Matthew 22:41 – 46

“Whose Son is He?”

41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”

They said to Him, “The Son of David.”

43 He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying:

44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool” ’?

45 If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?”

46 And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.

The Pharisees had been trying to trap Jesus with questions they thought could not be truly answered. They were trying to get Jesus to give answers which contradicted something in His teaching. They failed.

Jesus turned the table and asked them to answer a question which was fair but if they answered it correctly would expose their opposition to Him.

Jesus popularity with the people of Israel caused the Pharisees to keep their dislike of Jesus hidden because of their fear of the people. They pretended to regard him as a good man but not one who was the Son of God.

When they answered that he was the son of David, they only recognized his blood relationship to His great ancestor. But did not give him any credit as being a celestial being.

Jesus then asked them if Christ was no more to David than a distant earthly descendant, why did he call Christ Lord? Lord means master, a distant descendant would not be superior to David the king.

This question is based on (Psalms 110:1[The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ]) Which is our verse 44. This is scripture, which the Pharisees would have to accept.

The first Lord is God the Father, the second Lord is Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. The first “my” refers to David, and the second “my” refers to God the Father.

This verse says God the Father invited Christ to sit at His right hand until all of Christ's enemies were defeated, became as Christ's footstool.

The question raises the issue, if Jesus is merely an earthly descendant of David, why did David acknowledge Jesus the Christ to be his Lord?

No one was able to answer Jesus question because either they did not know, or were unwilling to admit Jesus was the divine Son of God.

This put an end to the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes hypocritical attacks upon the great Teacher, Jesus.