Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 22:42
saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, [The son] of David.
Mat 22:42-45
What think ye of Christ?
I. There are some who never think of Christ at all.
II. There are some who deem it unnecessary to have fixed thoughts about Christ.
III. There are some who have many thoughts about Christ.
IV. There are some who have right thoughts about Christ, but wrong feelings.
V. There are some who have right thoughts about Christ, and right feelings. (Various.)
What think ye of His-
I. Person?
II. Mission?
III. Condescension and grace?
IV. Work?
V. Ability and willingness to save? (T. Raffles, D. D. , LL. D.)
A testing question
1. It recognizes in man a mighty power, the power to think.
2. It indicates that all right-thinking of Christ must have respect to Him as He is revealed in Holy Scriptures.
3. That to think of Christ is a personal and individual duty.
4. To think right of Christ is a matter of transcendent importance. (J. Williams.)
Revelation not to supersede thought
The Book of God is not a book for the mentally indolent. An amount of mental digging is needful to discover much of the precious ore that lies hidden under the poetry, parables, proverbs, figures, symbols, and the many things hard to be understood in Holy Writ. The telescope, we know, says Archbishop Whately, brings within the sphere of our vision much that would be undiscoverable by the naked eye; but we must not the less employ our eyes in making use of it, and we must watch and calculate the motions, and reason on the appearances of the heavenly bodies which are visible only through the telescope, with the same care we employ in respect of those seen by the naked eye. And an analogous procedure is requisite if we would derive the intended benefit from the pages of inspiration, which were designed not to save us the trouble of inquiring and reflecting, but to enable us in some points to inquire and reflect to better purpose; not to supersede the use of reason, but to supply its dificiences. (J. Williams.)
I. What think ye of Christ? For the religion of the Bible extends to the very thoughts. Our conduct towards Him must always be regulated by our views.
II. What esteem have you for him? He is esteemed by all most worthy of our regard: Abraham. What regard have you for His greatness?
III. What are you willing to part with for his sake? With your sins-the world-with learning-self-righteousness.
IV. What Is it that keeps you from him?
1. Is it ignorance?
2. Prejudice?
3. Insensibility?
V. What wilt, you do without him?
1. In the conviction of conscience.
2. In prosperity.
3. In adversity.
4. In death.
5. In the great day of account. (W. Jay.)
All doctrines equally true, but not equally important
There is a difference between the railing of the bridge and the keystone. The one is indeed ornamental, but the other is essential to the structure. Take from man an eye, or a hand, or a foot, and you injure him; but take away the head, or heart, or lungs, and you demolish him. The doctrines concerning Christ are of supreme importance. (W. Jay.)
What think ye of Christ?
This question is not an appeal to the faith of the Pharisees, but to their opinion.
I. I commend the question. You should think of Christ-
1. Because you cannot help yourself.
2. Because you cannot escape the consequences of the question.
3. As a man thinks of Christ so is he at the hour of his death.
II. Knowledge of Christ is necessary before answering this question.
1. Who is He? Whose Son is He?
2. Why did Christ come?
3. Whither is Christ gone?
4. Wherefore will He return?
III. Now what think ye of Christ?
1. Not what will you think to-morrow, but what do you think?
2. Improve the thought.
3. Strengthen the thought.
4. Express the thought. (C. Molyneux, B. A.)
The question of questions
On my own part, and on the part of those among us who are desirous to have expressed in a compendious form the primary grounds of that belief which makes them not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, I shall give (beginning for the most part in modern and non-theological language) an answer to that question of questions for every age, What think ye of Christ? That answer will land us at last on the highest summit of theological speculation.
I. What think ye of Christ? That he is exceptional in the spiritual world.
1. The holiest men are ever most conscious of their own sinfulness. Sublime dissatisfaction with self is the peculiarity of the Christian saint.
2. Jesus is the solitary exception to this rule. Besides the testimony both of enemies and of friends to the fact of His perfect innocence and sinlessness, we have His own witness. No utterance of conscious sin, no half-hid confession. He never includes Himself among sinners. We think, then, that Christ is unique and without parallel.
II. We think that the exceptional man has endowed us with exceptional fruits, with benefits unparalleled. Not merely fruits of thought, art, literature.
1. Christs living influence is yearly sending forth missionaries to the most abject tribes upon the earth.
2. Christs teaching and example furnish a perpetual motive for tending the sick-perpetuating His miracles of healing.
3. Christ did not merely preach a doctrine: He founded a Church, to be the home of charity. Is she not, with her ministries for the poor, like the mother whom we have seen on Alpine or Pyrenean ridges, as she passes some razor-like edge, knitting for her little ones while she goes, though her heart and eye are up among the clouds?
4. Who shall say what Christ gives daily to those who receive Him?
(a) Elevation above sordid selfishness.
(b) Resignation.
(c) Joy.
III. We think of Christ that he is first-born from the dead.
1. The resurrection of Christ is not a fraud-not a singular recovery of a lacerated and tortured man, awakened from a death-like swoon by the coolness of the rocky chamber, or by the pungency of the spices l We have to account for cowards turned into heroes; for the faith that overcame the world.
2. Nor is the resurrection of Christ the projection of creative enthusiasm. The Church is too real for a foundation of mist. Faith did not create the resurrection: the resurrection created faith. We think, then, that as Christ was exceptional in His life, and in the benefits He conferred on humanity, so was He in His victory over the grave.
IV. This exceptional man must have had an exceptional origin. He is the Son of God (Luk 1:35). He is the Word of God (Joh 1:1). And the Word was God.
V. Christ is the wisdom ofGod.
VI. He is very man. His delights are with the sons of Adam. (Bishop William Alexander.)
The ideal Christ
I. Some people do not think much about him any way. Their minds are preoccupied. They think of something else.
1. These Pharisees were evidently stunned by our Lords inquiry.
2. We meet those in our time who have reached no convictions worth recording.
3. It is not the part of a wise man to miss such a question as this.
II. Some do thine; and now it is of much importance that we inquire what they thine.
1. There is a historic ideal of Christ. This admits the facts of His life.
2. There is a theologic ideal of Christ. A cold dogmatism is the result.
3. There is a poetic ideal of Christ. One imagines a Jesus to suit himself; the result is mystic or emotional.
4. There is an evangelic ideal of Christ. A sacrifice for sin. It holds all the history; receives the theology; accepts the poetry; it recognizes the atonement.
