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Barclay Daily Study Bible (NT)

Luke 20:41-44

Jesus said to them, "How does David say that the Christ is his son? For David himself says in the Book of Psalms, 'The Lord says to my Lord, Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool.' So David calls him Lord, and how can he be his son?"

It is worth while taking this little passage by itself for it is very difficult to understand. The most popular title of the Messiah was Son of David. That is what the blind man at Jericho called Jesus (Luke 18:38-39), and that is how the crowds addressed him at his entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:9). Here Jesus seems to cast doubts on the validity of that title. The quotation is from Psalms 110:1. In Jesus' time all the Psalms were attributed to David and this one was taken to refer to the Messiah. In it David says that he heard God speak to his Anointed One and tell him to sit at his right hand until his enemies became his footstool; and in it David calls the Messiah My Lord. How can the Messiah be at once David's son and David's Lord?

Jesus was doing here what he so often tried to do, trying to correct the popular idea of the Messiah which was that under him the golden age would come and Israel would become the greatest nation in the world. It was a dream of political power. How was that to happen? There were many ideas about it but the popular one was that some great descendant of David would come to be invincible captain and king. So then the title Son of David was inextricably mixed up with world dominion, with military prowess and with material conquest.

Really what Jesus was saying here was, "You think of the coming Messiah as Son of David; so he is; but he is far more. He is Lord." He was telling men that they must revise their ideas of what Son of David meant. They must abandon these fantastic dreams of world power and visualize the Messiah as Lord of the hearts and lives of men. He was implicitly blaming them for having too little an idea of God. It is always man's tendency to make God in his own image, and thereby to miss his full majesty.

THE LOVE OF HONOUR AMONG MEN (Luke 20:45-47)

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See also Luke 20:41-44 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Luke 20:41. _HOW SAY THEY_] See the note on Matthew 22:42-40....

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    See the notes at Matthew 22:41....

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 20 _ 1. His Authority Demanded and His Answer.(Luke 20:1)_ 2. Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen. (Luke 20:9) 3. Question about Tribute to Caesar. (Luke 20:20) 4. The Question Concerning Resu...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    IS MESSIAH DAVID'S SON? (Mark 12:35 *, Matthew 22:41 *). Lk.'s version is the shortest of the three. It is not thoroughly clear that Jesus implies that Messiah is not descended from David (note His ac...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    AND HE SAID, &c. Compare Matthew 22:41, and Mark 12:35. CHRIST. the Messiah. App-98. DAVID'S SON. See App-98....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    - 47. The Scribes, Sadducees, and Pharisees reduced to a Confession of Ignorance. 41. _How say they that Christ is Davids son?_ Rather, the Christ. See John 7:42; Psalms 132:11; Jeremiah 23:5;...

  • Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges Commentary

    THE SCRIBES, SADDUCEES, AND PHARISEES REDUCED TO A CONFESSION OF IGNORANCE...

  • Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges Commentary

    ΤῸΝ ΧΡΙΣΤΌΝ. ‘The Christ.’ See John 7:42; Psalms 132:11; Jeremiah 23:5; Micah 5:2....

  • Catena Aurea Commentary

    VER 41. AND HE SAID TO THEM, HOW SAY THEY THAT CHRIST IS DAVID'S SON? 42. AND DAVID HIMSELF SAID IN THE BOOK OF PSALMS THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, SIT YOU ON MY RIGHT HAND, 43. TILL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES...

  • Charles Rose Commentaries

    ΕΊΝΑΙ _praes. act. inf., см._ Luke 20:27. _Inf._ в косвенной речи. По поводу этого отрывка _см._: Cleon L. Rogers, Jr., "The Davidic Covenant in the Gospels" Bib Sac 150 (1993): 463-64....

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    APPLEBURY'S COMMENTS _The Search For An Excuse Scripture_ Luke 20:19-47 And the scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him in that very hour; and they feared the people: for they percei...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    BUTLER'S COMMENTS SECTION 5 Rationale of Christ's Glory (Luke 20:41-47) 41 But he said to them, How can they say that the Christ is David's son? 42For David himself says in the Book of Psalms, -Th...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David's son? And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David's son? For the exposition, see the notes at Mark 12:35....

