Presence Weekly 5/20/2024

^"35 And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? ³⁶ David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared, 

“ ‘The LORD said to my Lord, 
“Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’ 

³⁷ David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly." Mark 12:35–37

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The 1888 Rudyard Kipling novella, The Man Who Would Be King, tells the story of two former British soldiers, Peachy Carnehan and Danny Dravot, who become adventurers and hike from India through Afghanistan, to the land of Kafiristan. There, an extraordinary confluence of circumstance, ignorance, and superstition lead the people of the remote kingdom to conclude that Dravot is a god and quickly make them both kings.

The key to the story and Peachy and Dravot maintaining their position of kingship rested on playing to the people’s superstitions and keeping the people in ignorance of their true identity as mere mortals. But eventually, their actions, and discovery of the people’s vast stores of gold, lead to their exposure as frauds in search of fortune, and, well, it ends how you might imagine - with Dravot being executed in front of a throng of people glad to be rid of their exploiter. Peachy, miraculously survives a haphazard crucifixion and eventually makes his way back to civilization to tell his story to Kipling.

Dravot was not the king they needed. 

In some ways, Mark’s story of Jesus, like that of Kipling’s Dravot, ends with the death of the man who would be king. But, the humiliation of their death is the only thing the two stories have in common. At this point in the Biblical narrative, Jesus wants the people to connect the dots. He is done hiding his true identity and uses this riddle to unfold the nature of God’s grand narrative of redemption. 

Jesus is the King We Need

The point of the riddle Jesus tells is to bring his audience to a full understanding of “the Christ is the Son of David.” (35) Psalm 110, which is the verse Jesus is quoting here, is one of the most quoted Old Testament Scriptures in the New Testament because it explodes the concept of the Davidic promise of a Messiah-King. You might be familiar with the covenant promise of 2 Samuel 7, in which Samuel tells David that his kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom. 

"Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ” 17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David." 2 Samuel 7:11–17 (ESV)

The problem, as we all know, is that that version of David’s kingdom did not stand and was divided within two generations. 

Allusions to this promise are echoed through the Major and Minor Prophets after the kingdom began to crumble due to the wickedness of the kings that followed David. Isaiah 7, Ezekiel 34, Amos 9, and others all speak of a renewal of the kingship of David. But in using Psalm 110, Jesus forces the audience to ask the question, “What does the ‘the Christ is the son of David’ mean, and who, exactly, is he?”

Psalm 110 does just that because in the original Hebrew, it says, “YHWH says to my Adonai, ‘Sit at my right hand.’” In the riddle, Jesus rightly points to this very question, “Can David’s son be his Adonai (lord)?” The answer to this part of the riddle has to be that David’s immediate son cannot be his Adonai. Therefore, the only conclusion must be that while the Davidic king spoken of in Psalm 110 and 2 Samuel 7 will come from the line of David, that king will also be far greater than any earthly king. Solomon did not fit that bill. The only way for a greater king to come from the line of David, who would be David’s ‘Lord’, is that the king would have to be the Son of God. Following the logic here is critical because Jesus is outflanking them at their own game. 

Some earthly kings were good, but they were earthly kings. Even the ones after “God’s own heart” had affairs, lied, killed for power, married for political gain, loved money and power more than the LORD, and sometimes worshiped other gods. Their kingdoms were subject to being overrun from the outside and crumbling from within. Because they were earthy kingdoms, they required constant maintenance and defending. Under these kings, the people never experienced real deliverance and oftentimes ended up in slavery to conquering armies. 

Even our modern-day “kings” are shown to have many serious flaws and are frequently publicly disgraced. They, like Peachy and Dravot, have difficulty following the Apostle Peter’s instruction to “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.” (1 Peter 2:1) Some are even indicted, arrested, and put on trial. While Jesus was indicted, arrested and put on trial, he was entirely falsely accused and falsely convicted. When earthly kings try to pass their suffering off as “Jesus-like,” they are only further distancing themselves from him. 

The Lord that David speaks of is greater than those kings because he will be more than an earthly king, and he will have more than an earthly kingdom. This is what will make him the king that we need. He will be a king who will truly be able to lead us to freedom. He will be a king who will truly be able to protect us from slavery. Psalm 110 clarifies that this power to lead and protect will come from God. 

