Then Jesus said to them, “Why is it said that the Messiah is the son of David? David himself declares in the Book of Psalms: “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” ’ David calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”

–Parallel verses:
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬-‭14‬
… he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Mysteries are addicting and there are many mysteries that we mystery fanatics follow: Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, and, more recently, police crime and special paramilitary operations adventures. All of these captivate us because of the mystery of the unknown.

What makes mysteries fun is trying to figure out how they are going to end, right? Usually we get rewarded with finding this out at the end of a book or a movie.

God loves a good mystery too! And he has highlighted a few of these for us surrounding his Son, Jesus Christ.

The mystery presented in this passage is one that the Pharisees and teachers of the law may not have even noticed before? How is it that the Messiah is said to be a son (descendant) of David, yet David says the Messiah is his Lord? Crazy, huh?

Jesus was foreshadowing the mysterious way God would redeem his people. John 1:1 says: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” ‭‭It later equates “the Word” with Jesus. So, basically, Jesus was with God at creation, yet born as a human. This is still hard for my human brain to fully comprehend.

We find a twist on this mystery in the passage in Ephesians, how God brought everything in creation under one head, namely Jesus Christ! So first we have the Lord of the Universe, who created everything with God his Father, being born as a baby. Then, he is going to bring all things together under Jesus Christ. WOW!

How is God doing this? It is because of the shed blood of Jesus, our sacrificial lamb. He paid the price for our sins and rose again victorious over sin and death. There is now a way to God through the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ!

What will it look like when Jesus Christ comes again? What will we experience when he calls his faithful believers to heaven? These are parts of the age-old mystery yet to be fully revealed. God wants you to be a part of the greatest mystery in life: how he redeems mankind and, through Jesus, they are declared righteous. And then he creates in them his fruits of goodness through the work of his Spirit. It is a mystery still waiting to be brought to conclusion!

Lord, thank you for the part I get to play in the eternal mystery of your plan of salvation for us. It is so exciting and motivating to wake up each day and see the people I get to befriend, bless, and serve along the way! Fill me to overflowing with your joy today and may the fountain of your grace in my heart never stop flowing!