A Rhetorical Question

Matthew 22:41-46

When someone asks a question they already know the answer, we call that a rhetorical question asked in order to produce an effect or to make a statement rather than to elicit information.  A rhetorical question is ask by Jesus to a group of Pharisees gathered around Him, and up to now it has been one question after another from the religious leaders trying to find a way to discredit or even better to kill Him. 

When it comes to putting ourselves in the place of Jesus in the story, it is not going to happen, for we have learned His ways are higher than ours, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, so shall we sit and watch what happens when Jesus is the one asking the questions?  Picking up Matthew’s account in verse 42, “What do you think about the Christ?  Whose son is he?  Two questions were asked and only one was replied to, have you wondered why they did not address the first question?  We are left to wonder why they did not answer, for we know it was common knowledge that the Christ was Messiah.  Do you recall Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan women and how taken back she was that a Jew would ask for a drink of water, for Jews had no dealing with Samaritans.  But this woman, a half Jew, and an outcast could answer the question: “What do you think about the Christ?  In the gospel of John 4:25-26, we have her answer and Jesus’ reply; “The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”  And do you recall Jesus calling His first disciples, it is also found in the gospel of John 1:40-41, “One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus.”  Yes, it was common knowledge that Messiah was the Christ, but these religious guys by passed the first question thinking they knew the answer to the second.

Most of us have answered a question only to find out, to our dismay, that our answer was not correct and that is often a bought lesson we will not soon forget; that is the case with the Pharisees.  Remember the second question: Whose son is he?  “They said to him, “The son of David.”  He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’?  If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.”  (Matthew 22:42-46)

How did you answer the two questions?  Any answer short of Peter’s answer when Christ asked, (“Who do you say that I am?  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”) (Matthew 16:15-16) is the wrong answer!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice