In today's Gospel, Jesus does not deny the Davidic descent of the Messiah, but implies that He is more than this. He teaches and preaches about His suffering and rising to the Sadducees who hold there is no resurrection. He makes it clear that His superiority comes from His transcendent origin, to which David himself attested when he addressed the Messiah with the name reserved for God alone.

Unlike the scribes, Paul savoured this message and spread it to others: "I bear with all of this for the sake of those whom God has chosen in order that they may obtain the salvation to be found in Christ Jesus and with a eternal glory" (2 Tm.2:10). As the mentor for his beloved disciple, Timothy, Paul shares his experience and conviction that "anyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus can expect to be persecuted." He, himself, "had to bear, and know the Lord saved me from them all."

It is apparent that faith requires not only knowledge and action, but also affection and relationship with the source of grace and strength. Jesus' close connection with the Father continues to help Him to claim who He is and His role in the salvation history. The intimacy between St. Paul and Jesus after his conversion is evident in Paul's willingness to live and die with Christ.