David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.
David under inspiration calls the coming Messiah Lord, showing He is far more than a mere man, even the divine Son of God, and the question of how He can be both David's descendant and David's Lord exposes whether hearers grasp His divinity, a question His opponents could not answer. The common people heard Him gladly because His teaching was simple, clear and plain, using familiar words and illustrations from everyday life to make truth living bread to young and old, learned and unlearned. That plain exposition of the Word stood against the obscure, high-sounding teaching of the scribes, who buried Scripture under fables, traditions and empty ceremony. He was heard gladly because His words carried a divine power and attractiveness no great men could equal, comforting and strengthening those longing for peace and lifting them to higher thought and action. While the poor and common people received His words of life, the nation's leaders largely rejected Him despite the evidence of His wisdom and power, trusting their own piety and clinging to traditions that closed their understanding.
David Calls Messiah Lord
David, speaking by the Spirit of inspiration, called the Messiah Lord, revealing that he is more than a man, the divine Son of God. Jesus posed the question of how the Messiah can be both David's son and descendant and also David's Lord, testing whether his hearers recognized his divinity. The Pharisees could not answer him. The title Son of David was given to the Messiah by prophecy. It was used by people appealing to Jesus for help and hailing him at his entry into Jerusalem.
Common People Heard Gladly
The gathering took place in the temple, where the common people crowded around to receive teaching. He stood there in coarse, travel-stained clothes among priests and rulers dressed in the signs of rank, yet faced adversaries calmly and with the authority of Heaven. He answered their challenges with clear truth, and that plain answering drew growing interest while leaving opponents confused and discredited.
His teaching was simple, clear, plain and readily understood, given in simple terms and familiar figures, symbols and illustrations drawn from nature and everyday life. He preached the gospel to the poor and made truth clear and living as bread from heaven, feeding spiritual hunger. Unlearned and learned alike could grasp it, young and old heard it gladly.
That plainness stood apart from the scribes and religious leaders, whose teaching was obscure and high-sounding. Their teaching relied on repeated fables, traditions and empty ceremonies, and buried Scripture beneath tradition and learned explanations. They scoffed at and criticized him even as ordinary people listened gladly.
His teaching was a clear exposition of the Word that unlocked Scripture and made it understandable as a living reality. It was free from human suppositions and fallacies, said nothing to gratify curiosity or to stimulate selfish ambition, and dealt in no abstract theories. He spoke what is essential to development of character, what enlarges capacity for knowing God and increases power to do good, truths relating to conduct of life and uniting man with eternity, and his word was with a power that astonished the people.
His example sets the rule for ministers and teachers to use words even the least educated can understand. Scripture is to be taught to children and youth with clear words, sympathy and love, and those who teach truth are to learn from the lessons he gave. Ministers are to be content to take the Word as he gave it and present pure Bible truth in its nobility and sanctity for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness, without straining after wonderful things to win human praise, without drawing passages so fine they lose their force, and without mingling erroneous theories with truth.
The common people heard gladly because his words had a power and attractiveness that the world's great men could not equal. Though he took human nature, his divinity flashed through humanity, and his superiority was revealed in education and discipline. His words comforted, strengthened and blessed those longing for the peace he alone could give, and lifted hearers to higher thought and action. His kindness and the relief he brought to sufferers through an unobtrusive ministry begun in childhood help explain their receptive response, and the presentation of truth had a power that unprejudiced hearers could not resist.
He was heard gladly because he sought to give knowledge to the ignorant and hope to the despairing, wisdom that makes wise unto salvation. He invited all who labor and are heavy laden to come for rest and peace, to exchange self-made, cumbersome, galling yokes and heavy worldly burdens and self-imposed burdens of worldly anxiety and care for his easy yoke and light burden. He did this as a suffering homeless Saviour in a world of his own, with no place to call home and nowhere to lay his head, imparting knowledge richer than the gold of Ophir and asking only that his words of life be accepted. That gracious voice of invitation comes down along the line to the present time, even when its value was not appreciated, with a drink of water from a stranger counted as full reward if his words were received and a tear of penitence evidencing contrition of soul esteemed.
He did not come to minister only to the highest grade of society, and the common people heard him gladly and appreciated his labors because their hearts were not engrossed with the things of the world and they could discern things of eternal value. Those touched by his Spirit who have had better opportunities for cultivation, refinement and nobility of character are debtors to those less favorably situated, to minister their benefits to the needy and open their treasures to them. In doing that work along the same lines they are brought into contact with the same kind of people who gladly heard him.
The common people and the poor gladly received him and his words of life, and because they listened gladly he spoke most fervently in the synagogues and also in the streets that all might have the light, communicating his great light to all, to the highest and also to the most lowly. Many priests and rulers believed in him. The nation's leaders, Pharisees, rulers, rabbis and chief priests rejected his instruction despite evidence of his wisdom and divine power, because they trusted their own piety and thought they had no need to be taught, claimed to be wise expositors yet had lost the true sense of the prophecies and closed their understanding through traditions and human teachings that obscured the Scriptures, and through prejudice refused to become his disciples. Their authority over people taught from childhood and the people's deference to religious teachers helped lead the nation to reject its Redeemer.
