39 Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said. 40 And after that they durst not ask him any question at all. 41 And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David’s son? 42 And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 43 Till I make thine enemies thy footstool. 44 David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son? (Luke 20:39-44 KJV)
William Burkitt’s Commentary
The design of our blessed Saviour in propounding this question to the Pharisees, (how Christ could be David’s son, when David by inspiration called him Lord) was two-fold:
1. To confute the people’s erroneous opinion touching the person of the Messiah, who they thought should be a mere man, of the stock and lineage of David only, and not the Son of God.
2. To strengthen the faith of his disciples touching his Godhead, against the time that they should see him suffer and rise again: the place Christ alludes to is The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand. Ps 110:1 The Lord, that is, to God the Son; who was to be incarnate, whom David calls his Lord, both as God, and as Mediator, his Lord by a right of creation and redemption also.
Now the question our Saviour puts to the Pharisees is this, how Christ could be both David’s Lord, and David’s Son? No son being Lord of his own father; therefore if Christ were David’s Sovereign, he must be more than man, more than David’s son. As man, he was David’s son; as God-man was David’s Lord.
Note hence, 1. That though Christ was truly and really Man, yet he was more than a mere man; he was Lord unto, and the salvation of, his own forefathers.
Note, 2. That the only way to reconcile the scriptures which speak concerning Christ is to believe and acknowledge him to be both God and Man in one person. The Messiah, as man, was to come forth out of David’s loins; but as God-man, was David’s Lord, his Sovereign and Saviour: as man he was David’s son; as God-man, he was Lord of his own father.
BURKITT | Lu 20:1-8 | Lu 20:9-19 | Lu 20:20-26 | Lu 20:27-38 | Lu 20:39-44 | Lu 20:45-47 |