Commentary - Luke 20:41-44

Bird's-eye view

In this brief but potent exchange, Jesus concludes a series of confrontations with the religious authorities by turning the tables and posing a question of His own. Having silenced the Sadducees on the resurrection and the scribes on the greatest commandment, He now presses them on the central issue of all Scripture: the identity of the Messiah. He uses their own methods against them, citing a foundational Messianic text, Psalm 110, to expose a fatal flaw in their Christology. They understood that the Christ would be the son of David, but their understanding was flat, merely political, and thoroughly earthbound. Jesus demonstrates from the mouth of David himself that the Messiah is not only David's son but also David's Lord. This is not a clever debater's point; it is a direct challenge that forces the listener to grapple with the divine nature of the Christ. The only possible resolution to the riddle is the doctrine of the Incarnation, that one person could be both fully human, a descendant of David, and fully God, David's sovereign Lord whom he worshiped. Jesus is not just another king in the Davidic line; He is the root and the offspring of David, the Lord of the covenant Himself.

This passage serves as the capstone to Jesus' public arguments, leaving His opponents speechless and revealing the profound truth of His identity to all who have ears to hear. He is not simply a great teacher or a political revolutionary; He is Yahweh incarnate, the Priest-King who sits at the right hand of the Father, ruling until all His enemies are made His footstool. The question hangs in the air, not just for the scribes, but for every generation: Whose son is He? The answer determines everything.

Outline

Context In Luke

This passage comes at the climax of Jesus' final week in Jerusalem before His crucifixion. He has entered the city to the shouts of "Hosanna," cleansed the temple, and is now engaged in a series of public debates with the coalition of His enemies: chief priests, scribes, elders, Sadducees, and Pharisees. They have come at Him with a battery of questions designed to trap Him, concerning His authority, paying taxes to Caesar, and the nature of the resurrection. In every instance, Jesus has answered with such wisdom that He has silenced them. Now, having weathered their assault, He goes on the offensive. He is no longer answering their questions; He is asking His own. This question about the Messiah's identity is the final public word of instruction and confrontation before He pronounces woes upon the scribes (which immediately follows in some manuscripts and in the parallel accounts) and delivers the Olivet Discourse to His disciples. It is the hinge between His public ministry to Israel and His private preparation of the disciples for His death and the coming judgment.

Key Issues

David's Son and David's Lord

The scribes and Pharisees had a Messiah checklist, and "Son of David" was right at the top. They were correct about this, as far as it went. The Old Testament was clear that the Messiah would come from David's lineage (2 Sam 7:12-16; Isa 11:1). The problem was that their understanding of this was entirely horizontal. They were expecting a "Davidson," a great man, a political king who would restore the fortunes of Israel and throw off the Roman yoke. They were looking for a greater David, but a David nonetheless.

Jesus takes this correct, but radically incomplete, doctrine and blows it wide open by quoting Psalm 110. This psalm, more than any other Old Testament passage, is the key to New Testament Christology. In it, David, speaking by the Holy Spirit, describes a conversation between two divine persons. "THE LORD said to my Lord." The first "LORD" is Yahweh, the covenant name of God. The second "Lord" is, in Hebrew, Adonai, a title of sovereignty and authority. David says that Yahweh invited his, David's, Lord to sit at His right hand. This presents an insoluble problem for a flat messianism. In the patriarchal world, the father is always greater than the son. How could David, the great king, call his own descendant "my Lord"? How could he bow down to someone who would come from his own loins? The question is designed to shatter their categories and force them to a higher conclusion. The only way for David's son to also be David's Lord is if He is both man and God. He is the Son of David according to the flesh, but He is the Son of God according to the Spirit, the pre-existent Word who was with God and was God.

Verse by Verse Commentary

41 Then He said to them, “How is it that they say the Christ is David’s son?

Jesus initiates this exchange. The "they" He refers to are the scribes, the authorized teachers of Israel. He is taking up one of their standard, orthodox teachings. It was common knowledge, a line-item in their theology, that the Messiah would be a son of David. Jesus is not disputing the truth of this statement. He is, in fact, the Son of David. Rather, He is challenging the adequacy of it. He is asking, "Is that all you have to say about Him?" He is about to show them that their definition, while true, is pathetically insufficient. It's like describing an aircraft carrier as a boat. True, but it misses the point entirely.

42-43 For David himself says in the book of Psalms, ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES AS A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.” ’

Jesus drives His point home not with abstract reasoning, but by doing what a good theologian does: He goes straight to the text. He quotes Psalm 110:1, a psalm universally understood by the Jews of His day to be Messianic. He prefaces it by saying "David himself says," emphasizing the authority of the speaker. David, under the inspiration of the Spirit, is the one making this astonishing claim. The quotation itself is dense with theology. We have two Lords: Yahweh ("THE LORD") and David's Lord ("my Lord"). We have the doctrine of the session: the Messiah is invited to sit at the right hand of the Father, a position of supreme honor, authority, and power. And we have the prophecy of His ultimate victory: He will sit there until all His enemies are made His footstool. This is not a passive waiting. As the rest of the psalm makes clear, this session is a position of active rule from the heavens. He is reigning now, and His kingdom is advancing in history, subduing His enemies through the proclamation of the gospel.

44 Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord,’ so how is He his son?”

Here is the checkmate. Jesus brings the two propositions together and reveals the apparent contradiction. On the one hand, the scribes teach that the Christ is David's son. On the other hand, David himself, their great king, calls this same Christ his Lord. Jesus leaves the question hanging in the air. "How is He his son?" He doesn't answer it for them. He forces them to confront the inadequacy of their own system. Their messianic categories are too small. They cannot contain this person who is both descendant and sovereign. The silence of His opponents is their concession of defeat. There is no answer to be found within a merely human, political framework. The answer is supernatural. The answer is the virgin birth. The answer is the hypostatic union. The answer is Jesus Christ, the God-man, David's son and David's Lord.

Application

The question Jesus poses to the scribes is a question every person must face. Who do you say that Jesus is? It is not enough to have a correct but incomplete Christology. It is not enough to say He is a good man, a great teacher, a moral example, or even a son of David. Many will grant Him a place of honor in the pantheon of religious figures. But Jesus will not be placed in a pantheon. He demands to be recognized for who He is: the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth.

This passage teaches us that we must build our understanding of Jesus from the whole counsel of God. The scribes had their proof texts for a Davidic Messiah, but they ignored or misunderstood texts like Psalm 110 that pointed to His divinity. We are often tempted to do the same, creating a Jesus in our own image, a Jesus who is comfortable with our sins and affirms our cultural prejudices. We might prefer a gentle, meek Jesus and ignore the Jesus who pronounces woes and promises to make His enemies His footstool. We might want a revolutionary Jesus and ignore the Jesus who demands personal holiness. We must submit to the Jesus of the Scriptures in His fullness.

Finally, we must recognize that David's Lord is our Lord. He is seated now at the right hand of the Father. He is not wringing His hands over the state of the world; He is ruling it. He is actively subduing His enemies through the power of His Spirit and the proclamation of His gospel by His Church. Our task is not to cower in fear, waiting for a last-minute rescue. Our task is to live faithfully as the willing subjects of a victorious King, knowing that every knee will one day bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.