Single lesson
Whose Son Is the Messiah?
Matthew 22:41–46; Mark 12:35–37; Luke 20:41–44
Jesus asks a question about the Christ that starts with a familiar title, “son of David”, and then presses further. By quoting David’s words, he shows that the Christ cannot be understood by ancestry alone.
Before you teach
In these verses, Jesus speaks while others are present and answers a common way of speaking about the Christ. Matthew places the exchange with the Pharisees, Mark says Jesus taught in the temple and mentions the scribes, and Luke points to what “they say” about David’s son.
Explain the central teaching of Whose Son Is the Messiah?, using two details from the reading. This passage teaches that the Christ is called David’s son, yet David also calls him Lord, so Jesus makes his hearers think more carefully about who the Christ is.
Welcome: Whose Son Is the Messiah?
5 minIntroduce “Whose Son Is the Messiah?” and locate Matthew 22:41–46; Mark 12:35–37; Luke 20:41–44. This passage teaches that the Christ is called David’s son, yet David also calls him Lord, so Jesus makes his hearers think more carefully about who the Christ is. Invite each learner to name a detail or question they will listen for.
Matthew 22:41, Mark 12:35, Luke 20:44
Read and explain the passage
12 minJesus starts with a direct question about the Christ: “Whose son is he?” In Matthew, the answer comes straight away: “Of David.” Mark and Luke show that this was a known teaching, spoken by scribes or by others generally. The passage begins with something his hearers already recognise.
Jesus does not deny that the Christ is David’s son. Instead, he asks how David can call him “Lord” if he is David’s son. The force of the question is in David’s own language. Jesus invites his listeners to see that the Christ is greater than a merely family description suggests.
Matthew says no one was able to answer Jesus, and after this they did not dare ask more questions. Mark adds that the common people heard him gladly. Luke ends with the question itself, leaving its weight on the listener. The passage closes with silence from opponents and a favourable response from the crowd in Mark.
Read the selected verses together, pausing at “Whose Son Is the Messiah?”. Use the source reading below and check the explanation against the words of the passage.
Matthew 22:41, Matthew 22:42, Mark 12:35, Luke 20:41, Matthew 22:45, Mark 12:37, Luke 20:44, Matthew 22:46
Discuss the details and their meaning
8 minUse the three questions below. Begin with “What answer do the hearers give when Jesus asks whose son the Christ is?” and allow time to find the supporting verses. This passage teaches that the Christ is called David’s son, yet David also calls him Lord, so Jesus makes his hearers think more carefully about who the Christ is. Ask learners to explain which details support their answer and to identify a question they would like to explore further.
Matthew 22:42, Mark 12:35, Luke 20:41, Matthew 22:43, Matthew 22:44, Mark 12:36, Luke 20:42, Luke 20:43, Matthew 22:46, Mark 12:37, Luke 20:44
Make and respond: Read and respond sheet
12 minWork on “Whose Son Is the Messiah?: Read and respond sheet”. Follow the materials and steps below, using “Whose Son Is the Messiah?” as reading headings. Each learner should include at least two accurate details and their verse references. Share one observation from the finished sheet and explain how it connects with the central teaching.
Matthew 22:41, Mark 12:35, Luke 20:44
Closing: return to Whose Son Is the Messiah?
3 minRevisit Matthew 22:41–46; Mark 12:35–37; Luke 20:41–44. Invite a learner to summarise what the group has learned about Whose Son Is the Messiah? and another to support the summary with a verse. Give learners a moment to complete their response sheet. They can share a question or, if appropriate for the group, join the optional prayer.
Matthew 22:41, Mark 12:35, Luke 20:44
Questions to explore
What answer do the hearers give when Jesus asks whose son the Christ is?
Look for the direct reply in Matthew, then notice that Mark and Luke present the same idea as a recognised teaching about the Christ.
Matthew 22:42, Mark 12:35, Luke 20:41
What words from David does Jesus use to deepen the question?
Read the quotation carefully and notice who is speaking, who is called “my Lord”, and where that Lord is invited to sit.
Matthew 22:43, Matthew 22:44, Mark 12:36, Luke 20:42, Luke 20:43
How do the different Gospel accounts describe the response to Jesus’ question?
Compare Matthew’s note about silence with Mark’s note about the crowd, and observe that Luke leaves the question hanging for the reader to consider.
Matthew 22:46, Mark 12:37, Luke 20:44
Make, think or respond
Whose Son Is the Messiah?: Read and respond sheet
What you’ll need
- plain paper or card
- pencils or pens
- a Bible or the source reading on this page
Try it together
- Fold a sheet into three panels or draw three columns. Label them “A key statement”, “A supporting detail”, “A question to discuss”.
- Read Matthew 22:41–46; Mark 12:35–37; Luke 20:41–44. Use “Whose Son Is the Messiah?” as your reading headings and add a short quotation or detail with its verse reference to each panel.
- Compare your notes with a partner. Check that every quotation is accurate and every conclusion has support in the passage.
- Write one sentence explaining the passage, using a detail from your sheet as evidence.
The finished sheet keeps the details of Whose Son Is the Messiah? connected to their Bible references and gives the group a way to explain what they noticed.
Adapt for your group
- For learners who need more support, prepare the reading headings “Whose Son Is the Messiah?” and let them match short quotations to the correct heading.
- For confident readers, compare two sections of Matthew 22:41–46; Mark 12:35–37; Luke 20:41–44. Ask for a written explanation with two supporting references and one question that the text leaves open.
An optional closing prayer
“God, help us listen carefully as we read Matthew 22:41–46; Mark 12:35–37; Luke 20:41–44. Help us understand what we have read, ask thoughtful questions and respond with care for others. Amen.”
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Matthew 22
41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question,
42 saying, “What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “Of David.”
43 He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying,
44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit on my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet’?
45 “If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”
46 No one was able to answer him a word, neither did any man dare ask him any more questions from that day forward.
Mark 12
35 Jesus responded, as he taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?
36 For David himself said in the Holy Spirit, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet.” ’
37 Therefore David himself calls him Lord, so how can he be his son?” The common people heard him gladly.
Luke 20
41 He said to them, “Why do they say that the Christ is David’s son?
42 David himself says in the book of Psalms, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand,
43 until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet.” ’
44 “David therefore calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.