It seems the Pharisees and Sadducees, the religious leaders of the time, those most educated and trained in the formal practices of religion, never tired of spending time and energy trying to trick Yeshua while at the same time never had any energy to try to accept Him for whom He claimed to be… God and Messiah. The same is still true for many people today. They spend all their effort trying to explain away Yeshua rather than accepting Him as Lord and submitting their lives to Him.
We have been discussing the earlier scriptures in Matthew 22 which document a list of questions which were brought to Yeshua and His answers. He answered every question with clarity and wisdom. Still they are reluctant to consider He may indeed be who He says He is… Messiah. Finally, He asks them a question in return.
41Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: 42“What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?” They said to Him, “The son of David.” 43He said to them, “Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying,
44‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,
“SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,
UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES BENEATH YOUR FEET”’?
45“If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?” 46No one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question.
After responding to the questions He was asked, Yeshua then challenged the Pharisees and Sadducees with a question. They could not answer it and realized Yeshua was much wiser than they… but they still refused to acknowledge Him as Messiah and God. Their minds were already made up and they were not seeking truth and understanding… instead they sought only to discredit Jesus.
The question Yeshua asked them was actually quite important… and it was clear they did not understand it. Yeshua was pointing out that the anticipated Messiah was not just a descendant of David, a secular king or prince. If so, how could David, as an ancestor, call him Lord. No, the Messiah was not only “Son of God” but “God in the flesh”. Hence, David called Him Lord. Yeshua at once opened a door to show these men a deeper understanding of the Messiah and also revealed how little they truly understood. It is also very important to note that He did not simply claim something, like Messiah is God, and say the Spirit revealed it to Him. Rather He pointed to specific scripture to develop and prove the point. We should do likewise.
God invited the Pharisees and Sadducees to a deeper understanding of truth. They rejected the opportunity and instead stopped the conversation. They were unwilling to become humble and seek the wisdom Yeshua offered, but instead remained proud and plotted against Him. They had already made up their minds against Him.
I invite you to pray with me:
Father, please help me to be humble and to seek You and learn from You. Help me submit to You and learn from You. Let me seek truth and follow evidence, which will lead me to You. May I not be so prideful as to miss what You have for me because I insist that I already know and already understand. Help me challenge and update my current understanding of truth based on Your word and Your spirit. Help me to fully embrace that Yeshua was not just a “good teacher” or prophet, but God in the flesh, come to dwell among us. Help me to do as Yeshua did and look to Your Torah and the writing of the prophets to confirm the truth about You. Amen.
Shalom.
Devotion by John in service to Christ
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