Matthew 22:46 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

NIV: No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.

NASB: No one was able to offer Him a word in answer, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him any more questions.

CSB: No one was able to answer him at all, and from that day no one dared to question him anymore.

NLT: No one could answer him. And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

KJV: And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

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

The Pharisees, who loved to debate, sometimes challenged each other with hard questions from the Scriptures, including ones that involved resolving an apparent contradiction or conflict. Jesus has engaged them in such a question: If the Christ is the son of David, why does David call Him "my Lord" (Psalm 110:1)?

The Pharisees are completely stumped. They have no answer to this question, and Matthew reports that they stopped trying to use questions to trip Jesus up after this. They now fully realize they will never beat Him that way.

However, Jesus was doing more than just defeating the Pharisees in a legal and religious debate. The answer to His question was exactly what they were missing about Him. He was the Messiah and the long-promised "son of David," but He was also the Son of God and David's Lord. This was the very truth Israel's religious leaders refused to hear and the very claim they were willing to have Jesus killed for making.

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.

Accessed 11/21/2024 3:23:09 PM