  • Concordant Commentary on the New Testament by A. E. Knoch

    24 Two kinds of coins were in circulation, the Roman and the Jewish. The temple taxes had to be paid in the Jewish shekel, the Roman in the foreign currency. The fact that they had accepted the conque...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    VARIOUS INCIDENTS OF THE LAST WEEK 1-8. The authority of Jesus challenged (Matthew 21:23; Mark 11:27). See on Mt....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    IS THE CHRIST DAVID'S SON? (Matthew 22:41; Mark 12:35). See on Mt....

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    LUKE’S GOOD NEWS LUKE _HILDA BRIGHT_ CHAPTER 20 THE QUESTION ABOUT JESUS’ AUTHORITY 20:1-8 V1 One day Jesus was in the *Temple. He was teaching the people and declaring the Good News. The chief...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    HOW SAY THEY THAT CHRIST IS DAVID’S SON? — Better, _that the Christ._ See Notes on Matthew 22:41; Mark 12:35. The implied subject of the verb is clearly, as in St. Mark, “the scribes.” St. Luke agrees...

  • Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

    πρὸς αὐτούς, to them, _i.e._, the representatives of the scribes mentioned in Luke 20:39. In Mt. the Pharisees are addressed, in Mk. the audience is the people, and the question is about the scribes a...

  • Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

    _The counter question_ (Matthew 22:41-46; Mark 12:35-37). Lk., who had given something similar at an earlier stage (Luke 10:25-37), omits the question of the scribe concerning the great commandment, w...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    DAVID'S LORD TESTING MEN AND WOMEN Luke 20:41-47; Luke 21:1-4 It was the Master's turn to question. As man, He was David's descendant and son; as the Son of God, He was his Lord. Though it sealed His...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    This chapter records the remarkable happenings gathered around our Lord's entrance into the Temple. By a parable He revealed the awful sin and failure of the Hebrew nation, culminating in His own reje...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    (5) And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David's son? (5) Even though Christ is the son of David according to the flesh he is also his Lord (because he is the everlasting Son of God) ac...

  • Godbey's Commentary on the New Testament

    CHRIST THE SON OF DAVID Mark 12:35-37; Luke 20:41-44; Matthew 22:41-46. “And the Pharisees being assembled, Jesus asked them, saying, What do you think concerning the Christ? Whose Son is He? They say...

  • Godet's commentary on Luke, John, Romans, 1 Corinthians

    6. _The Question of Jesus: Luke 20:41-44_. VERS. 41-44. Matthew and Mark place here the question of a scribe on the great commandment of the law. This question was suggested to the man, as we see from...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David's son? And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Till I make thine enemies thy foot...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    The last chapter gave in the judgment of present things, another world and eternal things in good and evil, the Lord's instruction for the disciples after the dealings of grace in Luke 15:1-32, and th...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    It will be remarked here that, as He draws nigh to Jerusalem, the Lord weeps over the city. It is not now as in Matthew, where, while discoursing with the Jews, He points it out to them as that which...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    AND HE SAID UNTO THEM,.... The Ethiopic version reads, "to the Pharisees"; and so it appears, that it was to them he spoke, from Matthew 22:41 HOW SAY THEY? The Syriac version reads, "how say the Scr...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    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? Ver. 41. See Matthew 22:42; Mark 12:35 ....

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _How say they that Christ is David's son_, &c. For an elucidation of these verses, see on Matthew 22:41; Matthew 23:5; Matthew 23:14; and Mar

  • Justin Edwards' Family Bible New Testament (1851)

    Christ David's son and Lord. Matthew 22:41-46....

