“Jesus and the Pharisees” – Part 6 – Jesus Asks a Question – Matthew 22:41-46

There are a number of questions in the Bible that demand an answer. Questions such as, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9b) and “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29b). These questions speak to our relationship to each other. Other questions like “What is man that You are mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:4) and, “To whom will you compare Me? Or who is My equal?” (Isaiah 40:25) speak to our relationship with and our understanding of God.

In my mind, the most important question of the Bible is the one Jesus asked His disciples at Caesarea Philippi. He had taken the disciples away for a time of rest when He asked them the question, “Who do you say I am?” (Matthew 16:15). This question is so important because it is the question that every person will one day answer. According to the Bible, every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (cf. Philippians 2:10-11). It is a question that we have to answer within our lifetime.

In today’s passage, Jesus asks the Pharisees a similar question. He didn’t ask them who they thought He was. He already knew the answer to that question. The question He asked them that day went to the heart of their opposition to Him and the reason for their opposition.

Background

We’ve been looking at the gospel according to Mark to see how the opposition to Jesus began among the Pharisees. We’ve seen repeatedly that their opposition arose from a difference of opinion between Jesus and the Pharisees on how to interpret the Bible and God’s laws. For the Pharisees, the letter of the law had to be obeyed, because it was through our obedience to the law and to Scripture and tradition that would earn God’s favor. To Jesus, the law was given for the benefit of people, and to Him, the spirit of the law was what mattered. Jesus looked at the why we do the things we do, while the Pharisees considered only the what we are doing.

To summarize, Jesus focused on our relationships with Him and each other, while the Pharisees only considered the unquestioned obedience to a rigid set of traditions and rules designed to protect the law.

As we come to today’s passage, Jesus has entered Jerusalem for the last time. He came and spent the last week teaching, healing and answering questions from the religious and political leaders of the time. To the Herodians and Pharisees, Jesus answered the question of paying taxes, telling them that we give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s (cf. Matthew 22:21). To the Saducees, who considered only the first five books of the Old Testament to be valid and used this to deny life after death, Jesus explained the error of their understanding of the Bible and showed them that eternal life is very real. Finally, Jesus answered the Pharisee’s question about what is the greatest commandment.

It is after Jesus answered the last question that Jesus then took the opportunity to ask the Pharisees the question we look at today. In the question, the Pharisees are forced to confront one of their central beliefs. In so doing, Jesus exposed the error of their understanding.

Central Truth: Jesus’ question forced the Pharisees, and us, to answer the question of Who Messiah is.

1. The apparently obvious answer (41-42)

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?” “The Son of David,” they replied.

In the book, “The Hobbit,” there is a segment where Bilbo Baggins, the Hobbit mentioned in the title, finds a magical ring. In his discovery of the ring, Bilbo also runs into an evil creature called Gollum. Gollum and Bilbo enter into a game of riddles. The one who can stump the other wins. If Bilbo wins, Gollum has to show him how to get out of the cavern they find themselves in. If Gollum wins, he gets to eat Bilbo. Bilbo finally asks a riddle that Gollum can’t answer.

The events of Matthew 22 are similar to a game of riddles designed to trip Jesus up and make the people turn against Him. Unfortunately for the religious and political leaders, Jesus was too clever and was able to answer their questions in a way that refuted their understanding and demonstrated Jesus’ grasp of the answers and the situations behind the questions.

Now it is Jesus’ turn to ask a question, and He asks the question, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” It seems at first like a simple question with an obvious answer. The Pharisees in fact answer Jesus’ question very quickly. “The Son of David.”

There is more to the question, though, than what appears on the surface. Jesus knows the main opposition to Jesus is because He not only doesn’t live up to their understanding of what Messiah is, but Jesus doesn’t follow who Messiah, or Christ, should be.

What the Pharisees were looking for in Messiah or Christ was someone who was a direct descendant of David, a person who would reestablish the Davidic kingdom and cast off the mantle of Roman rule once and for all. They saw Messiah as someone who would lead the nation and return it to the glory that was seen in David and Solomon’s time. In their view, the Messiah would once again make Israel the shining city on the hill that would bring the world to know that God is the One True God.

Jesus’ follow-up question shows the error in their thinking.