Is Jesus the King We Want?

Here, in the temple, Jesus is finished with swearing people to secrecy. He is now daring them to see that he is saying he is that king. He is the Adonai that David was speaking of, and he is the king that they need. But he is not the king they want. They want a king that will rescue them from their earthly troubles. Their view is too small. 

 One thing that I want us to see here is that understanding Psalm 110 rightly helps us to reject, once and for all, any ideas of Jesus reigning over a restored Israel geographically. That is far too small of a kingdom for him. And if we can reject that, we can reject the same for America. The reign of Jesus already, but not-yet fully, extends over America in the same way it does Russia, China, Iran, Haiti, and Gaza. 

But applying the fact that Jesus is the king we need is not that easy. That means that he rules our lives, and we do not. If he is our king, then we must follow his lead! Let me ask, “What is your salvation for?” The answer to that leading question is this: Christ saves us and delivers us to lead us into participating in his mission of making all things new. He leads us to proclaim the gospel of freedom. He leads us to make difficult decisions in the workplace and our relationships. He leads us to ask the four questions of faithful presence.

• What is good that needs encouragement?
• What is broken that requires restoration?
• What is missing that awaits creation?
• What is evil that demands our opposition?

Let’s be honest, as he leads us, he asks us to walk in the valley of the shadow of death. But because he is the king that we need, we should fear no evil because his rod and his staff protect us. We have nothing to fear. Since we have nothing to fear, because his rod and his staff comfort us, we do not need to succumb to malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. We do not need to manipulate those in our office to get ahead and do not need to offer or illicit favors in exchange for action. Moving Jesus into the position of king in our lives allows us to navigate the public square as agents of righteousness. 

Jesus is the king we need in our chaotic lives. Notice that the passage says, “Until I [YHWH] place all your enemies under your feet.” The entire concept of victory is placed in the Father’s hands and at the Son’s feet. 

Let me be honest. I worry about the future. I worry about my kids’ future. I worry about our culture’s future. I do everything I can to engage in and to work for the cause of Christ in each of those situations. But sometimes, at night, I have a hard time going to sleep because I am so worried. I am worried because I do not have the power to assure anything! When I am worried and feel insecure, I often get angry. Perhaps you’ve been there, on the other side of the angry voice that has just lost it out of frustration. Perhaps you have been that voice. There is much to be uncertain about, especially in the public square, but handling that uncertainty is different when we understand that Jesus is the king we need. 

This passage reminds us that Jesus is the king we need because he has the power to protect us. The Father will put all his enemies, which means all my enemies and all your enemies, under his feet. I will not do that, God will do that. The burden that truth removes from my shoulders is huge.

Questions of application

Who are the people in your life, or network, who serve in some way as your king? How are they echoes of the true king? How are they lacking or counter to Christ’s kingship?

What is it about the public square that invites king-seeking behavior from individuals and king-worshiping behavior from the public? How do each of these aspects apply to you personally?

In what areas or situations are you most likely to operate as someone who does not see Jesus as the king you need? How could a more mindful recognition of and surrendering to Christ as king bless your serving and leading in the public square?

• Monday: Morning: Ezekiel 11:14-20, Acts 2:12-36, Psalm 102, 103 // Evening: Song of Solomon 1:1-7, Acts 2:37-47, Psalm 102, 103
• Tuesday: Morning: Ezekiel 37: 1-14, 1 Corinthians 12:1-13, Psalm 105 // Evening: Song of Solomon 7:15-8:1, 1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13, Psalm 105
• Wednesday: Morning: 1 Kings 19:1-18, 1 Corinthians 2, Psalm 107 // Evening: Song of Solomon 9, 1 Corinthians 3, Psalm 107
• Thursday: Morning: 2 Samuel 23:1-5, Ephesians 6:10-20, Psalm 110, 111, 112, 113// Evening: Exodus 35:30- 36:1, Galatians 5:13-26, Psalm 110, 111, 112, 113
• Friday: Morning: Numbers 11:16, 24-29, 2 Corinthians 5:14-6:10, Psalm 116, 117, 118// Evening: Jeremiah 31:31-34, 2 Corinthians 3, Psalm 116, 117, 118
• Saturday: Morning: Numbers 27:15-23, Mathew 9:35-10:20, Psalm 119:33-72 // Evening: Isaiah 61, 2 Timothy 1:3-14, Psalm 119:33-72
• Sunday: Morning: Isaiah 6:1-8, Mark 1:1-13, Psalm 119: 105-144 // Evening: Isaiah 40:12-31, 1 Peter 1:1-12, Psalm 119:105-144

