At a pivotal moment in Jesus’ ministry, he made remarks that silenced his interrogators and From that day no one dared to ask him any more questions. (Matthew 22:46) “That day “ Jesus revealed his own identity to believers and unbelievers alike, when he quoted Psalm 110. David, the Psalmist had written: The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.” ( Psalm 110: 1) Jesus asked, “If then David calls him ‘Lord’, how can he be His son?” (Matthew 22:45)

The Psalm that Jesus claimed is mysterious as you read it, but in its lines it is possible to see the son of God:

The Lord sends forth from Zion, your mighty scepter!

Rule in the midst of your foes!

Your people will offer themselves freely on the day you

lead your host upon the holy mountain.

From the womb of the morning , like dew your youths

will come to you.

The Lord has sworn, and will not change His mind;

“ You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.

The Lord is at your right hand….. (Psalm 110:2-4)

People have been puzzled by this psalm ever since it was first known; but Jesus recognized himself in its words and chose it to inform his questioners of his real identity.

In reading it at first, I couldn’t see why he chose it, until in reading in the New Testament account of Jesus gathering his disciples, it occurred to me that when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus emerged from the water as if from the “womb of the morning”, and the very next day was joined by young men who came to him to be disciples. Philip, Andrew, Peter, and Nathaniel joined Jesus in that early day of Jesus’ ministry . Later the others would willingly follow the one they believed to have come from God.

The author of the book of Hebrews perceived the link between Melchizedek and Jesus, and wrote, What we have just said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest. . . on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. (Hebrews 7:14) Jesus knew that Psalm 110 was about himself, even though it was written hundreds of years before his birth. The Psalm was written with the Spirit of God, specifically focused on a “new Melchizedek,” and the impact he would have upon the world.

Love in Him,

Prue