Luke 20:39-47 comments: again, Christ declares His identity as the Messiah

20:39 ¶  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? 45  Then in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples, 46  Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; 47  Which devour widows’ houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.

Psalm 110:1 ¶  « A Psalm of David. » The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

LORD, all uppercase letters, from the Hebrew, is from Jehovah, one of the over 6500 times God’s name is translated from Jehovah, which means, according to Strong’s dictionary, ‘The Existing One,’ or, as God Himself put it in Exodus 3:14, I AM THAT I AM. The second Lord in Psalm 110 is from Adonai.

From Greek as here in Luke both are from Kurios. What is the point Jesus’ is making? The Messiah was understood to be the Son of David, a descendant of the king.

Luke 18:38  And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

David wrote that Jehovah God said to his Lord, the Messiah, to sit at His right hand until Jehovah God made Christ’s enemies His footstool. How can the Messiah be called the Son of David if he is David’s Lord? Christ, as God, was David’s Lord, his ruler, benefactor, and owner, and yet, as a man, was his descendant or son. Here, we have the two natures of Jesus Christ, fully man and fully God, expressed in one passage.

Revelation 22:16  I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

He was teaching in the temple, was confronted by the religious elite, suffered spies to try to trip Him up with the Romans, faced the Sadducees and was not confused by their attempt to trip Him up on religion and the resurrection they did not believe in, and now He warns the people to beware of these imposters who love the preeminence and have no problem taking all that a widow has to sustain herself in the guise of giving to God.

They are not so different than many Christian ministers, parading their Doctor of Theology or Divinity as Dr. Whosit, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Whoville, having graduated from the seminary of Doubt and Uncertainty, loving the worship of their congregation. Also, I know of widows how gave thousands and thousands of dollars to Jim and Tammy Baker and other TV preachers sincerely wanting to make themselves useful in furthering the Lord’s work but being fleeced the whole time by con artists.

I have heard many long prayers that these leaders make that are truly just preaching to the congregation rather than talking to God. Jesus warned about long-winded prayers, in our case, using phrases like, “Father God,” at the beginning and end of every sentence or some such similar phrase while a preacher begins or continues his usually politically minded sermon.

Matthew 6:7  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

Those of us who teach and preach bear a great responsibility to do our best not to deceive or manipulate or get puffed up and believe we are something we are not.

So many times Jesus has declared His Messiahship, His identity, in different ways. The religious leadership must have been very uncomfortable with Him moving about freely and teaching, as is evident by several passages.