III. Let us ask what this will do for us?
1. Observe, then, how thinking affects the character; ideals control life. Observe also that one may study his ideal through his personal experience and character; and that is the safest way. What is your notion of Christ doing for you?
3. Observe that the only safety for a young believer is found in accepting the scriptural Christ for his all in all.
4. Observe how pitifully the the worlds hero-worship contrasts with the Christians love.
5. Observe that in after ages the question will be reversed; then it will be of the highest moment to ask, What does Christ think of me? (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)
Christ not thought about
I once asked a man what he thought, and he replied frankly, I suppose I never do think of Jesus Christ. Then I inquired when he was born. He gave the date-1843. B.C. or A.D.? I kept on. He smiled, as if he conjectured I might deem him an antediluvian. But I asked soberly, Before Christ or after Christ? He was silent, and I continued, Have you been dating letters for twenty intelligent years without even reflecting that you were daily commemorating the nativity of Jesus Christ? Have you actually formed no opinion concerning that personage whose advent among men changed the reckoning of time, whose birthday shook the race into a new era, as His crucifixion shook the planet with a new earthquake? (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)
Christs origin.
Who a mans parents were ordinarily makes very little difference to us. We gauge the man according to his own ability and efficiency, without reference to his origin. Our estimate of Shakespeare or of Bacon is no greater because we know their ancestry. But the case is otherwise with Christ. His practical relation to the world is bound up with His origin. His life suggests, and words lay claim to, a superhuman lineage; and it bears very directly upon the living and thinking of all of us, whether He be indeed born Lord of men and angels, co-equal with God, or whether He be no more than a man like unto ourselves. It makes the difference between worship and admiration; between allegiance and partial adherence; between implicit trust and critical discrimination; between passionate enthusiasm and cool respect. So it behoves us to press the question in this direction; What think ye of Christ? Is He the Son of God or not? (Marvin R. Vincent, D. D.)
The test question
I. Look at some things about Christ it is well for you to think of.
1. Think of Him as a Prophet.
2. Think of Him as Priest.
3. Think of Him as King, the immortal, the invisible.
4. Think of Him as qualified for these offices by uniting in Himself the nature of the Deity and the nature of man.
II. Reasons why you should think of Christ.
1. That you may know God.
2. That we may think rightly of ourselves.
3. That you may have faith. Faith comes through thinking. (S. H. Tyng, D. D.)
The responsibility of thought
He holds all responsible for their thoughts. The question is not how do you act, how do you treat Christ, but what think ye of Christ? The seed is held responsible for the harvest, the child for the man, the thought for the act, the character. Christ declared that he who lusted and bated was an adulterer, a murderer. A thought to the mind of God is a thing. The first requirement of education is that the man shall regulate his thoughts. Says the Apostle: Whatsoever things are true (Php 4:8). The thought is of first importance. Every harmony that moves the heart of men first swayed the soul of some one as an unexpressed thought. So it is of sculpture and of painting. The thought went before the creation of the universe. The philosopher strives to find out the things which do not appear from those which do appear. (S. H. Tyng, D. D.)
What think ye of Christ?-
I. That Christianity challenges human thought. It is a system of thought; its first impulse is to set the mind at work. You will find in all systems of error a tendency to prevent men from thinking. Tyrants do not wish their people to think. Man is not only to think of things on earth, but of things in heaven. How elevating the character of the thought; it travels to the spiritual and invisible.
II. The effect which the thoughts he. Gives has upon literature. The thoughts of Christ are the thoughts that give power to the world. The people who worship Christ are the great inventors and law-givers to our earth.
III. Where Christ is received as divine, humanity becomes dignified and ennobled; for if Christ was Divine, the human nature may be nearly joined to God. Man is lifted up from grovelling appetites, and becomes the prospective inhabitant of eternity; heir to a throne. Christ connected with human nature sanctifies it.
IV. Note one prophecy. Isaiah saw Him as a child that was born, a son given, called Wonderful, etc. These characteristics of Christ are all fulfilled in Christianity. Christianity was small at first. The cry of a child was heard; then it grew strong like a son, coming to grasp the government; and then it was wonderful. Then as the everlasting Father it is full of pity. What think ye of Christ? When we look at Him personally He is our Saviour. Whatever we think I know what others think; the angels, Glory to God in the highest, etc. What do the host of the departed think: Unto Him that loved us, etc. (Bishop Simpson.)
The God-man-Jesus Christ
That Christ was lineally descended from David, and that as such, He had the body and the mind and the heart of a man, is a historical fact. That body, first natural, then spiritual, became at His ascension a glorified body; but none the less it was the identical body. Christ is now in heaven. The son of David-a man-what is the result of that.
I. Whatever He came to this earth to do is finished and accepted, else He would not be resting there.
II. His presence there in manhood shows what manhood is capable of, what human nature may become.
III. There-in that man Christ, Davids son-we have a brother. What a possession-brotherhood in heaven.
1. He is there as a representative man. On the cross He was our substitute, not a representative. Now He is not a substitute, but a representative man.
2. He is pledged as the forerunner of us all.
3. So on earth and in heaven He is Davids son and Davids Lord. If Christ be man in heaven, no less He is God.
4. And now all that this man died to purchase, He now lives as God to give. (J. Vaughan, M. A.)
Christs solution of Davids assertion
I. The Jews had not the slightest difficulty in answering that Christ was Davids son. They had learned that all their lives. Natural that He should come from the nations greatest man. We all have our pictures for the future, and they correspond to Israels Christ in the part they perform in our lives. Whose sons are they to be? They are to be born of human exertion. The force of human exertion is all around us, and most of us owe all we have to it. It is the parent of great results in the world.
