Luke 20:41-47
What Sort of King? (2)
Luke 20:41-44 - Jesus’ Question about the Son of David
41 He said to them,“How do they say that the Christ is the son of David?42 Since David himself says in the Book of Psalms, ‘The Lord said to my lord, Sit at my right,43 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?’44 David therefore calls him lord, so how can he be his son?”Jesus moved into the offensive, not for the sake of winning an argument or increasing honour, but to clarify an issue that was still unclear, even though Jesus had addressed it indirectly by the manner of his entry into Jerusalem: Did the titleChrist/Messiah (David’s son), so frequently referred to in the prophets, carry a political meaning? It probably did in the mind of the people, but Jesus’ question challenged that whole understanding.
His argumentation, as in the preceding incident, was rabbinical; he used scripture to interpret scripture.
Jesus quoted Psalm 110:1. To understand the argument, it is important to understand a few points:
- Jews of the time of Jesus, no doubt including Jesus himself, believed that David was the author of the psalms
- The word Lord was universally used as a substitute for the name of God, Yahweh (which no Jew, from deep respect, would ever utter)
- The same word, Lord, however, was also used in an ordinary sense as an address to someone of superior rank and, depending on context, to the Christ/Messiah
Given that complication, the Psalm verse would have been understood thus:
‘Yahweh said to my (David’s) superior (i.e. the Messiah),“Sit at my right hand,43 until I make your enemies your footstool.”Those who believed David’s son to be the Christ/Messiah were claiming that David saw his son (or one of his descendants) as superior to himself – which in the mindset of the time was nonsense. If people claimed Jesus to be Christ/Messiah, Jesus could only have been such on the understanding that he was not a son of David in the sense of being a participant in political monarchy.
Confrontation – Scribal Hypocrisy and Exploitation
Luke 20:45-47 - Jesus Denounces Scribes
45 Within hearing of the whole crowd,he said to the disciples,46 “Be cautious of the scribes who want to walk around in long gowns, and love to be greeted in the market squares,to have the front seats in the synagogues and the chief couches at banquets.47 They devour the homes of widows, and pray at length in order to be seen. They will receive greater condemnation.”As educated, professional interpreters of the Torah, the role of the scribes was important. Their problem was that they confused the importance of their role with their own personal honour. The people generally concurred. The tendency is a hazard for anyone with a significant function in society or Church.
Jesus condemned the whole honour-based system. Disciples were to avoid all such aspirations and to consider themselves as the least of all.
Among his accusations Jesus listed their devouring of widows' homes, without further explanation. In their insisting that people observe the law and consequently contribute to the upkeep of the temple, they made no distinction between the rich and the poor, those obliged to contribute and those to whom, rather, the wealth of the temple should have been in fact distributed.
The following incident immediately would illustrate the point being made by Jesus.
Next >> Luke 21:1-24