David under inspiration calls the coming Messiah Lord, showing He is far more than a mere man, even the divine Son of God, and the question of how He can be both David's descendant and David's Lord exposes whether hearers grasp His divinity, a question His opponents could not answer. The common people heard Him gladly because His teaching was simple, clear and plain, using familiar words and illustrations from everyday life to make truth living bread to young and old, learned and unlearned. That plain exposition of the Word stood against the obscure, high-sounding teaching of the scribes, who buried Scripture under fables, traditions and empty ceremony. He was heard gladly because His words carried a divine power and attractiveness no great men could equal, comforting and strengthening those longing for peace and lifting them to higher thought and action. While the poor and common people received His words of life, the nation's leaders largely rejected Him despite the evidence of His wisdom and power, trusting their own piety and clinging to traditions that closed their understanding.
David Calls Messiah Lord
David, speaking by the Spirit of inspiration, called the Messiah Lord, revealing that he is more than a man, the divine Son of God. Jesus posed the question of how the Messiah can be both David's son and descendant and also David's Lord, testing whether his hearers recognized his divinity. The Pharisees could not answer him. The title Son of David was given to the Messiah by prophecy. It was used by people appealing to Jesus for help and hailing him at his entry into Jerusalem.
Common People Heard Gladly
The gathering took place in the temple, where the common people crowded around to receive teaching. He stood there in coarse, travel-stained clothes among priests and rulers dressed in the signs of rank, yet faced adversaries calmly and with the authority of Heaven. He answered their challenges with clear truth, and that plain answering drew growing interest while leaving opponents confused and discredited.
His teaching was simple, clear, plain and readily understood, given in simple terms and familiar figures, symbols and illustrations drawn from nature and everyday life. He preached the gospel to the poor and made truth clear and living as bread from heaven, feeding spiritual hunger. Unlearned and learned alike could grasp it, young and old heard it gladly.
That plainness stood apart from the scribes and religious leaders, whose teaching was obscure and high-sounding. Their teaching relied on repeated fables, traditions and empty ceremonies, and buried Scripture beneath tradition and learned explanations. They scoffed at and criticized him even as ordinary people listened gladly.
His teaching was a clear exposition of the Word that unlocked Scripture and made it understandable as a living reality. It was free from human suppositions and fallacies, said nothing to gratify curiosity or to stimulate selfish ambition, and dealt in no abstract theories. He spoke what is essential to development of character, what enlarges capacity for knowing God and increases power to do good, truths relating to conduct of life and uniting man with eternity, and his word was with a power that astonished the people.
His example sets the rule for ministers and teachers to use words even the least educated can understand. Scripture is to be taught to children and youth with clear words, sympathy and love, and those who teach truth are to learn from the lessons he gave. Ministers are to be content to take the Word as he gave it and present pure Bible truth in its nobility and sanctity for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness, without straining after wonderful things to win human praise, without drawing passages so fine they lose their force, and without mingling erroneous theories with truth.
The common people heard gladly because his words had a power and attractiveness that the world's great men could not equal. Though he took human nature, his divinity flashed through humanity, and his superiority was revealed in education and discipline. His words comforted, strengthened and blessed those longing for the peace he alone could give, and lifted hearers to higher thought and action. His kindness and the relief he brought to sufferers through an unobtrusive ministry begun in childhood help explain their receptive response, and the presentation of truth had a power that unprejudiced hearers could not resist.
He was heard gladly because he sought to give knowledge to the ignorant and hope to the despairing, wisdom that makes wise unto salvation. He invited all who labor and are heavy laden to come for rest and peace, to exchange self-made, cumbersome, galling yokes and heavy worldly burdens and self-imposed burdens of worldly anxiety and care for his easy yoke and light burden. He did this as a suffering homeless Saviour in a world of his own, with no place to call home and nowhere to lay his head, imparting knowledge richer than the gold of Ophir and asking only that his words of life be accepted. That gracious voice of invitation comes down along the line to the present time, even when its value was not appreciated, with a drink of water from a stranger counted as full reward if his words were received and a tear of penitence evidencing contrition of soul esteemed.
He did not come to minister only to the highest grade of society, and the common people heard him gladly and appreciated his labors because their hearts were not engrossed with the things of the world and they could discern things of eternal value. Those touched by his Spirit who have had better opportunities for cultivation, refinement and nobility of character are debtors to those less favorably situated, to minister their benefits to the needy and open their treasures to them. In doing that work along the same lines they are brought into contact with the same kind of people who gladly heard him.
The common people and the poor gladly received him and his words of life, and because they listened gladly he spoke most fervently in the synagogues and also in the streets that all might have the light, communicating his great light to all, to the highest and also to the most lowly. Many priests and rulers believed in him. The nation's leaders, Pharisees, rulers, rabbis and chief priests rejected his instruction despite evidence of his wisdom and divine power, because they trusted their own piety and thought they had no need to be taught, claimed to be wise expositors yet had lost the true sense of the prophecies and closed their understanding through traditions and human teachings that obscured the Scriptures, and through prejudice refused to become his disciples. Their authority over people taught from childhood and the people's deference to religious teachers helped lead the nation to reject its Redeemer.