II. Human exertion is not all. David called Christ his Lord. The Lord said unto my Lord. They had magnified David and his greatness and his power so highly, that the thought of somebody being over him and having a right to command him did not form a very prominent feature in their conception of him; and yet they would have acknowledged that he had a Lord. For that, after all, is an essential of our thought in connection with everything. We all want God for a finish to our ideas, even if we do not want Him practically. If we are thinkers, we like God as representing to us the oneness of our system of thought. He forms a sort of easy transition from one line of thought-to another. The scientific man calls his God law or nature or some such vague term, and he magnifies it very much in all his thoughts and expressions. His Christ, his great ideal, is a lord to him-it is above all that he does. Another man makes his God the summary of all that is beautiful: he loves music or art, and the idea of God represents to him the perfection of that feeling of which he just catches a glimpse when he is wrapped up in one or other those pursuits. God stands to him for that wonderful effect which he cannot explain. Another man is busy with commonplace things; perhaps he sees much of the wickedness of the world, and he likes to think that there is a place where everything is better-that there is one who is not assailed, or even reached, with all that troubles him. He likes to think that there is one who realizes all that is good and pure, which he is sure exists, but in which his circumstances do not allow him to have a very great share. He holds to Christ as his Lord. He has one Christ whom he is to produce who is to be his son: he is working for that every day in the rush of lifes battles: he has another Christ who is his Lord-a pure, a high, a noble ideal, far above him: his Lord. Religion supplies just that element of romance to life which we feel the want of, for there is little enough of romance in human exertion, after the novelty of some new effort is over. To many men that thought of God as the great mysterious Lord of life-that thought of a coming power, a Christ as one above and beyond us-is just what they need and hold to, because their life is so busy. It is the dreamers who generally supply the infidels; they do not feel the want of a thought superior to this world so much as the men of affairs who will not let this idea of God the Lord depart from their creed, but hold to it because their thought needs it, little as their lives may use it. We have seen that men do hold these two thoughts of the power that is in the world, and that is to save it. Now, Christs question is seen in all its importance. It was, Can you hold these two together? David did; he called the same person Son and Lord; he worked to bring forth the Messiah by his great and powerful life, and yet all the time he knew that Messiah was his Lord. Whatever can combine these two ideas is the true Christ: that, and that only, can save the world. We separate these things. The things we work for, in our best moments, we will not acknowledge to be our Lord; She things we worship, the things we acknowledge to be great and pure, we forget when we get out at our work. Our sons are not our lords; our lords are not our sons. Hence, we have no true idea of Christ. Till our practical life, our life of human energy, and our thoughtful, our spiritual life, our life of aspiration, are at one, there is no hope of a real salvation for us. The flesh and the spirit are warring against each other, and that contest is wearing us out. Go tell that man who it working so hard to make a fortune, that that is all he is good for, that he has no thought above money, and he will say you insult him; he will tell you that all that work is only a means-he wants to make the fortune, but he has higher motives: and he will talk vaguely of doing good with it. He is the father of one thing, but he acknowledges another thing as lord. Who shall unite these two in our life? Who is our Christ? That is our Saviours pointed question. Have we the right idea in searching for a great Deliverer? Only God, in connection with earth, can supply such a want. We shall appreciate that as soon as we see the demand. For, let our object come from the earth, from ourselves, from our fellow-men, and it may stimulate our exertions-it may make us work hard. But we are lords of this earth, we are equal to our fellow-men, and so such an object cannot be our lord-and the best part of us, the cry for something higher, remains unsatisfied. It cannot be the pure thought of God as above us, as apart from us, God the pure and holy One: for, then, how can it be the son of any man, however great and high; how can it call upon our exertions for their assistance in its appearance upon the earth? We are almost driven to give up this idea of a Christ, so difficult does it seem to be to satisfy it; and we go to asking little unimportant questions, and erecting smaller tests as the Pharisees did, or letting the thing drift along unsettled. Jesus claims to be the one that fills this important requirement, and tells us that we must get back to that idea of a Christ before We can appreciate Him; we must answer that old difficulty of Davids. He is the Son of David, and the Son of every high and noble character who looks for Him. He came of Davids line; He was the fruit of the kingdom which David planted; He carried out into fulness all the character and acts of Davids life; He fulfilled all the prophecies and aspirations of Davids Psalms. We all know that, if we understand the facts of our Bible at all. But that line of historical facts is but the expression of the fact that He is the Son of all high devoted energy. Christ is to succeed in the world by our energy consecrated to Him. He calls on us to labour for and with Him. Christian character is produced-not by being forced upon us from without, but by the quickening of our own being-that it may bring forth more of Christ in the world. Christ is among us; His life was earthly in all its development; it was His life on earth and among men that made Him Christ. He was Davids Lord-far above David in every respect. We read the story of the two lives of David and Jesus, and we never think of doubting which was the life of the Master. (A. Brooks, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 42. What think ye of Christ?] Or, What are your thoughts concerning THE CHRIST – the Messiah; for to this title the emphatic article should always be added.
Whose son is he?] From what family is he to spring?
They say unto him, The son of David.] This was a thing well known among the Jews, and universally acknowledged, see Joh 7:42; and is a most powerful proof against them that the Messiah is come. Their families are now so perfectly confounded that they cannot trace back any of their genealogies with any degree of certainty: nor have they been capable of ascertaining the different families of their tribes for more than sixteen hundred years. Why, then, should the spirit of prophecy assert so often, and in such express terms, that Jesus was to come from the family of David; if he should only make his appearance when the public registers were all demolished, and it would be impossible to ascertain the family? Is it not evident that God designed that the Messiah should come at a time when the public genealogies might be inspected, to prove that it was he who was prophesied of, and that no other was to be expected? The evangelists, Matthew and Luke, were so fully convinced of the conclusiveness of this proof that they had recourse to the public registers; and thus proved to the Jews, from their own records, that Jesus was born of the family mentioned by the prophets. Nor do we find that a scribe, Pharisee, or any other, ever attempted to invalidate this proof, though it would have essentially subserved their cause, could they have done it. But as this has not been done, we may fairly conclude it was impossible to do it.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Saying, what think ye of Christ,…. Or the Messiah; he does not ask them whether there was, or would be such a person in the world. He knew, that he was so plainly spoken of in the writings of the Old Testament, which they had in their hands, that they could not be ignorant, that such a person was prophesied of: he knew that they believed that he would come, and that they were in continual expectation of his coming; wherefore he asks them what they thought of him, what were their sentiments and opinions concerning him; as about his person, whether they thought him to be divine, or human, a mere man, or God, as well as man; what they thought of his work and office he came to perform, whether it was a spiritual, or temporal salvation, they expected he should be the author of; and so of his kingdom, whether it would be of this world or not; and particularly, what thoughts they had of his sonship, and who was his father;
whose son is he? and which the Pharisees understanding only as respecting his lineage and descent as man, as, of what family he was? who were his ancestors and progenitors?
