“Gotcha”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Matthew 22:41-46 (Forward, p. 27) CEV p. 1013

Jesus’ opponents and critics were continually hung up, and confounded, by two persistent and interrelated questions. One of the questions concerned just who the Messiah would be, and the other the identity of Jesus Himself. In today’s passage, there is a ‘gotcha’ moment. Jesus uses Psalm 110:1 to put the question immediately in front of the Pharisees. In that psalm King David refers to the coming, yet unborn Messiah, as his Lord. But, how can this be, Jesus asks, if the Messiah is simply a son, a descendent of David, and no more? Surely no one gives that title to a lowly descendent, to someone coming long after him. Well, the only answer would be someone greater than King David, in other words, someone who is greater than any ‘mere’ human, someone who was divine. But that was not an answer the Pharisees were prepared to give. Anyway, they were stymied and had no further questions to pose to Jesus.

Having failed to adequately address this question, they, of course, could not rise to the occasion in terms of Jesus’ identity either. They did not know, and probably could not know, of Jesus’ mysterious birth. Many contemporaries knew fully well that Joseph was not Jesus’ natural father, His biological father, but never ever guessed, even for a moment that God might be His father. Jesus routinely referred to Himself in these terms, but it seems that it was generally dismissed as mere hyperbole or grandiose pontificating.

It does, however, pose a vital question for each for us, namely just who is Jesus to us: is He a mere human like all of us, subject to all of our human weaknesses and failings, or is He God? It is a question that many in the early Church wrestled with for years and eventually became the basis for several of our credal statements. What was eventually arrived at was this: ‘Vera Deus et Vera homo’, truly God and truly man. Jesus was fully and completely God and was fully and completely man as well. Well, how that fits together is something that has always puzzled and perplexed believers.

I come to a partial answer to that by suggesting that, on account of His birth, His incarnation, Jesus was subject to all the normal human feelings and needs, needs for hunger and sleep for instead, and subject to anger and pain and temptation and rejection and all such things. And, while still remaining as God even during His brief sojourn on earth, He emptied Himself (see Philippians 2:7) of His divine prerogatives (omniscience, omnipotence etc.) in order to become fully like us. But, because He was totally attuned to the will of the Father and fully obedient to Him, He never willfully disobeyed Him or fell into sin. And so, He is someone that I can not only fully sympathize with and feel ‘at home with’ because He is man, but also someone that I can worship and follow and obey because He is God. Anyway, that is my answer. I leave it out to you to figure out yours, even as Jesus did on that fateful day years ago in Jerusalem. Amen.

Forward notes: ”The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet’” (verse 44).

“When my wife’s light-hearted brother died, I was introduced to the song, ‘You’ll Never Be the Sun.’ The line, ‘even on the deepest ocean, you will be the light,’ spoke to me about how others support us in times of despair and trial. It was a Zoom funeral, so I couldn’t tell who was singing, and I thought, ‘Wow, those ladies can really sing!’ Later, I learned it was a recording by Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Dolly Parton.

“Again and again in Jesus’s ministry, he brings healing and subdues fears and anxieties, casting out demons and bringing shalom. Like stars in the sky, we can find Christians all around us with demons and fears under their feet and who also know the light of their Messiah. That uncertain ground of conquered fears is essential to their recognition of the Saviour.”

MOVING FORWARD: “Look up the lyrics to the song, ‘You’ll Never Be the Sun,’ and compare them to this passage from the Gospel of Matthew.”