Messiah

Messiah – a word that fascinated the Old Testament people. Women also wanted to have children because, even if not their son, at least the next offspring would be the Messiah. Infertility was therefore considered a curse and a shame. This can perhaps also be said about men, even if it is not so explicitly expressed in the Holy Scriptures. We know it – when John the Baptist appeared, Israel was upset because they believed that the messiah was here, or that the time for his arrival was already short. Uprisings were being prepared, and self-proclaimed messiahs were announcing themselves.

Jesus had problems with misconceptions about the messiah and had to correct them so much that he preaches unusually. The unusual thing is that Jesus taught rather based on questions or the current situation. Today we heard: When Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said: “How can the scribes say that the Messiah is the son of David? After all, David himself says in the Holy Spirit: ‘The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.’ David himself calls him Lord; how then can he be his son?”

No Lord Jesus emphasized? Two important things: The Messiah is not David’s son. This was significant from the point of view of purifying opinions about the Messiah. They imagined the Messiah as a great warrior – a king who would restore the kingdom of Israel. It indicates that the Messiah will be God’s (Lord’s) son. Why did the great crowd listen to him with joy? I believe that it is because: Legislators were probably not popular with the common people because of their casuistry, superiority, and being burdened with various burdens. The Messiah will be even more than David. Maybe it resonated with them again, that he will put his enemies under his feet even more playfully.

Not is the message of today’s short teaching of Jesus for us? Jesus is supposed to be the Messiah – Saviour for us too. But what matters is what! What do we expect from him? What do we pray for, and for what intention do we offer St. mass? When, in what, do we turn to him? Do we trust him to handle the world, or do we think it’s out of his hands? What is Jesus the Messiah to me? Of course, we would like him to be a saviour for us as well as for Toby and Sara (1st reading), but… I don’t know whether to put an exclamation mark here, a question mark, or something else.