“What do you think about the Christ?” Jesus in Matthew 22:42
"We are dealing with God's thoughts: we are obligated to take the greatest pains to understand them truly and to explain them clearly." (D.A. Carson, classroom lecture, May 2011)
“People say, ‘I believe in God, I believe the Bible is a good book. And then I believe whatever I want.’” (George Barna, after surveying American Christians’ religious beliefs in his book Futurecast as reported in USA Today Sept. 13, 2011)
After repeated challenges by the religious leaders, Jesus now metaphorically turns the tables on them. Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, most likely planning their next salvo, Jesus asked them a question. “What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?” (v. 42). This is the same question Jesus asked His disciples in Matthew 16:19. After all, the most important question every man must answer is, “What do you think about the Christ?”
But Jesus is not so much concerned about other peoples’ opinions as He is turning the conversation back to Himself. He asks about the Christ, “whose son is He?” (v. 42). The Pharisees’ answer is accurate but woefully incomplete: “The son of David” (v. 42). The Pharisees know that woven throughout the Old Testament is a theme that a descendent of David will reign as Messiah; passages teaching this truth are 2 Samuel 7:16, Psalm 89:3-4, Isaiah 9:7 and Jeremiah 23:5.
Matthew’s primary intent of his gospel is to show that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, the son of David. Therefore he begins his gospel by showing the genealogy from David to Jesus (Matthew 1:6-16). Yet the Old Testament also teaches the Messiah will be much more than a descendant of David. It is this truth that Jesus wants to teach the Pharisees.
Therefore, Jesus quotes Psalm 110, the most often quoted Old Testament chapter in the New Testament. This Psalm was written by David, in the Spirit (v. 43). (This phrase in the Spirit attests to Jesus’ belief in the inspiration of the Old Testament.) To the casual reader, Psalm 110 seems discombobulated. Yet for those who plumb its depths, this Psalm reveals much about the Messiah, which is likely why it is the most frequently quoted Old Testament chapter in Scripture.
Psalm 110 is only one of three places in the Bible that speaks of Melchizedek, an important figure in understanding Jesus as Messiah, Son of David. Much of this Psalm will be fulfilled at His Second Coming (Revelation 19:11-21). Yet Jesus, wanting to challenge the Pharisees’ weak conception of the son of David, argues from the first verse of this Psalm.
He asks how does David call him ‘Lord,’ saying, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet’? (v. 43-44). Jesus then drives home His point, If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his son?" (v. 45). In Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, first published 300 years ago, Henry poses His question this way: “If the Christ was to be a mere man, who would not exist till many ages after David’s death, how could his forefather call him Lord?”
By asking this question, Jesus shows how the Scriptures teach that the son of David will be not limited by time and not be merely a mortal man. This is the point Jesus makes to the Pharisees in John 8:58, “Before Abraham was born, I am.”
The Pharisees prided themselves in knowing the Old Testament but were mostly ignorant as to what those Scriptures taught about the Christ. Hence, no one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question (v. 46). If we believe Jesus is “whatever I want” as Barna puts it, we make Him a tinker-toy god, adding and subtracting attributes at our own whim. We rob Him of His glory, commit blatant idolatry, and create an anemic caricature of Christ that is much less than the revealed, risen, conquering Son of David of the Holy Scriptures.
Matthew Henry continues in his commentary, “It behooves us above all things seriously to inquire, ‘What think we of Christ?’ Is he altogether glorious in our eyes and precious to our hearts? May Christ be our joy, our confidence, our all. May we daily be made more like to him, and more devoted to his service.” Well said 300 years ago and well said today.
No comments:
Post a Comment