• Cabinet Agency: The National Economic Council, as they work together to advise, develop, and implement economic policy to be implemented domestically and internationally. 
• Think Tank, Lobby group, NGO: The National Corn Growers Association and their efforts to advance the interests of nearly 300,000 farmers whose work feeds millions. 
• • A word about ideologies. The selection of these organizations is not based on mutual affinity but on the belief that prayer is the most we can ever do to participate in Christ’s mission of making all things new.
• Weekly Delegation: For the Congressional delegation of Iowa.
• News Events: For all those working to bring an end to the wars underway in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Haiti, and the new diplomatic issues created by the death of Iran’s president. The staff at OSHA charged with implementing a strategic initiative aimed at increasing the efficiency and capabilities of the oversight agency.
• Personal Requests: For someone helping an elder statesman compile and write his memoirs. For someone headed into an overseas warzone with a small but important delegation. For someone preparing for a book tour in support of a forthcoming work. For a woman interviewing for a job. For a couple preparing to move. For someone working on securing a new contract for their firm.
• • A word about anonymity: Washington is a small town. To protect each individual’s identity yet facilitate prayer, details are intentionally vague. However, each represents specific people we are currently engaged with. 

• Public Discourse, the journal of the Witherspoon Institute, recently published a beautiful essay by Dr. Elizabeth Corey on the importance of appreciating ordinary things.
• NPR has an important article about the growing conversations and research on treating PTSD with MDMA and other hallucinogenic drugs in advance of an upcoming FDA decision on approval.
• The Religion News Service has a story on the Presbyterian Church in America’s cancellation of a panel discussion on polarization within the church at next month’s national gathering, due to concerns over the participation of David French. 
• Mere Orthodoxy has a lengthy essay on “Why the Campus Protests Happened Now” that is well worth the time. 
• Barna has the results of their recent study on Gen Z’s thoughts on a healthy workplace culture.
• CNN has a lengthy article that repeatedly uses a term we will all likely be hearing with much more frequency - “anti-gender.”
• The New York Times has David Brooks’ latest, “The Authoritarians Have the Momentum.”

• The Washington Nationals are home all week for games against a couple of American League teams.
• Tuesday, May 21 at 10:00 am, The Brookings Institute, with Duke University, is hosting an event focused on a renewed place-based economic agenda, featuring high-level Biden administration officials, state and local leaders, and national experts, “Powering US prosperity and competitiveness through place-based investment.”
• Thursday, May 23, The Heritage Foundation hosts a fireside chat with Iowa Governor, Kim Reynolds on how the state has pursued educational freedom, and the policy successes, challenges, and opportunities that lie ahead for the Hawkeye State.
• The “Friday Night Live” free concert series continues in Herndon with this week’s guest, “Royals.”
• Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, Drew Carey will host Washington’s annual Memorial Day Parade.

For those who don’t know, Dr. Curt Thompson is also the author of the popular book, The Soul of Shame, and leads a medical practice and psychology clinic in Northern Virginia. He is also extremely well-formed theologically. In his new book, The Soul of Desire: Discovering the Neuroscience of Longing, Beauty, and Community, Thompson addresses our desire to be seen, soothed, safe, and secure. While much of the book interacts with the use of the “confessional community” model used by Thompson’s practice in pursuing positive mental health outcomes, this work is easily applicable to individuals operating outside of that context. However, from The Soul of Desire, one learns that entering into a community where we reveal ourselves in an authentic, honest, and open manner is an echo of the dwelling in the Temple of God. This is an excellent book for pastors, clinicians, and everyday people trying to follow Christ while awaiting the conclusion of Christ’s promise that he is making all things new.