Matthew 22:45Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Moreover, in an effort to instill a sense of reverence among them, He refers to the prophecy stating, “Till I make Thy enemies Thy footstool,” hoping to draw their attention to His truth. To prevent the notion that David's words were merely exaggerated human judgment, He poses, “How doth David call His Lord by the spirit?” illustrating the humility with which He highlights the prophet's acknowledgment of Him.

His approach begins with a question, “What think ye of Him? Whose is the Son?” to prompt their response. When they respond, “He is David's,” He refrains from a straightforward declaration, instead asking, “How shall David call His Lord?” This is to safeguard the doctrine of His divinity from any misinterpretations they might have. The apostles, too, spoke respectfully of David, recognizing his status while noting that he had died and was buried.

In a parallel manner, the Saviour engages in dialogue by inquiring how David might refer to his own Lord through the spirit in the words, “The Lord says unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, till I make Thy enemies Thy footstool.” He follows with the query, “If David call Him Lord, what son is He?” This statement does not negate His lineage as the son of David; rather, it aims to realign the Pharisees' understanding. His question, “What son is he?” indicates that while He is indeed David's descendant, He transcends that identity in their understanding.

Upon hearing this, the Pharisees remained silent, not due to a desire for truth, but because they had no rebuttal. Thus, He leads them to recognize His Lordship over David subtly, employing the prophet's words because they were skeptical of His claims and harbored negative perceptions of Him. Despite His humble references to Himself, He adapted to their limited comprehension to convey profound truths.

Even at this moment, as He interacts through questions, He continues to reveal His dignity in concealed ways. It is crucial to note that being called Lord of the Jews differs from bearing the title Lord of David. Observe how aptly He delivers this teaching. After asserting the singularity of Lordship, He identifies Himself as Lord, substantiating this not only through His deeds but also through prophetic testimony, concurrently declaring that the Father will enact vengeance, saying, “Till I make Thy enemies Thy footstool,” thereby affirming His equality and dignity with the Father.

With these concluding remarks to the Pharisees, the Saviour presents a doctrine that is both lofty and significant, leaving them without the means to respond. Henceforth, they fell silent, not of their own choosing, but because they were unable to refute Him, suffering a decisive setback that deterred them from pursuing further challenges against Him. This brought considerable benefit to the people, as the Saviour, having dispelled these adversaries and thwarted their nefarious schemes, ultimately addresses the crowd.

Let us first recall what Christ proclaimed through the apostle to Timothy: Remember Jesus Christ, of the lineage of David, who was raised from the dead, according to my gospel (2 Tim. 2:8). Therefore, Christ is indeed the Son of David. But how can He be both Son and Lord? Let us seek guidance from the apostle! The apostle teaches that He, being the image of God, did not consider it a theft to be equal with God (Phil. 2:6). Acknowledge in Him the Lord David. If you recognize Him as the Lord David, our Lord who reigns over heaven and earth, the Lord of angels, equal to God, and the image of God, then how is He also the Son of David? Pay attention to what is next. The apostle reveals to us the Lord David, affirming that He, the image of God, did not see equality with God as something to be grasped. How then is He the Son of David? He humbled Himself, taking the form of a servant, made in the likeness of men, and being found in appearance as a man; He humbled Himself, obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God has exalted Him (Phil. 2:7-9). And Christ, the seed of David, the Son of David, was raised because He humbled Himself. How did He humble Himself? By assuming what He was not while retaining what He was. He humbled Himself, showing His humanity. Though divine, He manifested as man. During His earthly ministry, He faced rejection despite being the Creator of all. He was scorned as a man, portrayed as powerless. Not only was He rejected, but He was also put to death! He became the rock over which the Jews stumbled and were broken: and whosoever shall fall on this rock shall be broken; and on whom it falls it shall crush him (Matthew 21:44). Initially, He was brought low, and they stumbled. He will return exalted, and then He will shatter them. Now you see that He is both the Son of David and the Lord of David: the eternal Lord of David and the temporal Son of David. The Lord of David is begotten from the essence of the Father, while the Son of David is born of the Virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit. Let us firmly hold to both truths! One is our future hope in eternity, the other is our salvation from present estrangement.

Thus, the Lord is identified as the son of David, not due to physical birth, but because He is eternally (always) begotten of the Father, existing before the Father Himself in His humanity. To address this dilemma, the Jews resort to a myriad of baseless conjectures, claiming that Abraham had a servant named Eliezer of Damascus, and that the Psalm was penned in his name; suggesting that, after the five kings were defeated, God spoke to Abraham, saying, 'Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool' (Psalm 109:1). However, how then could God have stated to Abraham the following: 'In the day of Thy power Thy people are ready in the splendour of the holy place; out of the womb before the day is like the dew Thy birth'? Also, 'The Lord hath sworn, and will not change His mind: Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec' (Psalm 109:3-4). Furthermore, they must contend with the question: How is it that Abraham existed before the day, and was a priest in the manner of Melchisedec, when Melchisedec presented bread and wine to him and received a tithe from him?

