Joel M Bradshaw

41Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

44“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’?

45If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.–Matthew 22

Jesus conversationally dealt with a sticky topic using the Pharisees’ own presuppositions. What I mean by that is that the evidence Jesus used was already agreed upon by his opponents.

1. The Christ or Messiah was considered the Son of David.
2. He would therefore be a real person in the line of David.
3. Psalm 110 was considered a Messianic Scripture where David was clearly referring to both the Messiah and also to God the Father.
4. Fathers don’t usually submit to their sons and call them Lord.

Psalm 110:1 (quoted here in Matthew in Greek) is unique in Hebrew, for it contains both the name Yahweh and also the title Adonai. It reads, “said Yahweh to Adonai.” It’s rare because many Jewish readers speak Adonai when reading YHWH out of reverence and respect to the Name. You essentially have to speak Yahweh to get the point of the verse. And that point is that this Messiah is going to be not only a real son of David, but also someone who God supernaturally gives a kingdom to. He will be both man and God.

That tension was Jesus’ point with the Pharisees. He is David’s son but also his exalted Lord. David didn’t have a problem with that, so why should they? How do you consider Jesus?–JMB