Luke 20:41-44 - Focus on Jesus, the Messiah

When the scribes who believed in the resurrection saw that Jesus had discredited the Sadducees in this doctrine, they applauded Him. They must have felt one up over the Sadducees. They however, were blind to the evidence that pointed to Jesus as the Messiah. So before they were too carried away by their elation, Jesus turned to them and asked a question. “How is it that they say the Christ is David’s son?

All Jews believed that their Messiah would come from the line of King David. For under David's reign, Israel enjoyed her golden years. And God had also promised that one of David's heirs would be the coming Messiah. Hence the Jews expected the Messiah to come from King David's linage.

Luke had been portraying Jesus as the Messiah. In his nativity account, he showed Jesus as coming from the line of David. And in the account of the healing of the blind beggar, Jesus was being addressed as the Son of David. It's clear that Luke had painted Jesus as the promised Messiah from David's linage. In these accounts we see the human side of the Messiah.

In quoting from Psalm 110:1. Jesus argued that He was their long awaited Messiah from the divinity point of view. For David himself not only addressed Him as Lord but also said that He would sit at God's right hand, reigning. His enemies would also be made His footstool. Here Jesus was hinting to them of His impending death, resurrection and ascension. The Messiah's divinity would be proven by His upcoming death, resurrection and ascension. And His resurrection and ascension would affirm His divinity and fulfill David's prophesy "...that His enemies would be made His footstool." 

The scribes' feeling of discomfort with Jesus' question revealed that they had failed to understand the nature of their Messiah. He must be both Man and God. As David's earthly son, Jesus is 100 % man and by His resurrection He is 100% God. The Jews myopic view only saw the human side of Christ but failed to see the divine part of Him.

Their failure to recognize Jesus as God made them blind to His greatness, majesty and glory. But for us, we must learn the lesson from their failure. We need to recognize that our Lord had a human nature but also a divine nature. And in our baptism, we have identified with Him in both His death and resurrection. We have the overcoming life of the Messiah living through us. We have the resources to overcome our greatest struggle in this life. In our struggles, let's continue to worship Him. Let's make Him our first option and not the last resort. Focus on Jesus!