they say unto him, the son of David. This they said directly, without any hesitation, it being a generally received notion of their’s, and was very right, that the Messiah should be of the seed and family of David: and hence he is frequently, in their writings, called by no other name, than the son of David; [See comments on Mt 1:1]. If this question was put to some persons, it would appear, that they have no thoughts of Christ at all. The atheist has none; as God is not in all his thoughts, nor in any of them, for all his thoughts are, that there is no God; so neither is Christ the Son of God. The deist thinks thing of him, for he does not believe the revelation concerning him. The epicure, or voluptuous man, he thinks only of his carnal lusts and pleasures: and the worldling, or covetous man, thinks nothing but of his worldly substance, and of the much good things he has laid up for many years: to say nothing of the Heathens, who have never heard of him; others, and such as bear the Christian name, have very wrong thoughts of Christ, mean, and undervaluing. The Arrian thinks he is a created God, of a like, but not or the same nature with the Father. The Socinian thinks he is a God by office, and did not exist until he was born of the Virgin Mary; and has no notion of his sacrifice, and satisfaction for the sins of men. The Arminian thinks meanly of his righteousness, and denies the imputation of it to them that believe. And indeed, all such think wrongly of Christ, who divide their salvation between their works and him, and make them their Christ, or their frames their Christ, or their graces, and particularly their believing in him; that is, that ascribe that to them, which properly belongs to him. And as for those who do not bear the name Christians, it is no wonder that they entertain wrong and low thoughts of Christ. The Jews thought him to be a mere man, and the carpenter’s son. The Pharisees thought that he was an Antinomian, a libertine, a loose, and licentious person, that had no regard to the law, and good works: hence those words of his, “think not that I am come to destroy the law”, Mt 5:17. Yea, they thought him to be a Samaritan, and to have a devil, and to cast out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of devils. The Mahometans, though they allow him to be a prophet, yet think that he is inferior to Mahomet their prophet. There are others that think well of Christ, admire the loveliness of his person, and the fulness of his grace, but are afraid Christ does not think well of them: they think well of the suitableness there is in Christ, of his righteousness to justify, of his blood to cleanse and pardon, and of the fulness of his grace to supply all wants, but think these are not for them: they often revolve in their minds his ability to save, and firmly believe it, but question his willingness to save them: they often think of Christ, what he is to others, but cannot think of him for themselves; only believers in Christ have a good thought of him, to their own joy and comfort: faith is a good thought of Christ; to them that believe, he is precious; and such, through believing in him, are filled with joy unspeakable, and full of glory; such think often, and well, of the dignity of Christ’s person, of the excellency and usefulness of his offices, of the virtue of his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice, and of the sufficiency of his grace for them: they think well of what he did for them in eternity, as their surety, in the council and covenant of peace; and of what he has done for them in time, by suffering and dying for them in their room and stead; and of what he is now doing for them in heaven, as their advocate and intercessor.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Christ ( ). The Messiah, of course, not Christ as a proper name of Jesus. Jesus here assumes that Ps 110 refers to the Messiah. By his pungent question about the Messiah as David’s son and Lord he really touches the problem of his Person (his Deity and his Humanity). Probably the Pharisees had never faced that problem before. They were unable to answer.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Mat 22:42
. What think you of Christ? Mark and Luke express more clearly the reason why Christ put this question. It was because there prevailed among the scribes an erroneous opinion, that the promised Redeemer would be one of David’s sons and successors, who would bring along with him nothing more elevated than human nature. For from the very commencement Satan endeavored, by all the arts which he could devise, to put forward some pretended Christ, who was not the true Mediator between God and men. God having so frequently promised that Christ would proceed from the seed, or from the loins of David, this conviction was so deeply rooted in their minds, that they could not endure to have him stripped of human nature. Satan therefore permitted Christ to be acknowledged as a true man and a son of David, for he would in vain have attempted to overturn this article of faith; but—what was worse—he stripped him of his Divinity, as if he had been only one of the ordinary descendants of Adam. But in this manner the hope of future and eternal life, as well as spiritual righteousness, was abolished. And ever since Christ was manifested to the world, heretics have attempted by various contrivances—and as it were under ground—to overturn sometimes his human, and sometimes his Divine nature, that either he might not have full power to save us, or we might not have ready access to him. Now as the hour of his death was already approaching, the Lord himself intended to attest his divinity, that all the godly might boldly rely on him; for if he had been only man, we would have had no right either to glory in him, or to expect salvation from him.
