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Explanation for:
Matthew
22
:
43
He saith to them: How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying:
11
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Those who assembled to challenge Jesus and attempted to discern the truth through a deceptive question ended up deepening their own confusion. They were faced with the inquiry regarding Christ: Whose son is He? This question posed by Jesus is particularly relevant to us in our current conflict with the Jewish leaders, as they acknowledge that the Messiah must come, yet they assert that He is merely an ordinary man and a righteous descendant of David. Following the teachings of our Lord, we respond by asking them: ‘If He is simply a man and just a son of David, how does David refer to Him as his Lord, not out of error or by his own choosing, but through the Holy Spirit?’ The proof he cites is drawn from Psalm 110. Thus, the Lord is acknowledged as the son of David, not due to a physical birth, but because He is eternally begotten by the Father, existing prior to the Father according to His human nature. To challenge this issue, the Jews create various unfounded theories, claiming that Abraham had a servant, Eliezer of Damascus, and that the Psalm was written in his name. They suggest that after the defeat of five kings, God told Abraham, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool” (Psalms 110:1). However, this is in reference to Genesis 14. But they must explain how God could say to Abraham: “In the day of Thy power, Thy people are willing, in the beauty of holiness; from the womb of the morning, Thou hast the dew of Thy youth” (Ps. 110:3) and “The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent: Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (Ps. 110:4). They are thereby forced to confront the question of how Abraham could be born before the day and be a priest in the order of Melchizedek when Melchizedek offered him bread and wine and received a tithe from him."},{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Since the Redeemer willingly embraced suffering, He references a prophecy where He is distinctly identified as the Lord. This is not done casually or without purpose, but rather for a compelling reason. When they failed to provide a proper response to His initial inquiry—merely identifying Him as a human—they mistakenly reduced Him to a mere man. In response to their erroneous view, He cites the words of David to affirm His divine nature. They saw Him as simply human and referred to Him as the Son of David. However, the Redeemer, seeking to rectify their misunderstanding, quotes the prophet who proclaims His lordship and the truth of being the Son of God, asserting that He deserves the same honor as the Father. Yet, He does not stop there; to instill a sense of reverence in them, He includes the phrase, \\"Till I make Thy enemies Thy footstool,\\" hoping that this would draw them closer to Him. To prevent them from dismissing David's words as mere hyperbole or a human estimation, He poses the question, “How doth David call Him Lord by the spirit?” Here, He modestly highlights the prophet’s view of Him. Initially, He asks, “What think ye of Him? Whose son is He?” to provoke a response from them. When they reply that He is David’s son, He refrains from merely stating what David says. Instead, He poses the question, “How then does David call Him Lord?” to challenge their understanding. Likewise, the apostles respectfully address the patriarch David, recognizing his significant status as one who has died and been buried (Acts 2:29). The Saviour also presents His own nature through questioning and reasoning, asking, \\"How does David by the spirit call Him, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make Thy enemies Thy footstool?\\" He continues, \\"If David calls Him Lord, how is He his son?\\" (vv. 43-45). In this, He does not deny His identity as David’s son—He would not have rebuked Peter for this—but aims to correct the Pharisees' mistaken belief. His inquiry, “What son is He?” indicates that He is indeed the son of David, albeit not in the manner they perceive. They claim that Christ is merely the son of David and not also Lord. Thus, He first presents the prophet’s testimony and then gently corrects their understanding, asking, “If David calls Him Lord, how can He be his son?” When the Pharisees heard this, they had no reply; they were disinterested in accepting the truth. Therefore, He leads them to recognize that He is indeed Lord to David. However, He does not assert this directly for Himself but rather through the prophet’s words, given their lack of belief and poor opinion of Him. Despite their dismissive attitude, we should not be misled by the fact that the Redeemer sometimes speaks of Himself in a humble manner; this approach