Give Peace A Chance

As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said, “How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said: The Lord said to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies under your feet.’ David himself calls him ‘lord’; so how is he his son?” The great crowd heard this with delight. (Mark 12:35-37)

We all would like to sit at the Lord’s right hand.  In that way our enemies would be placed under our feet.  That doesn’t sound like “love your neighbor.”  That doesn’t appear consistent with forgiveness.  

This is a difficult passage to understand.  It includes part of Psalm 110. The Jews believed this psalm referred to the coming of the Messiah. 

According to scholar William Barclay, “Jesus is doing here what he so constantly tried to do.  He is trying to take from men’s minds their idea of a conquering warrior Messiah who would found an earthly empire.  He is seeking to put into them the idea of a Messiah who would to be the servant of God and bring to men [and women] the love of God.”  

We all need to sit at Jesus’s right hand, but not place our enemies under our feet.  Perhaps we should keep them at arm’s distance; try to understand their anger/hated towards us; and then reconcile to the extent that we can.  The Holy Spirit inspires us to give peace a chance.

Deacon David Pierce