We now perceive his design, which was, to assert that he was the Son of God, not so much on his own account, as to make our faith rest on his heavenly power. For as the weakness of the flesh, by which he approached to us, gives us confidence, that we may not hesitate to draw near to him, so if that weakness alone were before our eyes, it would rather fill us with fear and despair than excite proper confidence. Yet it must be observed, that the scribes are not reproved for teaching that Christ would be the Son of David, but for imagining that he was a mere man, who would come from heaven, to assume the nature and person of a man. Nor does our Lord make a direct assertion about himself, but simply shows that the scribes hold a wicked error in expecting that the Redeemer will proceed only from the earth and from human lineage. But though this doctrine was well known to be held by them, we learn from Matthew, that he interrogated them in presence of the people what their sentiments were.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(42) The son of David.Both question and answer gain a fresh significance from the fact that the name had been so recently uttered in the Hosannas of the multitude (Mat. 21:9; Mat. 21:15). The Pharisees are ready at once with the traditional answer; but they have never asked themselves whether it conveyed the whole truth, whether it could be reconciled, and if so, how, with the language of predictions that were confessedly Messianic.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
42. What think ye of Christ? They have had plenty of law questions; they will now have a Gospel question. So wisely and so skillfully did he select this last question, as at once to point their minds to the great source of salvation, and yet leave them in defeat and dismay, simply because they close their minds against the truth. Christ As we have before said, (Mat 1:1,) Christ is the Greek word for the Hebrew Messiah. The Lord therefore asks, What think ye of the Messiah as predicted in the Old Testament?
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“What do you think of the Messiah (Christ)? Whose son is he?” They say to him, “The son of David.” ’
First He asked them what their view was about the Messiah. Whose son did they see him to be? In the light of the beliefs of the time that was not a difficult one and they promptly replied, ‘the son of David’. David was the glorious king of the past who had overshadowed all other kings. In their eyes he was the prototype of all that was good in kingship. And to see the Messiah as his son was to see Him as glorious indeed from an earthly point of view. But Jesus’ point here is that that is not enough.
Note that this is not strictly a use of the title ‘the Son of David’ but is more a statement of fact in line with Mat 1:1; Mat 1:17 and is thus emphasising lineage, that is, that He is the son of David. He is the One in the line of David Who was promised as coming (compare Isa 9:2-7; Isa 11:1-4; Jer 23:5; Eze 34:23-24; Eze 37:24-25). It has a slightly different nuance to the title ‘the Son of David’ as used to refer to the One with royal healing powers (like Solomon), although the end result is the same for both connect Him with the house of David and with the Messiah.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mat 22:42-45. What think ye of Christ? The Pharisees having, in the course of our Lord’s ministry, proposed sundry difficult questions to him, with a view to try his prophetical gifts; he, in his turn, now that a body of them was gathered together, thought fit to make trial of their skill in the sacred writings. For this purpose, he publicly asked their opinion of a difficulty concerning the Messiah’s pedigree, arising from Psalms 110. The doctors, it seems, did not in general look for any thing in their Messiah more excellent than the most exalted perfections of human nature; for, though they called him the Son of God, they had no notion that he was God, and so could offer no solution of the difficulty. Yet the latter question might have shewed them their error: for, if Messiah was to be only a secularprince, as they supposed, ruling the men of his own time, he never could have been called Lord by persons who died before he was born; far less would so mighty a king as David, who also was his progenitor, have called him Lord. Wherefore, since he rules over, not the common dead only of former ages, but even over the kings from whom he was himself descended, and his kingdom comprehends the men of all countries and times, past, present, and to come, the doctors, if they had thought accurately upon the subject, should have expected in their Messiah a king different from all other kings whatsoever. Besides, he is to sit at God’s right hand; till his enemies are made the footstool of his feet; made thoroughlysubject unto him. Numbers of Christ’s enemies are subjected to him in this life; and they who will not bow to him willingly, shall, like the rebellious subjects of other kingdoms, be reduced by punishment. Being constituted universal judge, all, whether friends or enemies, shall appear before his tribunal, where, by the highest exercise of kingly power, he shall doom each to his unchangeable state. See Macknight. We may observe, that our Lord always takes it for granted, in his arguments with the Jews, that the writers of the Old Testament were under such an extraordinaryguidance of the Holy Spirit, as to express themselves with the strictest propriety on all occasions; How then doth David in spirit, &c. Mat 22:43 comp. Joh 10:35. And I look upon this, says Dr. Doddridge, as no contemptible argument for the inspiration of the New Testament; for we can never think the apostles of Christ to have been less assisted by the Divine Spirit in their writings, when they were in other respects so much more powerfully endued with it.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 1392
CHRIST THE SON AND LORD OF DAVID
Mat 22:42-46. What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word; neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
THAT there are difficulties in the Scriptures, is certain: but they are greatly augmented by mens negligence in comparing the different parts of Scripterry with each other, and their indisposition to receive truths which oppose their pre-conceived opinions. Had the character of the Messiah, as drawn in the writings of the prophets, been duly considered, the Jews would have seen that our blessed Lord corresponded with it in every particular; and that, whether he spake of himself as God, or as man, as reigning or as suffering, he was the very person to whom all the prophecies referred, and in whom they were about to be accomplished. Amongst the many things at which they took offence in the discourses of our Lord, that which most inflamed their wrath was his claim to an equality with God. For this they often took up stones to stone him [Note: Joh 8:58-59; Joh 10:30-33.]: and for this, at last, they put him to death [Note: Mar 14:61-64 and Joh 19:7.]. But our blessed Lord had left them wholly without excuse. But a few days before they put him to death, whilst the Pharisees (who had laboured by all possible means to entangle him in his talk, but whom, by all his answers, he had confounded) were yet present with him; he, in his turn, put to them this question, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They, without hesitation, replied, The son of David. This was right: to this the prophets all bear witness: and it was agreeable to the sentiments and expectations of the whole nation. Our Lord then asked them, why David, when speaking by inspiration from God, called him Lord, saying, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? Here was doubtless a difficulty: but it was a difficulty which, if they had understood the Scriptures, they might easily have solved. They, however, were not able to answer him a word.
It is much to be regretted, that, even amongst persons calling themselves Christians, there are many who are at a loss to answer this question; and who, from their inability to reconcile the apparently opposite assertions, are led to doubt, or even to deny, the divinity of our blessed Lord.
That you may be established in this fundamental truth of our holy religion, I will,
I.
