But he said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is David’s son? For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”
And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretence make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
Comment: The authorities have been tricky in an effort to destroy Jesus. Now Jesus gives them a riddle to encourage them to think and be honest!
- Because of multiple Old Testament passages the Jews believed that the Messiah was to be a descendant of King David.
- In Psalm 110 David says ‘The LORD (God) says to my Lord (the Messiah): ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool’.
- Why would King David, considered the greatest of their kings, call a descendant his Lord?
- You people, He is saying, need to stop and think clearly. Surely He would not see ‘a-many-years-after Him’ progeny as Lord, unless wearing his prophetic hat, he was presenting His descendant as God.
- He challenges them to conclude that He, a descendant of David, is that promised Descendant. You will remember that on His coming into Jerusalem a few days earlier many had been vocalising this very thought.
Hypocrisy is to be abhorred. It is sad that many state their reason for not being in the church is because of hypocrisy of the followers of Jesus. For some they are clutching onto any self-justifying excuse; sadly, however, this thing so abhorrent to the Master is seen in His followers. Was it because of the leaders‘ hypocrisy that they were rejecting Him?
Prayer: Cleanse me of this abhorrent hypocrisy, please.
As I read it! 