Wednesday, October 20, 2010

David’s Son

“While the Pharisees were together, Jesus questioned them, ‘What do you think about the Messiah? Whose Son is He?’ ‘David’s,’ they told Him.” (Matthew 22:41)

Among the religious leaders and in the general populace, the basic belief of the Messiah was that He was to be the son of David. There was not an expectation that He would be the incarnation of God the Son. They understood the promise to be only that a future descendant of David would come, send from God and endowed with the blessings and power of God to defeat their enemies and restore the throne of Israel to the line of David.

Jesus knew this, but still He asked the question because it was time to expand their horizons. “Whose Son is He?” The response was obvious. The next question was not. “How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit, calls Him ‘Lord?’” Jesus quoted Psalm 110:1, and then asked, “If David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how then can the Messiah be his son?” They were unable to answer.

Of course, the answer is that David calls Him “Lord” because He is the Son of God incarnate. This makes Peter’s earlier confession all the more astonishing, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” The Pharisees didn’t get it. Peter did. And he got it through revelation.

This is actually THE supreme question in life: What do you believe about Jesus? The answer we give is direction-setting.

Lord, We thank You that You have revealed Yourself to us and in us through Your Spirit who dwells within. We acknowledge You as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, and in You we put our trust. Amen.

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