The physical adversaries of Christ include primarily the Jews, followed by Gentiles and heretics, while the spiritual foes are the demons. As noted in Mark (Mark 12:35, 37), Christ made this assertion while teaching in the temple, to which the listeners responded with great joy. It is likely that He first posed the question to the Pharisees before sharing the teaching with the people gathered in the temple.

Furthermore, David’s mention of Christ sitting at His right hand signifies His humanity; for as God, He has eternally existed in unity and co-eternity with the Father, and as man, after His ascension, He ‘sat down at the right hand of the throne of majesty on high’ (Hebrews 1:3), thereby receiving the same unchanging, glorious exaltation that His Divinity had prior to creation. This desire for glory was expressed in His suffering when He prayed: ‘And now glorify Me, Father, with Thy own glory, which I had with Thee before the world existed’ (John 17:5). The term ‘until’ is frequently interpreted as signifying eternity in both the Old and New Testament. Thus, for all eternity, the Father has vanquished His Son’s adversaries, including the principalities, powers, and rulers of this dark age, culminating in the defeat of death itself (Gen. 8:7; Ps. 122:2; Is. 46:4; Mt. 1:25; Mt. 18:30; Heb. 10:13; Eph. 6:12). The death of the Lord not only liberated humanity from demonic influence but also transitioned it from death to life: ‘He that believeth in Him, though he die, yet shall he live’ (John 11:25). Having proclaimed these prophetic truths to the Pharisees, Jesus concluded by asking: ‘If David called Christ Himself his Lord, what Son is He?’ It is important to note that He does not refute being the Son of David, acknowledging His incarnation from the Holy Virgin, a descendant of David; however, He aims to rectify the Pharisees’ misunderstanding. They claimed He was only the Son of David and not even Lord; yet David is both the progenitor of the Lord Jesus and His servant: the father in relation to the flesh, the servant concerning the Godhead (Zlat. in conversation). Through these prophetic declarations, Jesus adeptly compelled the Pharisees to recognize Him as both God and man.

It becomes evident that while the Messiah, in His human lineage, is the Son or Descendant of David, in His divine nature as the incarnate Son of God, He stands as David's Lord. By acknowledging the Messiah as Lord, David indicated that the Christ expected to emerge from him is both his Lord and Master—truly the Son of God and God Himself. When David stated, 'sit at My right hand,’ this affirmed His humanity; for the Son of God, as divine, has existed eternally in unity and co-eternity with God the Father, and as Man, He, following His ascension, “sat down at the right hand” of the “throne of majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3), when His humanity was adorned with the same unchanging and indescribable glory that His divinity possessed from all eternity. This is what our Savior also entreated from God the Father before His Passion: ‘And now glorify Me, O Father, with Thy own glory, which I had with Thee before the world existed’ (John 17:5). St. Chrysostom notes how fittingly the Lord reveals His own divinity. After proclaiming that the Lord is One, He asserts His own lordship, substantiating this claim not only through His works but also through prophetic testimony; concurrently, He declares that the Father will exact vengeance on His adversaries, saying, ‘until I make Thy enemies Thy footstool.’ Through these words, the Savior affirms His unity and equal standing with the Father, concluding His dialogue with the Pharisees by imparting a doctrine that is profound and majestic, capable of silencing them. Indeed, from that moment, they became mute—not by choice but because they had no valid counterarguments; thus, such a definitive statement left them unable to refute Him, which is noted, And NO ONE CAN ANSWER HIM A WORD; and from that day NO ONE HAS DARED TO QUESTION HIM.

However, the Pharisees failed to acknowledge this dual aspect of the Messiah's relationship to David, having lost sight of the profound mystery of the God-man. Thus, they received such a decisive revelation that they ceased their inquiries, for it is stated, "from that day no one dared to question Him."

These aspects should have illuminated for the Pharisees and scribes the truth that the Messiah, while having a physical descent from David, is infinitely transcendent to David in His Divine nature. Therefore, Jesus concluded His discourse with another question: "But if David himself calls Him Lord, how is He his Son?" This left them speechless. Their obstinate refusal to admit their lack of understanding of the Scriptures drove them into silence, concealing their malice. However, the crowd, recognizing the side of truth, listened to the Lord with great delight. The Psalm verses cited by Jesus were later referenced by the holy Apostles Peter (Acts 2:34-35) and Paul (Hebrews 1:13) to affirm His Divine nature.