Why is this important? Because there are some Messianic prophecies that the rabbis, the scholars, and even Jews today, have seldom or never considered Messianic. Yet the writers of the Gospels, and especially Matthew, claim these to be fulfillments. There were “blind spots” among the Jews. We should keep that in mind for ourselves. At times, our cultural, political, economic or theological settings make some commands and predictions in Scripture hard for us to see. Jesus’ answer to the Sadducees showed them they had missed something obvious. The politically powerful and financially wealthy Sadducees had overlooked a simple thought, that their theology made God the “God of the dead.” No wonder the crowds were astonished (v33).
Read Matt. 22:41-46; Psalm 110:1, David’s Son is David’s Lord
After being questioned by the various leadership groups in Israel, Jesus turns the table and asks a question. It is based in Psalm 110:1: The Lord (YAHWEH) said to my Lord (Adonai), “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
First, Jesus referred to a very Messianic Psalm. It is the most frequently quoted Psalm in the NT. If we ask, how is this interpreted in Judaism, we get the usual plurality of ideas. Some think “my Lord” refers to Abraham, some to David, and some to the Messiah. (Alfred Edersheim notes several Jewish writings that refer Psalm 110 to the Messiah, AE, p1390, Appendix 9.) The idea of Abraham comes from the fact that it was Abraham who met Melchizedek. The belief that the priesthood was given to Abraham, and thus to Levi, his descendent, doesn’t fit. How can the priesthood belong to Abraham/Levi and at the same time be in the line of Melchizedek? With respect to the idea that the Psalm is by David and thus refers to David, consider the following.
·
If David is saying, “YAHWEH said to my master,”
we would ask, “how can David have a master other than YAHWEH? He is the King of Israel.” One common answer to this is to say that
David wrote the Psalm for the Levites to recite in the temple. Thus, it is the Levites who are saying, “YAHWEH
said to my master, David.” Think on that
for a moment as we move on …
·
In 110:4 there is a clear reference to someone
who is both king and priest. This could
not refer to David as he was from the wrong tribe. It could not refer to the Levites who could
never be king as they were not from Judah.
Zech. 6:13 speaks clearly of the “Branch” (a reference to Messiah
acknowledge by most Jewish and Christian scholars) who is a “priest on His
throne,” a King-Priest. In other words, when
David speaks of “my Lord” in 110:1 he is speaking of the Messiah, the
Branch. When Jesus asks the question,
His point is that both YAHWEH and Adonai are to be understood here as divine
characters.
In Matthew 22 the Pharisees did not reject Jesus’ assumptions that “my Lord” referred to Messiah, David’s Son. They did not argue about interpretations or translation. They said nothing. No one could answer.
What we have is a “Cain” situation. In Gen. 4 God came to Cain and reproved him for his offering and told him what he needed to do. If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it (Gen. 4:7). The Pharisees needed to rule their spirits and fall down before Jesus, confessing Him as “my Lord.” They did not. Though some did. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea come to mind.
Where are you in the matter of confessing Jesus to be your Lord? Time and again He fulfills the prophecies. Sin is at the door and wants to rule you!
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