Matthew 22:42 - Printer Friendly

ESV: saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.”

NIV: What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?' 'The son of David,' they replied.

NASB: What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?' They *said to Him, 'The son of David.'

CSB: "What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he? "They replied, "David's."

NLT: What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?' They replied, 'He is the son of David.'

KJV: Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.

NKJV: saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “ The Son of David.”

The Pharisees are on the verge of giving up trying to fool Jesus with hard questions. Their strategy to get Him in trouble either with His own followers or with Rome has failed badly. Jesus is too smart to be drawn into one of their traps (Matthew 22:22, 33). Worse for the Pharisees, though, is that Jesus' profound answers are starting to convince their own members (Mark 12:32–34). Their current huddle might be a last-ditch attempt to craft a knockout response (Matthew 22:41).

Jesus, though, is not done with the Pharisees. He has a hard question for them, though it starts out as an easy one: Whose son is the Christ?

"The Christ" comes from the Greek term Christos, itself a translation of the Hebrew term Mashiyach, from which we get the English term "Messiah:" the long-promised savior of Israel. The Jewish people had high expectations for the Messiah. They were sure the Christ was coming to return the political nation of Israel to her former glory. If He arrived in their time, He would surely overthrow the Romans and bring peace and security back to Israel, so they thought.

As expected, the Pharisees answer Jesus' question quickly. The Christ is the son of David. "Son of David" was one of the many names the Jewish people had for the Messiah. They understood from prophecy that the Messiah would be a descendant of David, and they are right. Matthew began this book with the genealogy of Jesus to show that He was, in fact, descended from David.

Jesus has a bigger question in mind, however. For the fourth time in this passage, His explanation of Scripture (Matthew 22:43) uncovers a profound and crucial fact about God (Matthew 22:21, 32, 37–38).

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.