The interpretation of Psalm 110:1

In today’s passage, Jesus poses a question to the Pharisees. During that time, the Jews believed that the people who lived in the past were greater, and those in the present did not measure up to them. Consequently, even the Messiah who shall come as the “son of David” was considered inferior to King David. As a result, their view of the Messiah had two flaws. (1) They understood that the Messiah would be a reincarnation of David and will perform the same deeds as him. (2) They believed that the Messiah would politically liberate Israel as a king. In other words, their Messianic expectations were extremely nationalistic. To correct this narrow understanding, Jesus quotes Psalm 110:1 and poses a question, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?” We can summarize Jesus’ question in to three points. (1) The Messiah is the “son of David.” (2) However, David calls the Messiah “my Lord.” (3) If the Messiah is indeed the “son of David,” shouldn’t David address him as “my son”?

Pharisees silent

No one could answer Jesus’ question because he had pointed out a flaw in Rabbinic Judaism. They acknowledged that the Messiah is the “son of David,” which means that they recognized the Messiah’s humanity. However, they did not acknowledge the divinity of the Messiah. Therefore, they couldn’t understand why David would call the Messiah “my Lord.” The Messiah whom David called “my Lord” is Jesus himself. Before the crucifixion, Jesus was examined through numerous attacks from every angle, and proved that He isthe perfect Lamb of God. Everyone, regardless of who they are, has their own understanding of the Messiah. The issue is whether it is based on the Bible or if it is a self-centered perspective. If our understanding of Christ is narrow, our Christian life will not align with God’s intentions. Today, let’s reflect on the glory, power, love, grace, and profound wisdom of Jesus and offer our worship to Him.