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    AND HE SAID UNTO THEM, HOW SAY THEY THAT CHRIST IS DAVID'S SON?...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    The counter-question of Jesus:...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    AUTHORITY:FROM HEAVEN OR OF MEN? (vs.1-8) The chief priests and scribes used every means they could to discredit the Lord Jesus among the people. While He was teaching and preaching in the temple, th...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    39-47 The scribes commended the reply Christ made to the Sadducees about the resurrection, but they were silenced by a question concerning the Messiah. Christ, as God, was David's Lord; but Christ, a...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    Ver. 41-44. The answer had been easy if the scribes and Pharisees, who (Matthew saith) were there also, had owned Christ to be the Son of God. But this they did not own, and so, as MATTHEW 22:46 tells...

  • NT Verse References in the Ante-Nicene Fathers

    Tertullian Against Marcion Book IV Now, He did not reject the attestation of those who had assumed His answer to bear this meaning. If, however, the Scribes thought Christ was David's Son, whereas (D...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Luke 20:41 And G1161 said G2036 (G5627) to G4314 them G846 How G4459 say G3004 (G5719) Christ...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    ‘And he said to them, “How say they that the Christ is David's son?” Mark has “How do the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?” We must assume from this, as mentioned above, that some Rabb...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    JESUS HIMSELF NOW PUTS A QUESTION: WHO IS DAVID'S LORD? (20:41-43). In the chiasmus of the Section (see above) this statement, where Jesus reveals Himself as ‘David's Lord', and denounces the ostentat...

  • Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary on the NT (4 vols)

    Luke 20:41-44. OUR LORD'S CLOSING QUESTION. See on Matthew 22:41-46; Mark 12:35-37. UNTO THEM (Luke 20:41), i.e.,

  • Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary on the NT (4 vols)

    In this section Luke records the assault of the Sadducees respecting the resurrection (Luke 20:27-40); then omitting the lawyer's question, he tells of our Lord's unanswered question respecting _Chris...

  • Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament

    HOW SAY THEY? (Πως λεγουσιν;). The Pharisees had rallied in glee and one of their number, a lawyer, had made a feeble contribution to the controversy which resulted in his agreement with Jesus and i...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Jesus' authority questioned. Parable of the vineyard. Question of the tribute money. Answer to Sadducees about resurrection. Jesus questions Scribes. CHARACTERS: Jesus, priests, Scribes, Jo...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Luke 20:2. _Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things._ A question after all his miracles which offered the foulest insult to God, and was the emanation of complot and of malice. See Matthew...

  • The Bible Study New Testament

    HOW CAN IT BE SAID? For notes on this question about the Messiah, see Matthew 22:41-46. The Jews did not expect the Messiah to be _divine_ [God in human form]. But they did expect him to be David's de...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _How say they that Christ is David’s son?_ DAVID, CHRIST’S ANCESTOR “How say they that Christ is David’s son?” Reading David’s history, we might exclaim, “How, indeed!” Son of David, Son of God: is n...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    LUKE—NOTE ON LUKE 20:41 HOW CAN THEY SAY THAT THE CHRIST IS DAVID’S SON? Jesus answers his own question. Scripture teaches that Jesus is _more_ than David’s son. Jesus quotes...

  • The Gospels Compared

    RELIGIOUS LEADERS CANNOT ANSWER JESUS' QUESTION MATTHEW 22:41-46; MARK 12:35-37; LUKE 20:41-44; MATTHEW 22:41 While the Pha

  • The Great Commentary of Cornelius à Lapide

    CHAPTER 20 VER. 36. _They are equal unto the angels._ So the Arabic, Syriac, Egyptian, Persian, and Ethiopic; equal in celibacy, immortality, glory. As therefore the angels do not marry nor generate,...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    _CRITICAL NOTES_ Luke 20:41. TO THEM.—_I.e._, to the scribes. CHRIST.—Rather, “the Christ” (R.V.). DAVID’S SON.—Cf. John 7:42. Luke 20:42. DAVID HIMSELF.—...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION LUKE 20:1 _Question of the priests and scribes as to the nature of the authority under which Jesus was acting._ LUKE 20:1, LUKE 20:2...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

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  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Acts 2:30; Isaiah 11:1; Isaiah 11:2; Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 9:7;...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Matthew 22:41; Mark 12:35....

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Old Testament