“Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.”
My Notes
What Does Matthew 22:42 Mean?
Jesus poses the defining question: what do you think about Christ? Whose son is He? The Pharisees answer correctly but incompletely: the Son of David. They get the human lineage right. They miss the divine identity. And Jesus will use their own answer to press them toward the full truth (verse 43-45: if David calls Him Lord, how is He merely David's son?).
The question "what think ye of Christ?" (ti hymin dokei peri tou Christou) is the most important question any person can answer. Not what do you think about religion. Not what do you think about morality. What do you think about Christ? Your answer to this specific question determines everything else.
The Pharisees' answer — "the Son of David" — is theologically correct but experientially insufficient. The Messiah IS David's son (Matthew 1 proves the genealogy). But He's also David's Lord (Psalm 110:1). The answer that only goes as far as "David's son" has stopped at the human dimension and missed the divine one.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What DO you think about Christ — and is your answer the complete answer or the half-answer the Pharisees gave?
- 2.Does the David's-son-AND-David's-Lord puzzle force you to expand your Christology?
- 3.Why couldn't the Pharisees answer (verse 46) — and does their inability reveal the limits of your own framework?
- 4.Is your Jesus human enough (David's son) AND divine enough (David's Lord) — or are you missing a dimension?
Devotional
What do you think about Christ? Whose son is He? The most important question ever asked. And the Pharisees got it half right.
"The Son of David" — correct. Accurate. Theologically verified. The Messiah comes from David's line. The genealogy is clear. The prophecy is specific. The answer checks out.
But it's not enough.
Jesus immediately follows with the puzzle that destroys the half-answer: if the Messiah is just David's son, why does David (in Psalm 110:1) call Him Lord? A father doesn't call his descendant Lord. If David says "my Lord," the Messiah is more than David's offspring. He's David's sovereign. Both son AND Lord. Below David in lineage AND above David in authority.
The Pharisees couldn't answer (verse 46). Their framework only had room for one dimension: human. Son of David. Descendant. A great king from a great line. Their Messiah was impressive but containable. A man. A really good man. David's son.
Jesus' question requires a two-dimensional answer: human (son of David) AND divine (Lord of David). The Messiah is both. Simultaneously. And any answer that only includes one dimension — no matter how accurate — is incomplete.
"What think ye of Christ?" — the question still stands. For you. Right now. Who is He? David's son (a good teacher, a moral example, a historical figure)? Or David's Lord (God incarnate, the sovereign of the universe, the one who has authority over everything including the kings who fathered Him)?
The Pharisees gave the right half-answer. The question demands the whole answer. And the whole answer changes everything.
Who is He to you?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
If David then call him Lord,.... That is, the Messiah, which is taken for granted, nor could the Pharisees deny it,…
Jesus proposes a question concerning the Messiah - See also Mar 12:35-37; Luk 20:41-44. Mat 22:41 While the Pharisees…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture