Jesus’ quotation from Psalm 110:1
(in Mark 12:36) implies God’s kingship and authority, as well as that of the
Messiah. God must already be enthroned, to invite the Messiah to sit
(enthroned) at his right hand. ‘The Messiah’s authority is therefore given to
him by God, and his kingship is subordinate to that of God. Since, however,
they are to be enthroned together, their dual kingship will result in a unified
purpose and policy. The Messiah is God’s executive, who is given the place of
highest honour by God, and it is God who guarantees to judge the Messiah’s
enemies, ‘till I put thy enemies under thy feet’. Jesus’ use of Psalm 110:1
therefore in the context of Mark 12:35-37 represents first, a claim that his
authority as Messiah comes from God who will raise him to the highest position
next to God himself, and secondly, a warning that God’s judgment will fall on
those who make themselves the enemies of Jesus.!” (Robert D. Rowe, God’s
Kingdom and God’s Son: The Background to Mark’s Christology from Concepts of
Kingship in the Psalms [Leiden: Brill, 2002], 283)
