This was fitting since they were the shepherds and teachers of the people, and thus should not remain ignorant of this mystery: the very mystery that the law of Moses had forecast across the ages, symbolized through types and shadows, and proclaimed by a distinguished assembly of holy prophets. Consequently, Christ is referred to as “the fulfillment of the law and the prophets.”
Thus, the Saviour posed a question to them: “How is it said that Christ is the Son of David? For David himself says in the book of Psalms, ‘The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thy enemies thy footstool.’” David calls Him Lord; so how can He also be his son? The foundation of understanding is faith, “for unless, saith he, ye believe, ye shall not understand,” yet the study of significant truths also leads to salvation. Emmanuel, therefore, is both the Son and Lord of David. Anyone seeking to comprehend this must engage in a thorough and sincere inquiry into the mystery that “was kept in silence from the foundation of the world, but was revealed in the last ages of the world.” The Pharisees, however, did not respond to Christ’s question, acting out of malice, or rather against themselves, as they feared that the promise of salvation inherent in the question might illuminate them. They were unwilling to seek the truth and, in their sinful pride, denied the Heir, even going so far as to condemn Him. Their love of power and desire for personal gain led them to forsake the faith. They even went as far as stoning Him, and when confronted about their violent actions, they foolishly declared, “We do not stone You for a good deed, but for blasphemy, because You, being a man, make Yourself God.” At other times, they vilified Him as a Samaritan, a drunkard, a cupbearer, and the son of a carpenter, insinuating that He was ignoble and came from unworthy origins. It is no surprise that they also dared to cast aspersions on His birth from the holy Virgin, saying bitterly, “We are not born of a harlot.”
To dissuade them from their tendency to think and speak disparagingly about Him, He questioned, “How do they say that Christ is the Son of David?” Yet they remained silent from evil intentions, thereby condemning themselves to be unworthy of eternal life and the knowledge of the truth. We too pose a similar question to the modern-day Pharisees: let those who reject that He who was born of the holy Virgin is the Son of God and is Himself God, and who attempt to divide the one Christ into two sons, explain how the son of David can be his Lord—not merely regarding earthly authority, but in terms of divine authority. For to sit at the right hand of the Father signifies the assurance and promise of the highest honor. Those who occupy the same throne share equal dignity, and those crowned with the same accolades are inherently equal in essence. Sitting beside God implies nothing less than supreme authority, and the throne proclaims His dominion over all creation.
How can the Son of David be the Lord of David while also seated at the right hand of God the Father and upon the throne of divinity? It follows, according to the eternal truth of the mystery, that the Word, being God and emanating from the very essence of God the Father, and in His likeness and equality, became flesh and took on humanity perfectly, while retaining the incomparable splendor of His divine nature. Thus, He remains God, even as He came into the world in a form like ours. He is, therefore, David's Lord in terms of His divine glory and sovereignty, yet His son in terms of the flesh. The leaders of Israel, proud of their understanding of divine law, must not ignore the words of the holy prophets. The blessed Isaiah proclaims, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, God with us.” The Word was among us as God when He donned our humanity, not shunning the lowliness of our condition to offer salvation to all.
Furthermore, it is written, “But you, Bethlehem, house of Ephrathah, are small among the thousands of Judah; out of you shall he be born to me who shall be the head of Israel.” Bethlehem was indeed humble, its population minuscule compared to the larger Jewish community, yet from it arose Christ, born of the holy Virgin—not to be subjected to the shadows of the law, but to reign as the ruler of both law and prophets. Thus, we must not yield to ignorance or the misguided notions of men, lest we descend into falsehood, but rather adhere to the pure teachings of the holy apostles and evangelists, who consistently assert that Christ, the Saviour of all, is both the Son and Lord of David. “One Lord therefore, one faith, one baptism: one Lord hath purchased us ‘not with corruptible things, silver or gold, but with His blood,’” as it is written, that we ought to serve Him, alongside the Father. Through Him, we gain access to the Father.
As previously mentioned, the Jewish leaders paid no heed to the truth. If one wishes to uncover the reason for their stubborn refusal to embrace the teachings, they will hear it from me. They were unwilling to relinquish their innate craving for praise or their insatiable greed. The Saviour once admonished them: “How can ye believe, who receive glory one from another, and desire not the glory which cometh from the only God?” It is their obligation to seek the glory that originates from God, not from human beings, which is fleeting and, like a dream, ultimately vanishes.
THEOSIS