CIX.

Jewish Rulers Seek to Ensnare Jesus.

(Court of the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, a.d. 30.)

Subdivision D.

Jesus' Question Which None Could Answer.

^A Matt. XXII. 41–46; ^B Mark XII. 35–37; ^C Luke XX. 41–44.

^a 41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, ^b as he taught in the temple, ^a Jesus asked them a question [They had questioned him seeking to expose his lack of wisdom, but the question of Jesus was devoid of retaliation. It was asked to teach a most important lesson], ^b 35 And Jesus answered and said, { ^a 42 saying,} ^c unto them, ^a What think ye of the Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. [The answer was true, but it was not all the truth as the Scriptures themselves showed. And this additional truth was what the opposers of Jesus needed to learn.] 43 He saith unto them, ^b How say { ^c they} ^b the scribes that the Christ is the son of David? { ^c David's son?} ^a How then doth David in the Spirit call him Lord, ^c 42 For David himself saith { ^b said} in the Holy Spirit, ^c in the book of Psalms, { ^a saying,} ^b The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet. { ^a Till I make thine enemies underneath thy feet?} 45 If ^b 37 David himself therefore ^a then calleth him Lord, how ^b and whence is he his son? [The quotation is from Psalm cx. The context here shows that the rabbis of that day accepted this Psalm as written by David and as Messianic in meaning. Since then the Jews have denied that the Psalm is Messianic, and that it was written by David; some saying that Abraham, and others that Hezekiah, wrote it. This Psalm speaks of the Messiah as the Lord of David, and other Scriptures call him David's son. So also the Scriptures describe Christ as conquering yet suffering, as divine yet human, as dying yet living, as judged yet judging, etc. The Jewish rulers seem able to grasp only one side of the character of Christ as revealed either in his life or in the Scriptures, and hence they 606stumbled.] ^a 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions. ^b And the common people heard him gladly. [By all their questioning, the Jews had not been able to weaken public confidence in Christ.]