Luke 20:42 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For David himself says in the Book of Psalms, "‘The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand,

NIV: David himself declares in the Book of Psalms: " ‘The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand

NASB: For David himself says in the book of Psalms, ‘THE Lord SAID TO MY Lord, 'SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,

CSB: For David himself says in the Book of Psalms: The Lord declared to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand

NLT: For David himself wrote in the book of Psalms: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit in the place of honor at my right hand

KJV: And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

NKJV: Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand,

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:
"Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool."
(Psalm 110:1)

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."

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.

Luke 20:41–44 describes how Jesus shut down religious leaders challenging His authority in front of a crowd at the temple. Jesus fills their silence with His own riddle: if David calls the Messiah—his descendant—"Lord," who really has the authority? The parallel passage in the mirrored arrangement of this chapter is Jesus showing He has authority as the Son of God (Luke 20:9–18). Next, Jesus claims the scribes' lifestyle proves they don't deserve the authority to teach (Luke 20:45–47). Jesus' question to the religious leaders is also in Matthew 22:41–46 and Mark 12:35–37.

After His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus find Himself in conflict with the city's religious leaders. Elders, priests, scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees all attempt to discredit Him. This comes mostly in challenging Jesus with trick questions. Jesus deftly handles those challenges without falling into the trap. He provides several teachings about His role as the Son of God and directly warns the Jewish people against their generation of scribes, who are arrogant and pretentious.

Luke 20 is a chiasm about authority. Jesus has entered Jerusalem and cleansed the temple (Luke 19:28–46). Now, the priests and teachers attack Jesus' authority in religion, law, and doctrine; Jesus defends Himself and shows their sinful lifestyles disqualify them for authority. After holding up a widow as a better role model (Luke 21:1–4), Jesus warns His disciples about the challenges they will face in the coming years, including the destruction of Jerusalem (Luke 21:5–38). The events in Luke 20 are also discussed in Matthew 21—23 and Mark 11—12.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.