reflects His effort to engage with their flawed perceptions. Consequently, He continues to present His teachings through questions and answers, subtly revealing His dignity, as being recognized as the Lord of the Jews cannot be equated with being the Lord of David. Observe how appropriately He unfolds this doctrine. After initially stating that there is only one Lord, He also identifies Himself as Lord, supporting this not only through His deeds but also through the prophet’s affirmation. Simultaneously, He declares that the Father will take vengeance upon His enemies, asserting the equality of honor He shares with the Father. With these statements, the Saviour concludes His dialogue with the Pharisees, having conveyed a profound and noble doctrine that left them speechless. From then on, they remained silent—not out of choice, but because they had no counterarguments. Thus, they received such a decisive challenge that they feared to engage Him further; it is recorded, “And no man from that day forth durst ask Him any question” (v. 46). This significantly benefited the people, as the Saviour disbanded the schemes of these adversaries and thereafter directed His message toward the crowd."},{"author-name":"Theophylact of Bulgaria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989296bafed9104677d7_Theophylact%20of%20Bulgaria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":11,"exegesis-text":"The Lord challenges, “How can David refer to Him as Lord?” He does not merely acknowledge Him as Lord through “inspiration,” which means through the generous gift of the Spirit following a divine revelation. With these words, the Lord does not reject His identity as David's descendant, but rather clarifies that He transcends a simple human lineage from David. In posing this question, the Lord intends for the Pharisees to either admit their ignorance, seek understanding from Him, genuinely confess and believe, or, if they cannot respond, leave in disgrace and hesitate to question Him again."},{"author-name":"Nicephoros (Theotokis)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8958407451968d9c204fb_Nicephoros%20(Theotokis).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":18,"exegesis-text":"David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, prophesied concerning the ascension of Christ, declaring, ‘The Lord, that is, the Lord and the Father, shall say to my Lord, that is, to His only begotten Son, my Lord Jesus Christ, “Sit at my right hand, until I make Thy enemies Thy footstool”’ (Ps. 109:1). This statement reveals both His divinity and His humanity, effectively countering the misguided beliefs of the Pharisees, who viewed Christ, as spoken of by the holy Prophets, merely as a man. When David refers to Him as ‘my Lord,’ he indicates that the one incarnate in Christ is not only his Son but also his Lord and Master, the divine Son of God. This dual nature is further illustrated by David's instruction to ‘Sit at my right hand.’ In His divine essence, Christ has always been one with God the Father, existing eternally. As a man, following His ascension, He ‘sat down at the right hand of the throne of majesty on high’ (Hebrews 1:3), where His humanity receives the immutable and exalted glory that His divinity possessed before the foundation of the world. This was the glory He sought during His suffering, as He proclaimed: ‘And now glorify Me, Father, with Thy own glory, which I had with Thee before the world existed’ (John 17:5). The phrase ‘until’ can signify eternity in both the Old and New Testament. The Father has eternally subjected the Son’s enemies—including the principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and even death itself (Gen. 8:7; Ps. 122:2; Is. 46:4; Mt. 1:25; Mt. 18:30; Heb. 10:13; Eph. 6:12). Through His death, the Lord not only liberated humanity from demonic forces but also transitioned it from death to life: ‘He that believeth in Him, though he die, yet shall he live’ (John 11:25). Presenting these prophetic words to the Pharisees, Jesus concluded with the question: ‘If David called Christ Himself his Lord, “What Son is He?”’ It is important to note that He does not dispute His identity as the Son of David, having taken on flesh from the Virgin, who is of David's lineage; rather, He seeks to correct the misunderstandings of the Pharisees. They claimed He was solely the Son of David and not Lord at all. In truth, David serves both as the father of the Lord Jesus and as His servant: a father in terms of flesh, and a servant in terms of His divine nature. Thus, with these prophetic declarations, Jesus skillfully prompted the Pharisees to recognize Him as both God and man."