Matthew 22:43Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Yet, He does not stop there; to instill a sense of reverence in them, He includes the phrase, "Till I make Thy enemies Thy footstool," hoping that this would draw them closer to Him. To prevent them from dismissing David's words as mere hyperbole or a human estimation, He poses the question, “How doth David call Him Lord by the spirit?” Here, He modestly highlights the prophet’s view of Him. Initially, He asks, “What think ye of Him? Whose son is He?” to provoke a response from them. When they reply that He is David’s son, He refrains from merely stating what David says. Instead, He poses the question, “How then does David call Him Lord?” to challenge their understanding. Likewise, the apostles respectfully address the patriarch David, recognizing his significant status as one who has died and been buried (Acts 2:29). The Saviour also presents His own nature through questioning and reasoning, asking, "How does David by the spirit call Him, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make Thy enemies Thy footstool?" He continues, "If David calls Him Lord, how is He his son?" (vv. 43-45). In this, He does not deny His identity as David’s son—He would not have rebuked Peter for this—but aims to correct the Pharisees' mistaken belief. His inquiry, “What son is He?” indicates that He is indeed the son of David, albeit not in the manner they perceive. They claim that Christ is merely the son of David and not also Lord. Thus, He first presents the prophet’s testimony and then gently corrects their understanding, asking, “If David calls Him Lord, how can He be his son?” When the Pharisees heard this, they had no reply; they were disinterested in accepting the truth. Therefore, He leads them to recognize that He is indeed Lord to David. However, He does not assert this directly for Himself but rather through the prophet’s words, given their lack of belief and poor opinion of Him. Despite their dismissive attitude, we should not be misled by the fact that the Redeemer sometimes speaks of Himself in a humble manner; this approach reflects His effort to engage with their flawed perceptions. Consequently, He continues to present His teachings through questions and answers, subtly revealing His dignity, as being recognized as the Lord of the Jews cannot be equated with being the Lord of David. Observe how appropriately He unfolds this doctrine. After initially stating that there is only one Lord, He also identifies Himself as Lord, supporting this not only through His deeds but also through the prophet’s affirmation. Simultaneously, He declares that the Father will take vengeance upon His enemies, asserting the equality of honor He shares with the Father. With these statements, the Saviour concludes His dialogue with the Pharisees, having conveyed a profound and noble doctrine that left them speechless. From then on, they remained silent—not out of choice, but because they had no counterarguments. Thus, they received such a decisive challenge that they feared to engage Him further; it is recorded, “And no man from that day forth durst ask Him any question” (v. 46). This significantly benefited the people, as the Saviour disbanded the schemes of these adversaries and thereafter directed His message toward the crowd.

Thus, the Lord is acknowledged as the son of David, not due to a physical birth, but because He is eternally begotten by the Father, existing prior to the Father according to His human nature. To challenge this issue, the Jews create various unfounded theories, claiming that Abraham had a servant, Eliezer of Damascus, and that the Psalm was written in his name. They suggest that after the defeat of five kings, God told Abraham, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool” (Psalms 110:1). However, this is in reference to Genesis 14. But they must explain how God could say to Abraham: “In the day of Thy power, Thy people are willing, in the beauty of holiness; from the womb of the morning, Thou hast the dew of Thy youth” (Ps. 110:3) and “The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent: Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (Ps. 110:4). They are thereby forced to confront the question of how Abraham could be born before the day and be a priest in the order of Melchizedek when Melchizedek offered him bread and wine and received a tithe from him.

This dual nature is further illustrated by David's instruction to ‘Sit at my right hand.’ In His divine essence, Christ has always been one with God the Father, existing eternally. As a man, following His ascension, He ‘sat down at the right hand of the throne of majesty on high’ (Hebrews 1:3), where His humanity receives the immutable and exalted glory that His divinity possessed before the foundation of the world. This was the glory He sought during His suffering, as He proclaimed: ‘And now glorify Me, Father, with Thy own glory, which I had with Thee before the world existed’ (John 17:5). The phrase ‘until’ can signify eternity in both the Old and New Testament. The Father has eternally subjected the Son’s enemies—including the principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and even death itself (Gen. 8:7; Ps. 122:2; Is. 46:4; Mt. 1:25; Mt. 18:30; Heb. 10:13; Eph. 6:12). Through His death, the Lord not only liberated humanity from demonic forces but also transitioned it from death to life: ‘He that believeth in Him, though he die, yet shall he live’ (John 11:25). Presenting these prophetic words to the Pharisees, Jesus concluded with the question: ‘If David called Christ Himself his Lord, “What Son is He?”’ It is important to note that He does not dispute His identity as the Son of David, having taken on flesh from the Virgin, who is of David's lineage; rather, He seeks to correct the misunderstandings of the Pharisees. They claimed He was solely the Son of David and not Lord at all. In truth, David serves both as the father of the Lord Jesus and as His servant: a father in terms of flesh, and a servant in terms of His divine nature. Thus, with these prophetic declarations, Jesus skillfully prompted the Pharisees to recognize Him as both God and man.

These truths should have illuminated the understanding of the Pharisees and scribes, indicating that although the Messiah is of David’s lineage by flesh, He is infinitely superior to David in His divine nature. Consequently, Jesus concluded His discourse with a probing inquiry: "If David himself calls Him Lord, how then is He his son?" No one spoke in response. Their obstinate hearts refused to acknowledge their lack of understanding regarding the Scriptures, and they remained silent, concealing the wickedness within. In contrast, the people, sensing the weight of truth, listened to the Lord with great joy. The Psalmic words referenced by Jesus were subsequently cited by the holy Apostles Peter (Acts 2:34-35) and Paul (Hebrews 1:13) to affirm His divine nature.