they that Christ is David's son?”
“David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son?”