2. Jesus’ second question (43-45)

He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls Him ‘Lord’? For he says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet.”’ If, then, David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how can He be his son?”

Second questions can be a trouble, particularly if we haven’t carefully considered our answer to the first question. It’s usually the second question that is designed to trip us up. Jesus’ second question is exactly that. He raises an issue that seems to expand what Messiah really means.

There was no question in the Pharisees’ minds that David was the author of most of the psalms. Certainly, it was accepted that David wrote Psalm 110. The heading of the Psalm in the Bible says, “Of David. A psalm.” The Pharisees accepted this as true; Jesus did, too.

Jesus’ question goes to the heart of who and what Messiah or Christ is. The problem that arises for the Pharisees from Jesus’ interpretation of Psalm 110:1 is that David elevates Messiah to a height that the Pharisees never considered. They knew the psalm and probably cited numerous times to explain and confirm Messiah has king. But Jesus takes the very first verse and shows that Messiah is more than the son of David. He is more.

Jesus shows in His question that the Messiah is divine in nature. Yes, He is a son of David, but He is also son of God. Matthew lets us know from the beginning that Jesus is a son of David, making that declaration in Matthew 1:1. He also lets us know that Jesus is divine in nature in telling of Jesus’ birth and the fact that Jesus’ birth fulfills the prophecy of Immanuel, who is God with us. The early church came to this understanding. The disciples had a sense of it before Jesus’ resurrection, and the resurrection confirmed their awareness of Jesus’ divine nature.

The whole reason for Jesus asking the question is to get the Pharisees to think beyond the box of their convenient interpretation. If they are willing to see the possibilities raised in Psalm 110:1, then they may be able to come to an awareness of Who and What Jesus is.

3. The Pharisees’ response (46)

No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared ask Him any more questions.

There are all sorts of reasons not to answer a question. Perhaps you know that the truth may be painful, but you don’t want to lie, either. Perhaps you think you know the answer, but you’re afraid you may be wrong, and you don’t want to look stupid in other’s eyes. Then there is the truth that it’s better to remain silent and have others think you wise rather than to open your mouth and reveal you’re really a fool. And sometimes you just don’t know the answer.

When Jesus asked the Pharisees why David would call Messiah his Lord when Messiah was supposed to be David’s son, the question threw the Pharisees. Apparently, it was the first time they had ever been asked the question. Either that, or they had never been able to come up with a reasonable answer. Probably the former.

For all their talk about their love for God and their belief in eternal life, the Pharisees were remarkably earthly in their thinking. With a theology focused on works that lead to salvation, perhaps it was unreasonable to see why their thinking would be otherwise. This worldly view is seen in their understanding of Messiah. They were so intent on finding a son of David to re-establish the kingdom that they failed to see that such a Messiah had to be more than just a man.

The Messiah they searched for was not only a descendant of David, but He also had to be born of God. While His human nature had to be present so He could relate to His subjects, He needed a divine nature to rise above human weakness. It’s reasonable to see that the eternal nature of the new kingdom could be carried out through succeeding generations, but God’s plan was that the eternal kingdom would be governed by an eternal King.

If the Pharisees had an answer to Jesus’ question, they would have been able to see beyond their thinking and see God’s presence in their midst. Had they not been so boxed in in their thinking, had they had an open mind to re-examine what they believed, they may have been able to recognize that Messiah was standing right in front of them.

But Jesus was right: they had ears to hear, but were deaf; eyes to see, but were blind. Their heartfelt and sincere commitment to the things they had been taught for so long had become concrete and inflexible, and the tragedy of their intransigence was that they missed knowing the Messiah they had yearned for for so long.

Not knowing the answer was proof they had no idea what it really meant to be Messiah.

Conclusion

Riddles and trick questions can be entertaining. They can teach us a new way to think and to understand our world.

Sometimes, though, riddles are sincere, and difficult questions do not have to be tricky. In our own world, we need to be able to know that our understanding of Jesus and what it means for Him to be Christ or Messiah is far more than our tradition and current thought.

The way we grow in Christ is to be open to new ideas, new lessons and new revelations consistent with what God has already revealed to us.

Are we ready to take that step?