Matthew 22:43

"saying, “What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “Of David.”"

Key Reflection

In Matthew 22:43, Jesus poses a direct question to his critics: "What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?" The disciples respond, "Of David." This answer reflects their understanding that the Messiah would be a descendant of King David, drawing on the prophetic traditions and promises found throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. Their response underscores the expectation that the coming Messiah would be a human king, a descendant of the great lineage of David, thereby setting up Jesus' later assertion about his own divine nature as the true Son of David and Lord.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 43. How then, etc. How is this doctrine, that he is descended from David, consistent with what David said when he calls him Lord? How can your opinion be reconciled with that ? That is recorded in Ps 110:1. A lord or master is a superior. The word here does not necessarily imply Divinity, but only superiority. David calls him his superior, his Lord, his Master, his Lawgiver; and expresses his willingness to obey him. If the Messiah was to be merely a descendant of David, as other men descended from parents--if he was to have a human nature only, as you Jews suppose--if he did not exist when David wrote-- with what propriety could he, then, call him his Lord? In spirit.

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