By Pastor Dave Farmer
Before the religious authorities could retreat, our Lord Jesus Christ asked them an important question: What do you think about the Messiah? There is a right, and wrong answer and one's eternal destiny depends upon the right one. Sadly, an incomplete answer is just as condemning as a wrong answer. Who is Jesus? How would you explain Him to someone?
The text in this study is Matthew 22:41-46
Introduction
There are two tragic doctrinal errors held by the rabbis in Jesus day, regarding the Old Testament's teaching about the Messiah. They were wrong on two counts. They failed to comprehend what the Scriptures taught about the Person and Work of Messiah. Their theological views form the background for understanding this dialogue. For this reason, I will take up this Biblical text in two articles. In the first [Part 1] we will emphasize their error to grasp the Work of Messiah fully, and in the second article [Part 2] we will focus on their fatal mistake regarding the Person of Messiah.
The Small Remnant
Not everyone was like these Doctors of the law. There was a small remnant of Jewish believers who were trusting in the Word of God, whose faith was resting in the promises of God. Simeon, who saw the baby Jesus in the temple, is an example of the Jewish believers that existed in the nation of Israel. The Scripture says that he was "looking for the consolation of Israel." The verb looking is the same word used in Titus 2:13 where Christians are said to be "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savoir Christ Jesus." Simeon was filled with a constant expectation of seeing the Messiah, at any moment [Luke 2:25]. That day in the temple, he took the baby Jesus into his arms and said, "For my eyes have seen your salvation." Sadly, the temple authorities incorrect theological views about the Messiah corrupted their attitude toward Jesus and inevitably led to their rejection of Him.
Jesus' interrogation
Before the religious authorities could retreat, our Lord Jesus Christ ask them a question. Jesus sought to evangelize them, in spite of the rancor and utter contempt they had for Him. His perfect, infinite and unfailing love is a reminder to all of us who have trusted in our Lord Jesus Christ, that we were like these people. Our hearts were far away from God. We were all going in a direction away from God. For those who are saved, our hymn is "God did not fail us." For those who have rejected Him, sadly, your song may become, "I failed God." I failed to listen. I failed to believe.
41] Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question:
Four groups of revered and respected religious leaders had questioned the Lord. Their queries were not designed to solicit answers but rather intended to humiliate Him publically. In their arrogance, they believed He couldn't possibly answer these questions. He was an uneducated man having no theological training. It was their duty to expose Him as a fraud to protect the people.
However, our Lord's answers drew astonishment. Their attack was foiled. Jesus' responses were brilliant, and it became apparent to the Sanhedrin that they had underestimated Him.
Jesus' Question
42a] “What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?”
We have seen the Lord's wisdom in this debate, and it is impressive, but now we see His loving and compassionate heart. These people hate Him. They were jealous, implacable, arrogant, and vituperous in their treatment of Him, yet He does not complain or return evil for evil. A part of me wants Him to lash out, expose their evil, and put them to shame. However, this is not our Lord's way; He is thinking on a higher plane. He is the God-Man, the unique Son of God and His love never diminishes, never wavers, and never changes.
His mission was to seek and save the lost, and for all their religiosity these people were lost. They were religious but unsaved, and our Lord is concerned about their eternal destiny. So He asks, "What do you think about the Messiah?" It would be similar to what we might say to someone today. "What do you think about Jesus Christ, do you believe He is the Savior?
Sadly, due to the hardness of their heart, their arrogance blinded them to the truth. If they just listened to Him! No, they refused to bow to His insight into the mysteries of the Kingdom of God and clung to their traditional way of thinking. False doctrine is insidious, infectious, and corrupting. It is believing the lie, Satan's lie. He is the author of all deceit:
43] “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.
44] “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. [John 8:43,44]
The first great failure of Judaism is their failure to grasp the complete ministry of Messiah.
Their failure here is incomplete recognition of all the Old Testament teaches about the two advents of the Messiah. The use of the Greek word Christos, in this question, should be translated Messiah due to the audience. The English word Christ is a transliteration of the Greek word Christos which means anointed. The definite article Ho precedes the noun, and the phrase is rendered The Christ or better The Messiah. Since there was a great deal of confusion on that day regarding the Person and the Work of the Messiah, the question is fitting and necessary in order to evangelize them.
Passed down to them was a doctrine of the Messiah which taught that He would be a Jew, from the line of David, a powerful ruler that would deliver them from Roman bondage. There is truth to this. The Scripture affirms that the Messiah, will come and defeat all Israel's enemies, establish His kingdom on the earth, and inaugurate an unprecedented rule of glorious blessing to all the earth through Israel's King [ Isaiah 2:1-5; also chapters 35,65,66].
Yet, there is another picture of the Messiah in the Old Testament revelation, of One who comes to earth and suffers. He comes as an offering to die for our sins, and there is a clear statement of this in the message from the great prophet Isaiah:
4] Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5] But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
6] All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. [Isaiah 53:4–6]
The fact is that the Old Testament teaches two advents of Messiah; that is, He comes to the earth twice. In the First Advent, He comes as a lamb to die for the sins of the world. Some Jews recognized that this advent of Messiah would end in His death and not in His rule. For instance, John the Baptist stated publically who Jesus was and what was to be His mission, "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" [Isaiah 53; cp. John 1:29].
This is extremely important because the Jews believed that before the coming of the Messiah, Elijah the prophet would return and present the Messiah [ Malachi 4:5]. This is why the religious authorities ask John the Baptizer if He was Elijah [ John 1:21]. They were right, but in their teaching, they failed to recognize the First Advent ministry of Messiah. Jesus said to them, "you err not knowing the Scriptures [ Matthew 22:29 ]. Their incorrect interpretation of the Word of God led to the view they had of our Lord Jesus Christ; that is, He was an imposter, a false Messiah, at best a fraud, but most likely a madman.
Summary
Let me state unequivocally; the Old Testament teaches that the Messiah has two advents, in the first He comes as The Lamb of God [John 1:29]. He comes to lay down His life on the cross, once and for all, to be judged for our sins, but not only ours, yes indeed, for the entire human race; past, present and future [ 1 Peter 2:24;1 John 2: 1,2] This was the Grace Plan of God. Yet future to us is another coming to the earth. He comes a second time to rule as the Lion of Judah [Revelation 5:5; Deuteronomy 30:3; Psalm 2; Isaiah 63:1-6; Daniel 2:44-45; 7:13-14 and many others]. These were the experts, but they simply missed the first advent.
How sad! The First Advent is taught in the Old Testament 1, as the writer of Hebrews says to the Jews of his day, "God has spoken to the fathers by means of the prophets, in many portions and in many ways ." [Hebrew 1:1]
ENDNOTES
1 The Prophecies of the Old Testament, Compiled by Dr. Renald E. Showers, Israel My Glory: Volume 50 Issue 5. (1999).
The Prophecies Of The First Advent
The Prophecies of the Second Advent