Daily Devotional For Sunday, February 1, 2026

Good morning Southside and it is cold, frigid-cold. As you know we have been making our way through the Gospel of Matthew looking at the life and the teaching of Jesus. Today, we come to Matthew 22:41-46:

"Then, surrounded by the Pharisees, Jesus asked them a question:(42) ‘What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?’ They replied, ‘He is the son of David.’ (43) Jesus responded, ‘Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, call the Messiah ‘my Lord’? For David said, (44) ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.’ (45) Since David called the Messiah ‘my Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?” (46) No one could answer Him. And after that, no one dared to ask Him any more questions” (NLT). 

After being pummeled with questions from the Pharisees, then the Sadducees, then the Herodians and then the Pharisees again, Jesus turned the table on the Pharisees by asking them a question. Every time these different Jewish religious leaders threw Jesus their fast ball, Jesus hit it out of the park. So, Jesus returns the favor to them with two pitches, so to speak. The first one is a hittable pitch in verse 42. This was not a trick question and their answer in verse 43 was correct. They hoped that this Messiah would be like King David and defeat their Goliath – Rome. 

Yet their answer is half true. Yes, the Messiah is the son of David but He also is the Son of God. Then Jesus throws them a pitch in verses  44-45 they cannot hit. Follow Jesus’ logic here. If David called the Messiah, “My Lord,” how then could the Messiah be David’s Son? Jesus pulled His answer from Old Testament prophecy in Psalm 110:1. What father, especially a king, calls his own son, Lord? If the Messiah is nothing more than the human offspring of David, then why does David call him Lord?

Jesus was so good here. Jesus quoting the Psalm 110:1 has in it the first Lord as “Yahweh,” the supreme name for God. The name God gave to Moses in Exodus 3:14-15. And with the second, “Lord,” Jesus used the Hebrew name for God – Adoni. This was a trap set for them by Jesus. In the 10 Commandments we read: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me”  (Ex. 20:3). If the top commandment is found in Deuteronomy 6:5 and repeated by Jesus in Matthew 22:37, then who to the Pharisees is this Lord sitting beside the Lord in Psalm 110:1? With this pitch, the Pharisees strike out. In the church we know the answer to this. This is Jesus, the Son of David and the Son of God. 

Like a great teacher, Jesus solves the riddle quietly and clearly. Having failed to answer this question, they also failed to see the answer standing right in front of them. We saw this earlier in Jesus’ triumphant entry as people shouted out, “Hosanna, to the Son of David” (see Matthew 21:9, 15). Jesus is the son of David by birth and the Son of God by resurrection. So, let’s break this down:

• David said, “The Lord.” This first “Lord” is Yahweh, the Hebrew name for God the Father.
• The second “Lord” in Hebrew is Adonai (in Greek, Kurios) and refers to David speaking of the coming Messiah as his “Lord.”
• “Sit at my right hand” means the Messiah would sit at the right side of God’s throne, the place of highest honor and authority in God’s coming kingdom. In ancient royal courts, the right side of the king’s throne was reserved for the person who could act in the king’s place.
• “Until I put your enemies under your feet” describes the final conquering of sin and evil. In ancient Oriental battles, the conquered ruler was forced to put his neck under the foot of the triumphant ruler, showing defeat and subjection.

These Pharisees become silent. They do not know how to answer this question because they have never really thought about it. It is clear in Psalm 110:1 that David is calling the coming Messiah his Lord. David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, prophesied that one day the Messiah would come in human form. Therefore, Jesus revealed His divinity right here to the Pharisees. I think they are silent because they knew Jesus was right.

This “lord” resides at the position of highest privilege and authority, second only to God the Father. He sits next to the Father’s throne and rules over all his enemies (Ps. 110:4), presumably including those in Jesus’ audience! Don’t miss what’s really going on here. This wasn’t just a random inquiry or a light afternoon game of theological trivia. Commenting on this passage, a great preacher of the early church named John Chrysostom, wrote,

 “He asks these questions, secretly leading them on to confess Him also to be God” (Source: John Chrysostom, “Homily on Matthew 71,” in Philip Schaff, ed., A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, series 1, vol. 10, Saint Chrysostom: Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Matthew, p. 414).

This is why New Testament scholar William Barclay writes this:

“There would be few that day who caught anything like all that Jesus meant; but when Jesus spoke these words, even the densest of them felt a shiver in the presence of the eternal mystery. They had the awed and uncomfortable feeling that they had heard the voice of God; and for a moment, in this man Jesus, they glimpsed God’s very face” (Source: William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series, “The Gospel of Matthew,” p. 326-327).

Is it any wonder that Jesus’ claim that the Messiah was the divine Lord rendered the crowd speechless. No it is not. It all comes down to who is Jesus to you? Was He just a great moral teacher? A prophet? A Jewish unemployed homeless man? Or, was He and is He Lord?

Reflection Assignment: Everyday the Lord stands right in front of you. Do you see Him? Do you acknowledge Him for who He really is – God the Father, Yahweh in human flesh? Do you see the Lord? Or, are you so busy with your own life, You fail to see His?

Scripture To Meditate On: Hebrews 10:12-13, “But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. (13) There He waits until His enemies are humbled and makes a footstool under His feet” (NLT).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, please forgive me when I am just like the Pharisees. You’re standing right in front of me and I just refuse to see You. I praise You that You are King of kings and Lord of lords. I praise You that You sit at the right hand of God the Father. I praise You that one day You are going to humble and defeat all Your enemies. I praise You that You defeated sin so that I can as well.  I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love You Southside! – Pastor Kelly