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Question About David’s Son (Mt. 22:41-46)

'While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus questioned them, 42 saying, “What is your opinion about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They replied, “David’s.” 43 He said to them, “How, then, does David, inspired by the Spirit, call him ‘lord,’ saying: ’44 The Lord said to my lord, “Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies under your feet”’? 45 If David calls him ‘lord,’ how can he be his son?” 46 No one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare to ask him any more questions (Mt. 22:41-46).'

At Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, 'The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest (Mt. 21:9).”'  Jesus knew that his ‘passion’ was near and asked the Pharisees to tell him their thoughts about the Messiah and whose son he was since at that time there was no agreed upon understanding of what the Messiah would be like or who he would be.  They said that the Messiah would be the son of David (v. 42) was based on OT passages from Jerimiah (23:5), Ezekiel (Ez. 34:23) and Isaiah; "But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord ,…….. (Is. 11:1-5).”  Jesus, knowing that the Pharisees accepted David as author of the Psalms, quoted from Psalm 110:1 (v. 44) to show that even David, “inspired the spirit (v. 43),” acknowledged someone other than his descendant as “Lord.”  Also, descendants are inferior not superior to ancestors.  Jesus in his humanity was a descendant inferior to David, but in his divinity was superior as the Son of God.  Jesus’ response created more conflict between OT teaching and the new teaching of Jesus which leads to salvation.  In this game of spiritual chess, the Pharisees responded to Jesus with Crucifixion, and God responded to the crucifixion with Jesus’ resurrection.  

Almighty God. it is with gratitude that we acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah knowing with all certainty that he was raised from the dead so that we may be your adopted sons and daughters.  Fill us with your Spirit that we may discern your ways and be obedient to the teachings of Christ.  This we pray through the same Christ our Lord.  Amen!

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References

Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.

Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Expanded Edition, Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.

Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.

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