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The phrase \\"by inspiration\\" refers to the influence of the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21; cf. Acts 2:30; 2 Sam. 23:2), ensuring the message is both accurate and unchangeable. The declaration \\"The Lord said unto my Lord,\\" originates from Psalm 109, illustrating the immense and everlasting majesty of the Messiah. God the Father, also known as Jehovah, spoke to my Lord, my Son, within the incarnation of Jesus Christ."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, addresses Him as LORD, affirming His sovereign authority when he declares in Psalm 109, which illustrates the might and everlasting splendor of the Messiah:"},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Certainly! Here is a paraphrased version of your text that follows your guidelines:\\n\\n\\"You may believe that Christ is merely a descendant of David, in other words, just a human being. Yet, how does David refer to Him as his Lord?\\""},{"author-name":"Lopuchin A.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c891400ee1341634d2276d_Lopuchin%20A.P..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Sonship merely described the physical kinship of Christ to David, but it is clear from a well-known psalm (Psalms 109:1) that David refers to Him as his Lord, seated at the right hand of God. Therefore, the realm of Christ’s kingdom is not of this world but of a celestial nature. The learned scribes and legal experts, in their misunderstanding of this truth, were evidently unaware of the genuine majesty of the Messiah. Had they grasped this concept, they would have realized that the qualities and characteristics of the Messiah are fully embodied in Jesus of Nazareth, whom they chose to persecute."},{"author-name":"Paul Matwejewski","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8969f5be0d592d5a10576_Paul%20Matwejewski.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"When the Savior perceived that the thoughts of those engaged with Him were descending into doubt and were confined to mere earthly lineage, He challenged them, asking, \\"How is it that David, inspired by the Spirit, refers to Him as Lord?\\" David himself, through the Holy Spirit, states in the Book of Psalms, \\"The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.'\\" These words are drawn from the prophetic Psalm 109:1, vividly depicting the eternal majesty of Christ. To be seated at God's right hand symbolizes equality, while placing enemies underfoot signifies sovereign authority over all creation, both seen and unseen (1 Cor. 15:25; Heb. 10:13). These truths should have illuminated the understanding of the Pharisees and scribes, indicating that although the Messiah is of David’s lineage by flesh, He is infinitely superior to David in His divine nature. Consequently, Jesus concluded His discourse with a probing inquiry: \\"If David himself calls Him Lord, how then is He his son?\\" No one spoke in response. Their obstinate hearts refused to acknowledge their lack of understanding regarding the Scriptures, and they remained silent, concealing the wickedness within. In contrast, the people, sensing the weight of truth, listened to the Lord with great joy. The Psalmic words referenced by Jesus were subsequently cited by the holy Apostles Peter (Acts 2:34-35) and Paul (Hebrews 1:13) to affirm His divine nature."},{"author-name":"Bogolepow D.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Through this inquiry, Jesus Christ clearly intends not to deny the prevalent belief among the Jewish people that the Messiah would be of David's lineage, but rather to enhance and deepen their understanding of His identity. The Pharisees, and subsequently the entire nation, failed to recognize that the Messiah, as proclaimed in David's divine revelation, is also his Sovereign, the Son of God. This query was prompted, likely, by the Pharisees recalling the Lord’s declaration of His divine sonship and seeking to reiterate this testimony to accuse Him of blasphemy."},{"author-name":"Alexander Gorsky","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8884037c1e1c51e1332e2_Alexander%20Gorsky.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"In the course of these discussions, the topic of the Messiah's identity was addressed. The Lord questioned the Pharisees present, asking, \\"How is it that David, inspired by the Spirit, refers to the Messiah as both his son and his Lord?\\" This inquiry was likely posed to provide scriptural evidence supporting the doctrine of the Messiah's supreme and Divine essence, which was dismissed by those caught up in their rigid interpretation of the Scriptures—similar to their reactions during the Feast of Tabernacles and the restoration of the temple. However, this important question remained without an answer. Just as they hesitated to respond regarding John to avoid self-contradiction, they also refrained from engaging with the question about the Messiah Himself."}]}
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