Matthew 22:43 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He said to them, "How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

NIV: He said to them, "How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,

NASB: He *said to them, 'Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying,

CSB: He asked them, "How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’

NLT: Jesus responded, 'Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, call the Messiah ‘my Lord’? For David said,

KJV: He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,

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

Jesus has turned the tables on the Pharisees (Matthew 22:15, 34–35) and is asking them a question. It seems to be an easy one at first glance. He has asked whose son the Christ—or Messiah—is. They have immediately answered from the prophetic Scriptures that the Christ is the son of David. By this, they mean that the Messiah will be directly descended from King David (Isaiah 11:1, 10; Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15).

Matthew demonstrated that Jesus was descended from David in the first chapter of this book (Matthew 1:1, 17). Jesus does not disagree with them, but He does ask them a follow-up question that complicates the answer. This point emphasizes the divinity of Christ, and strongly implies the concept we now refer to as the Trinity.

Jesus asks why David, under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, calls the Christ "Lord"? Jesus quotes from Psalm 110, written by King David, in the following verse. With the statement that David wrote these words "in the Spirit," Jesus affirms that Psalm 110 was truly written by King David and that it was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as all Scripture is (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

In other words, Jesus' question is how the ancestor, David, would call his own descendant "Lord." That implies the Christ was more honored than David himself in some way. Jesus' question implies that perhaps it matters who else might call the Christ "Son."

Matthew 22:41–46 records Jesus reversing the dialogue with the Pharisees, who have been asking Him trick questions. He rhetorically asks them whose son the Messiah is—knowing they will rightly answer that Messiah is the Son of David. Jesus then quotes from the Psalms and asks why King David calls the Christ "my Lord" if the Christ is his son. This raises the issue of Christ's divinity and totally stumps the Pharisees. This incident is also mentioned in Mark 12:35–37 and Luke 20:41–44. In fact, religious leaders completely stop asking Him questions from this moment on.

Continuing a dialogue with hostile religious leaders, Jesus tells a parable comparing the kingdom of heaven to a wedding feast which ends up being attended by those not initially invited. He answers trick questions about taxes, marriage, resurrection, and the Law of Moses. These responses are the source of common English idioms such as "render to Caesar…" and "many are called but few are chosen." Finally, Jesus asks how the Messiah can be both the son of David and the Lord of David. None can answer Him, so they stop challenging Him in public.

This chapter extends an exchange between Jesus and several groups of religious leaders in the temple. The previous chapter concluded with two parables about the failures of the religious leaders. This chapter begins with a third parable, about chosen guests who refuse to attend a wedding feast. Jesus then fields questions from several religious groups, who fail in their attempts to trip Him up. His wise and profound answers silence all of them. At this point, Jesus launches into a full-throated condemnation of the Pharisees in chapter 23.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.