Psalm 110 and Messiah – Luke 20:41-44

In Jesus’ day the interpretation of Psalm 110 was that it spoke of the Messiah as David’s Lord.  But because of the implications this had for following Jesus as Messiah, a new interpretive direction was taken for the Judaism that was the legacy of Pharisaism.  Rashi, a French rabbi and commentator on Scripture in the 11th century reflected this in his commentary: “The word of the Lord to my master: Our Rabbis interpreted it as referring to Abraham our father, and I shall explain it according to their words (Mid. Ps. 110:1): The word of the Lord to Abraham, whom the world called “my master,” as it is written (Gen. 23: 6): “Hearken to us, my master.”  Jewish interpreters identified David’s master as Abraham, rather than Messiah.

But he [Jesus] said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is David’s son? For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”  (Luke 20:41-44 ESV)

Jesus comes up with a challenge of his own for the religious teachers.  The famous Messianic prophecy in Psalm 110 has a conundrum.  David, the king of Israel, says that Yahweh, the God of Israel, says to David’s Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”  But David has no other Lord than Yahweh.  The Lord of David must be the Messiah, but all the scribes know that Messiah is David’s son.  The father does not call his son Lord.  How can Messiah be both David’s son and David’s Lord?

No one has an answer for this problem.  The puzzle of it is only explained by the fact that the Messiah, Jesus, is both God and man.  He is both one with the Father, co-equal to Him, in every sense Yahweh Himself, though a distinct person from the Father and Holy Spirit, yet at the same time he is born of the lineage of David, has taken on human nature in addition to his divine nature.  This is the miracle of the incarnation.  As both God and man Jesus is able to die in our place for any number of people who believe and thus forgive their sins.