Come with me now on a time machine bicycle and pedal backwards in time and towards the Middle East in direction to Jerusalem in AD 30 (see bold above). It’s the final few days before the death on a cross of Jesus – and his resurrection after 3 days.
Matthew, an eye-witness, records that a Jewish party political conference is taking place. The religious political party of the Pharisees are all together in one place and Jesus is able to speak at their conference.
In fact he questions them about their long-promised Messiah. These Pharisees, for the most part, are plotting to kill Jesus.
What do you think Jesus will say to them? Amazingly all he does is ask a very simple question to which they will immediately know the answer. He asks: “What do you think about our Messiah? Whose son is he?” (Messiah is the Hebrew word for the Greek word “Christ”.)
They replied straight away: “The Son of David.” King David reigned over Israel between 1000 BC and 970 BC and was the greatest of their Kings. This King David was a song writer and musician. In many of his songs he wrote about the Messiah – the Christ – who was to come and who would be his son – David’s son, generations later.
Jesus questions them a second time: He says, “How is it then that King David, whose son will be the Messiah, gives him the name of Almighty God?” In David’s Psalm 110 he wrote “Almighty God the LORD says to my LORD (the Messiah): “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footrest.”
Jesus adds: “If then David calls the promised Messiah “LORD” how can he be a son (a male human descendant) of David?”
Do you see the point of the question? In AD 30 how did the Jews reconcile the fact that their own ancient national archives made it clear that their promised Messiah would be both a son of David and at the same time Almighty God?
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