Solve the difficulty that is here proposed
The difficulty, no doubt, was great
[The Pharisees all acknowledged David as a prophet of the Lord: and they were all persuaded, that in this psalm he spake respecting the Messiah, whose future triumphs he predicted. Had they been able to say that those words were not inspired; or that they did not refer to the Messiah; or that our Lord had misapplied them in any respect; though they had not given a solution of the difficulty, they would, in a measure, have extricated themselves from it. But they could not: and it is of great importance for us to bear in mind, that on no occasion whatever did the Jews ever controvert the application which was made of the prophecies, either by Christ or his apostles; and that all the interpretations which have been suggested by Jews of later days, have been invented for the purpose of invalidating the arguments of Christians founded upon them; which arguments, upon a just interpretation of the Scriptures, they were not able to withstand. They saw that David really spoke of one, who, at the distance of a thousand years, was to spring from his loins; and that yet he had called this very person his Lord and Governor. Had he said, The Lord said to my son, Sit thou on my right hand, the sense would have been clear and easy: but how could he say, The Lord said to my Lord? David himself was the greatest of all the kings of Israel; and yet he speaks of a person who should descend from him at a remote period; and of a person who, as the event proved, was the son of a poor carpenter, as his Lord.]
But, had they understood the Scriptures, they might have solved the difficulty with ease
[They knew, and universally acknowledged, that the Prophet Micah spake of the Messiah, when he said, Thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto me that is to be Ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting [Note: Mic 5:2.]. Now here the pre-existent state of Christ is clearly declared; declared, too, in terms that can refer to none but God himself, seeing that he alone is from everlasting. This passage alone was sufficient to furnish them with the true answer. But the Prophet Isaiah had spoken more clearly still; and had distinctly declared, that the person who was to be a child born and a son given, was no other than the Mighty God [Note: Isa 9:6.]; and that the child that should be born of a virgin should be called Emmanuel, God with us [Note: Isa 7:14.]. Thus their own Scriptures informed them that the Messiah must be Davids Lord, according to his divine nature, (being indeed the Lord both of heaven and earth;) whilst yet, according to his human nature, which he was to assume from the posterity of David, he was to be truly and properly Davids Son.
In the New Testament, as might be expected, this truth is yet more abundantly confirmed. Our Lord himself spoke of his own existence previous to his incarnation; saying, Before Abraham was, I am. Yea, he declared that he had a glory with the Father before the world was; and that He and the Father were One. Very remarkable are those words which he addressed in a vision to the Apostle John: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord; which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty [Note: Rev 1:8.]. What can be conceived more expressly declarative of his Divinity than this? To the same effect the beloved disciple himself speaks: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God..And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt amongst us [Note: Joh 1:1; Joh 1:14.]. St. Paul also says, that being in the form of God, and counting it not robbery to be equal with God, he made himself of no reputation, (he emptied himself, or divested himself of all his glory,) and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men [Note: Php 2:6-7.]. From these and other similar passages it is evident, that he is God manifest in the flesh [Note: 1Ti 3:16.], even God over all, blessed for ever [Note: Rom 9:5.]. And thus you see that he is in truth both the Root and the Offspring of David [Note: Rev 22:16.].
The Pharisees, not understanding this, were unable to return an answer to our Lord: nor, as long as the world shall stand, can any man solve the difficulty, but by acknowledging the Divinity of Christ. If it be said, that the very passage that is cited by our Lord proves his inferiority to the Father, because it is the Father who exalts him to his right hand, and puts all his enemies under his feet; I answer, that, as man, and as Mediator, he was inferior to the Father; whilst, as God, he is equal with the Father, and altogether out with him. In his Mediatorial capacity he is doubtless indebted to the Fathers ageney; for who knows not, who acknowledges not, that, as Mediator, he is the Fattes servent, sent to do his will [Note: Isa 42:1.]? But if we are so blind as not to be able to distinguish, between his essential nature as God, and his assumed office as Mediator it is in vain to hope that we shall ever solve the difficulty in the text ourselves, or understand the solution of it which the Scripturcs have afforded us.]
I now come to,
II.
Show the importance of the truth which is thus elicited
This truth is at the very root of all our hopes, both in this world and the world to come: it is that on which depends,
1.
The virtue of his atonement
[If the Lord Jesus Christ be a more ereature, what virtue can there be in his blood to afone for the sins of men? The Apostle tells us, that it is not possible for the blood of bulls and of goats to take away ain. But, if the efficacy of the sacrifice depended merely on the arbitrary appointment of God, he might as well have appointed one creature to make atonement us another: nor was there any such difference between one creature and another, that, whilst it was not possible for the blood of one to expinte even so much as sin, the other should be sufficiont to take away the sins of the whole world. On this supposition, there could be no force whatever in that argument which the Apostle, with so much confidence, addresses to us: If the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works, to serve the living God [Note: Heb 9:13-14.]? that is, if the blood of one creature availeth for the smallest thing, how much more shall the blood of another creature avail for the greatest? In the argument so stated, there is not only no force, but not even common sense; and the appeal will recoil on the Apostle, to his own confusion. But, admitting the Divinity of Christ, the argument is incontrevertible: for if the blood of any creature can effect the smallest thing, much more will the blood of the Creator, who is God as well as man, effect the greatest. Here the argument is clear, and the appeal absolutely irresistible.
Know, then, what a foundation you leave for your hopes towards God. Know that Christ is a sufficient propitiation for the sins of the whole world; that his blood will cleanse from all sin; and that all who believe in him shall be justified from all things.]
2.
The efficacy of his grace
[The Lord Josus Christ, in his exalted state, is appointed Head over all things to the Church; every member of which is to look to him for a supply of all his wants, both temperal and spiritual. But, if he be a creature only, how can he execute this trust? At the very same instant that you are crying to him have for the relief of your necessities, there are millions of others spreading their wants before him in every quarter of the globe: and how can he attend to all? Ubiquity is the prerogative of God alone: a creature cannot be every where present at the same time: it is God alone that filleth all things: So that, if he be not God, you have no assurance that he can help you under your difficulties, and afford you the desired relief. In what a distrossing state would you then be left! and what painful auxieties must corrode your breast! But when you know that he is God as well as man, your fears are all dispelled; for he can hear your every cry, and satisfy your every want. There can be nothing impossible to him, if he be the Mighty God: and consequently, whilst living by faith on him, you are assured that his grace shall be sufficient for you, and that no weapon that has been formed against you shall prosper.]
