What does Luke 20:42 mean?
Jesus is bringing His conversation with the religious leaders back around to authority. Here, the topic is specifically the authority of the Messiah: the "Christ" or Promised One. In the parable of the wicked tenants, Jesus claimed that God gave Him authority as His Son (Luke 20:9–18). Now, He reminds the Pharisees (Matthew 22:41) that David declared submission to the Christ even though the Christ is David's own descendant (2 Samuel 7:12–13).Psalm 110 is among the most-often quoted psalms in the New Testament. Jesus recites the first verse here:
The LORD says to my Lord:Those words have inspired much discussion and debate. Who is speaking? Who is the addressee? What is the occasion? Who do the words "LORD" and "Lord" refer to? The first phrase is "The LORD says to my lord…" which uses the Hebrew terms, "YHWH [says to my] adōni." YHWH is the proper name of God (Exodus 3:15). Adōni can just mean "lord," a person of a higher rank than the speaker; a modern English equivalent might be "sir."
"Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool."
(Psalm 110:1)
David is the Jewish people's greatest, most beloved king. Jesus raises the question of how David could acknowledge an authority between himself and YHWH. Scholars attempt two means of deflecting the idea that someone outranks David. The first is that the psalm is David's coronation blessing for Solomon. By describing Solomon as his "lord," he is transferring authority. This seems to fit all but the point where the object is called "a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:4). The second interpretation claims verse 1 is spoken by David's servant or scribe about David. The prologue, "A psalm of David," is waved off by saying it merely references the fact David wrote most of the psalms.
Jesus' interpretation is not so subtle: "For David himself says." Jesus says that David acknowledged an authority figure between himself and YHWH. Even if David wrote the psalm in honor of Solomon's coronation, Jews of Jesus' day would never consider Solomon greater than David. David considered the Messiah—his descendant (Luke 20:44)—greater than himself. So, if David submitted to the Christ, the Pharisees (Matthew 22:41)—who have no official standing, religiously or civilly—should, too.
