The Lineage of the Covenant

Matthew 22:34-46

How can it be that Jesus is the “Son of David” and “Son of God” and “Son of Man” and “Joseph’s boy” all at the same time? It must be remembered that the neighbors knew Jesus as Joseph’s son. We, however, do know that Joseph is not His father even as Joseph was Mary’s husband. The lineage of King David is through Joseph, so how can it be that Jesus is the “Son of David” if there is no direct link?

Jesus is posing this very question in the text of Matthew 22:45, “If David thus calls [the Son of David] Lord, how can He be his son?”

Jesus is not refuting anything, but He is also not answering His own question. It seems the reader is expected to answer this difficult question alone.

Obviously the question is not so easily answered, but what sort of challenge is Jesus posing to the Pharisees? They have been hitting Jesus with questions in attempts to trip Him up and challenge His authority and His teachings. Now the tables are turned, and the Pharisees do not know how to answer Jesus’ question. To be fair to the Pharisees, do we know how to answer this question?

I have to admit that the answer is not so clear to me, and I have to wonder if we who cannot answer this question have found ourselves in the difficult position that the Pharisees have also found themselves in, a position in opposition with Jesus. What does it mean if we cannot confidently answer this question? What would it mean if Jesus were not the “Son of David”?

I have always taken it for granted that we know Jesus is not literally the son of David because David was several generations before Jesus. And in fulfilling the promise of “the branch of David”, our faith has enabled us to embrace this lineage from King David to the King of Kings because of a Promise; a Promise in earthly terms that we can understand. Yet those who would challenge Jesus at every turn have been asked a question that even Jesus’ own disciples probably could not answer then …. or now.

This seems unfair because we have been the faithful ones, or at least we have tried to be! We are followers of Jesus; we are His disciples. So why can’t this question be readily answered? If a believer struggles with this question, does this mean that the believer is really a Pharisee in the heart? Does this mean that the faith we’ve carried for so long is not really faith at all but is, instead, an indoctrination that has been ingrained in us since childhood in which we are “taught” what we ought to believe rather than how we ought to think for ourselves?
Many would suggest that it may not be for us to know, or that it is not important to know. The fundamentalist would reason that there are some mysteries where man is simply not allowed and that faith will carry the day. After all, if one is “saved”, what else is there to know? Is it not enough to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God? Is it not enough to believe that He was crucified for our sake and was buried, only to rise again on the third day to fulfill Scripture? In the end, what else do we really need to know?

Sometimes it does seem that theologians and the Church have made the study of Christianity so complicated, especially in demanding advanced degrees so that our clergy are learned men and women of letters, that many tend to move aside and ultimately give up. Would this reasoning account for at least some of the dramatic decline in church attendance in the US? Has it really reached a point where we have created a sort of scholastic “discipline” so much so that living by faith is no longer good enough and that expectations and standards are so high as to be perceived as unachievable?

The Pharisees were faithful men, true to their calling. They were pious men of religion. Yet the Hebrew Scriptures that they were presumably familiar with were turned against them and caught them in their own trap. So if they did not comprehend what Jesus was saying about the Messiah or even why it might be important to know, especially when quoting from their own text, what does it say about Christians when we don’t understand what He is saying?

I know there are many who have already come to certain conclusions about this passage based in no small measure on a lot of thought, prayer, class discussion, and past sermons. For many, however, simply saying that Jesus is staking His claim as the Messiah will go no further with a non-believer than it did with the Pharisees.

What if Jesus had simply walked away after the scribes and the Pharisees finished with their questions? What if He had never mentioned such a thing? Could the confrontation have been cut short? Would anything have been accomplished then?

There is still a covenant at work here. As it has been said so many times before, there is far more to Jesus’ life than just His death. If this atonement were the sole reason for His existence, there would not be nearly as much to write about.

Israel is under occupation by Rome; their enemies hold them hostage. They are not the free people created by the Lord God to proclaim His name to the nations. And while it can easily be said that the arrival of Messiah had long been prophesied, much like the Second Coming there could be no real way of knowing exactly when He would come.

What is certain, however, is that we get pretty anxious when we pray. We need to know that our prayers are heard. We need to know that help is on the way. Even if the answer to our prayer is going to be “no”, we still need an acknowledgment.

Is this not the existence of Messiah in a nutshell? The Lord makes covenants with His people throughout history, promising them that He will always be present and that He will always protect them. Now Israel is facing another enemy. Is the Lord not simply making Himself known so that others may know that their prayers have been answered and that they have not been forgotten after all?

Our Lord has fulfilled another Promise and is trying to make Himself known to His own people and yet, they do not recognize Him! This is not what they wanted to see, and they did not want to hear such drivel as “Pray for your enemies”. Why, King David would never have dreamed such a thing!

The difficulty in appreciating what Jesus is saying is dependent entirely upon one’s perception of danger. We can see with our own eyes the dangers that this world imposes on us. We can see the threats that come to us from this world. Like Israel, however, we cannot see the real danger that is lurking in the shadows. The danger is not an occupying army or a repressive regime. The real threat to the well-being of Israel – and to us – is evil. And we need help.

Help has arrived. Why can we not see it?