3.
The glory and excellency of his salvation
[On any supposition, of Christ be only a man, and have by any means effected our salvation, we are unspeakably indebted to him, and to God for him. But still, mothinks, he is richly repaid, in having his sufferings for so short a time compensated with such a reward as the everlasting salvation of millions of the human race. But, if he be God equal with the Father, eternally happy and glorious in himself, and absolutely incapable of being rendered either more happy or more glorious by any acquisition of happiness to us, what do we then owe him for all his inconceivable condescension and love? It is this which constitutes the glory of redemption; the incarnation of Gods co-equal, co-eternal Son; his substitution in the place of sinful man; his vicarions sacrifice upon the cross; his completion of salvation for us by his own obedienco unto death; his ascension to heaven, as our fore-runner; his investiture with all power in heaven and in earth, that he may perfeet both for as, and in us, the work he has begun: this, I say, it is which renders the whole plan of redemption so wonderful, and which forms the one subject of adoration and thanksgiving amongst all the myriads of the redeemed in heaven. Divest it of this, and you despoil God of his honour, and man of his felicity: for I hesitate not to say, that it is from these considerations, chiefly, that heaven itself will derive its chief happiness.]
Let me, in conclusion, call your attention to the duties which this view of the Messiah necessarily brings with it:
1.
Believe in Jesus with your whole hearts
[If, as you have seen, he is indeed God as well as man, he is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him. You need not fear to cast yourselves entirely on him. Hear how this very thought is suggested by the Prophet Isaiah, speaking to us in the Messiahs name: Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and none else [Note: Isa 45:22.]. Hear, too, what encouragement he further gives you to repose all your hope and confidence in him: Surely shall one say, In the Lord have I righteousness and strength [Note: Isa 45:24.]. If Jehovah be your righteousness, who shall condemn you? and if Jehovah be your strength, who shall overcome you [Note: Isa 45:24. with Rom 8:33-34.]? Again then, I say, Cast yourselves on him; for in the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and in Him shall they glory [Note: Isa 45:25.].]
2.
Serve and glorify him with your whole souls
[If he be Davids Lord, no doubt he is yours also: and that he is worthy to be obeyed by you, it is needless for me to observe. My text calls me to notice, not so much his worthiness to be served, as your obligation to obey him. If you come to him as a Saviour, you must also take his yoke upon you [Note: Mat 11:28-29.]. This, I say, must be done: for the Father has pledged himself, that all his enemies shall be his footstool. Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, and will assuredly prevail over all opposition; and they who bow not to the sceptre of his grace will be broken in pieces by him, as a potters vessel [Note: Psa 2:9.]. See, then, that he be your Lord, not in word only, but in deed and in truth. See that your whole souls be subjected to his dominion, and that every thought of your hearts be brought into a willing captivity to the obedience of Christ ]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.
Ver. 42. What think ye of Christ? ] Christus utramque paginam impleret. All our search should be with those wise men for the babe of Bethlehem, who is wrapped up, as it were, in the swathing bands of both the Testaments.
Whose son is he? ] They were curious in genealogies. A shame therefore it was for them to be ignorant of Christ’s descent and pedigree.
They say unto him, The Son of David ] Herein they said well, but not all; for they conceived no otherwise of Christ than as of a mere man. Our Saviour therefore takes a text out of Psa 110:1 , and thereby convinceth them of his divinity. We must be well versed in the mystery of Christ, and neglect nothing needful to be known by us.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Mat 22:42 . ; what think you? first generally of the Christ ( . .); second more particularly as to His descent ( ). , David’s, the answer expected. Messiah must be David’s son: that was the great idea of the scribes, carrying along with it hopes of royal dignity and a restored kingdom.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
What think ye of Christ? See App-154.
of = concerning. Greek. peri, as in Mat 22:16 (“for”).
Christ = the Messiah (with Art.)
The Son of David. Literally David’s Son. The last of nine occurances of this title in Matthew. See note on Mat 1:1, and App-98.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Mat 22:42. , …, what? etc.) You Pharisees, says our Lord, are always putting questions concerning commandments; now I will propose to you something else, concerning which also it is written (scriptum est), as of an important matter; that you may see that the Gospel is as much to be sought for in the Scriptures (Scripturis) as the Law is.[979]- , seems to you) [i.e. is your opinion]. Jesus employs the word [980] (seems) with greater right towards the Pharisees than they had done to Him, in Mat 22:17. Even opinion might become the beginning of faith.- , whose son?) Jesus thus gave them an opportunity of acknowledging Him as the Messiah. The doctrine of the Divine Unity (Mat 22:37), is illustrated by that of the Trinity.- , of David) Human reason more easily accepts moderate views concerning Christ, than those which are either more humble or more glorious.
[979] The sum of both law and Gospel is set forth, in this concluding passage, by the greatest of the prophets. The first discourse of Jesus was in the temple, in which He professed that GOD was His Father: Luk 2:49; Joh 2:16. And now this last question, put forth in the temple by the same Jesus, points out the truth, that He is Himself the Lord of David.-Harm., p. 469.
[980] , E. V. What think ye?-(I. B.)
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
What: Mat 2:4-6, Mat 14:33, Mat 16:13-17, Joh 1:49, Joh 6:68, Joh 6:69, Joh 20:28, Phi 2:9-11, Phi 3:7-10, Col 3:11, 1Pe 2:4-7, Rev 5:12-14
The Son: Mat 1:1, Mat 21:9, Isa 7:13, Isa 7:14, Isa 9:6, Isa 9:7, Isa 11:1-4, Jer 23:5, Jer 23:6, Eze 34:23, Eze 34:24, Amo 9:11, Luk 1:69, Luk 1:70, Joh 7:41, Joh 7:42, Act 13:22, Act 13:23
Reciprocal: 2Sa 7:12 – I will set Psa 110:1 – The Lord Mat 12:23 – Is not Mat 15:22 – son Mat 18:12 – How Mat 20:30 – Have Mat 21:15 – Hosanna Mar 10:47 – thou Mar 12:35 – How Luk 9:20 – whom Luk 10:36 – thinkest Luk 18:38 – Jesus Luk 20:41 – How Joh 12:34 – who Act 2:34 – The Lord Rom 1:3 – which Rev 22:16 – I am
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
THE QUESTION OF QUESTIONS
What think ye of Christ?
