Lukas 20:41-47

The Messiah: David’s Son and Lord

20:41 But ¹  he said to them, “How is it that they say that the Christ ²  is David’s son? ³  20:42 For David himself says in the book of Psalms,

‘The Lord said to my ⁴  lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

20:43 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ ⁵ 

20:44 If David then calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” ⁶ 

Jesus Warns the Disciples against Pride

20:45 As ⁷  all the people were listening, Jesus ⁸  said to his disciples, 20:46 “Beware ⁹  of the experts in the law. ¹⁰  They ¹¹  like walking around in long robes, and they love elaborate greetings ¹²  in the marketplaces and the best seats ¹³  in the synagogues ¹⁴  and the places of honor at banquets. 20:47 They ¹⁵  devour ¹⁶  widows’ property, ¹⁷  and as a show make long prayers. They will receive a more severe punishment.”

[20:41]  ¹ sn If the religious leaders will not dare to question Jesus any longer, then he will question them.

[20:41]  ² tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[20:41]  sn See the note on Christ in 2:11.

[20:41]  ³ sn It was a common belief in Judaism that Messiah would be David’s son in that he would come from the lineage of David. On this point the Pharisees agreed and were correct. But their understanding was nonetheless incomplete, for Messiah is also David’s Lord. With this statement Jesus was affirming that, as the Messiah, he is both God and man.

[20:42]  ⁴ sn The Lord said to my Lord. With David being the speaker, this indicates his respect for his descendant (referred to as my Lord). Jesus was arguing, as the ancient exposition assumed, that the passage is about the Lord’s anointed. The passage looks at an enthronement of this figure and a declaration of honor for him as he takes his place at the side of God. In Jerusalem, the king’s palace was located to the right of the temple to indicate this kind of relationship. Jesus was pressing the language here to get his opponents to reflect on how great Messiah is.

[20:43]  ⁵ sn A quotation from Ps 110:1.

[20:44]  ⁶ tn Grk “David thus calls him ‘Lord.’ So how is he his son?” The conditional nuance, implicit in Greek, has been made explicit in the translation (cf. Matt 22:45).

[20:45]  ⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[20:45]  ⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:46]  ⁹ tn Or “Be on guard against.” This is a present imperative and indicates that pride is something to constantly be on the watch against.

[20:46]  ¹⁰ tn Or “of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[20:46]  ¹¹ tn Grk “who,” continuing the sentence begun by the prior phrase.

[20:46]  ¹² sn There is later Jewish material in the Talmud that spells out such greetings in detail. See D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 2:1642; H. Windisch, TDNT 1:498.

[20:46]  ¹³ sn See Luke 14:1-14.

[20:46]  ¹⁴ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.

[20:47]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “who,” continuing the sentence begun in v. 46.

[20:47]  ¹⁶ sn How they were able to devour widows’ houses is debated. Did they seek too much for contributions, or take too high a commission for their work, or take homes after debts failed to be paid? There is too little said here to be sure.

[20:47]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “houses,” “households”; however, the term can have the force of “property” or “possessions” as well (O. Michel, TDNT 5:131; BDAG 695 s.v. οἶκια 1.a).