Mat 22:42
This is the question of questionsWhat think ye of Christ? Seven things.
I. He is exceptional in the spiritual world.In the Gospels we come to this entirely exceptional facta perfectly holy Man Who proclaims that He is so. The law of the spiritual order is that the holiest men are ever the most conscious of their own sinfulness. We think Christ is unique and without parallel.
II. He has endowed us with benefits unparalleled.Christs loving influence is yearly sending forth missionaries to the most abject tribes upon the earth, supplies a constant motive for tending the sick, and becomes a power in daily life. I will give thee rest.
III. He is the firstborn from the dead.It is impossible to account for the existence of the Church without a belief in the Resurrection on the part of the primitive witnesses, and it is impossible to account for that belief without it being founded on reality. Faith did not create the Resurrection; the Resurrection created faith.
IV. He had an exceptional origin.He is the Son of God.
V. He is Christ the Lord.The Word was God.
VI. He is the wisdom of God.Beginning with that which was plainest and most obvious, we have now reached the highest conception of Christthe Personal Word and Wisdom of God.
VII. He is Very Man.My delights are with the sons of men. In this is our hope.
Archbishop Alexander.
(SECOND OUTLINE)
THOUGHTS ON CHRIST
Everyone calling himself a Christian is bound to have some distinct idea respecting the Being on Whom he declares that his salvation depends.
I. What think ye of the nature and person of Christ?The union of the Manhood and the Godhead is the real and only answer to the question with which our Lord silenced the Pharisees: If David called Him Lord, how is He, then, His Son?
II. What think ye of the work of Christ?He was (a) a perfect Pattern; (b) a Brother; (c) a Teacher; (d) a Substitute Man; (e) a Representative Man.
III. What think ye of His service?Ought we not to serve Him, as He has served us? If you really love Christ, where is the service which shows it?
The Rev. James Vaughan.
(THIRD OUTLINE)
PROPHET, PRIEST, AND KING
If we would think rightly of Christ, besides thinking of Him as the Son of God and the Son of Man, we must
I. Learn of Him as Prophet.He is a Teacher as well as a Saviour. Remember what the Voice from Heaven said (St. Mat 17:5). Listen to Him as He teaches on the mountain and by the sea and from the Cross and after He rose from the dead. Let His Words be authoritative and final to you.
II. Trust in Him as Priest.Trust in His perfect work of atonement on earth and His perfect work of intercession in Heaven.
III. Obey Him as King.Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it. Serve Him. Obey Him. All other kingdoms come to an end. His is an everlasting kingdom.
The Rev. F. Harper.
Illustration
The great Mosque at Damascus was once a Christian Church. But on that Mosque could still be read an old Greek inscriptionThy Kingdom, O Christ, is a Kingdom of all ages, and Thy dominion from generation to generation. In 1893 the Mosque was almost destroyed by fire, but the inscription remained intact.
(FOURTH OUTLINE)
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE QUESTION
The importance of this question will be seen from the following considerations:
I. Christs life.Christs life is the keystone of the arch upon which Christianity rests. In this respect our holy religion differs from all other religions in the world. Take Moses, Confucius, Bram, Buddha, and Mohammed out of their respective religious systems, and those systems will still stand. How different with Christianity! Take Christ out of Christianity, and how little is left! The life, the power, are gone! Round His birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and return in glory, are grouped all the great doctrines of the Christian faith; and apart from Christ that faith ceases altogether to be a religion.
II. Christs claims.His claims are stupendous. All other teachers of mankind have claimed to reveal but a portion of the truth concerning God. He alone claims to give us a full and final revelation of the Divine Being. He is the very centre of His own teaching.
III. Christs work.He solves the great problems of life. He brought life and immortality to light in the Gospel. Christ has robbed death of its sting and taken its terror from the grave. And He alone has told us of the love of God for sinful man, and how He yearns to save and bless him.
The question demands a solution. If left unanswered now, it will meet us again at the Throne of God. It is also a personal questionWhat think ye of Christ?
The Rev. Hugh Falloon.
Illustration
These things are present things; they are not history; they are not tales of days gone by; they are not something far away in the distance from us; they are here; they are present facts; they are close: a real, living Saviour is at this moment all this, and much more, than I can say. Accept His work; but, much more, love His person; love His person. Receive Him as your own personal friend. Do not let it be only what He has done for you, but what He is to you. Commune with Hima Brother at your side. Lean upon an Arm that is yours every morning. Take Him into the closenesses of your heart. And He will be to you what He has been to thousands and tens of thousands before youvery precious.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
2:42
The Pharisees did not profess to dislike Jesus (they dared not because of public opinion, chapter 21:46), but pretended to regard him only as a good man and not divine. When they answered the question of Jesus by saying he was the son of David they only recognized his blood relation to the great ancestor, not that he was anyone higher than a human being.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 22:42. What think ye of the Christ? The Messiah. The Pharisees included the acknowledged interpreters of the Old Testament. Our Lord would prove the insufficiency of their interpretation on a point which they rightly deemed of most importance. What they thought of Him, He does not ask them. Since He has been abundantly proven to be the Christ, the question comes to us in this form, as an all-important one. One answer only can be correct.
Whose Son is he. Not merely a genealogical question, as our Lord shows.
The Son of David. A common title applied to the Messiah. A correct answer, but incomplete. This incompleteness is then proven. On this one-sided view of the Messiah, as a descendant of David, the king and warrior, their false political false hopes had been based.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
22:42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? {r} whose son is he? They say unto him, [The Son] of David.
(r) Of whose stock or family: for the Hebrews call a man’s posterity “sons”.