What does “The LORD said unto my Lord” mean in this passage?

In this passage Jesus is quoting a psalm where David speaks about the Messiah. “The LORD” points to God, and “my Lord” is the one David calls his master. Jesus shows that David, speaking by the Spirit, heard God tell the Messiah to sit at his right hand, the place of honour and rule. This means the Messiah is not only a human king from David’s family, but also David’s Lord who shares God’s authority and will one day rule over all his enemies.

Why does Jesus ask how Christ is David’s son?

People in that day knew from Scripture that the Christ would come from David’s family line, so they called him “the son of David.” Jesus does not deny this. Instead, he asks how the Christ can be only David’s son if David himself calls him “my Lord.” By asking this, Jesus leads them to see that the Messiah must be more than a normal human descendant. He points them toward the truth that the Christ is both truly human and shares in God’s rule.

What is the meaning of “Sit thou on my right hand”?

“Sit thou on my right hand” is a picture of honour and authority. A king’s right hand was the place of highest favour. When God says this to the Messiah, it shows that the Messiah is welcomed into God’s presence after finishing his work, and is given a share in God’s rule. From there, he waits until his enemies are fully put under his feet. Jesus uses this line to show that the Christ is not just an earthly ruler, but is lifted up to God’s side.

What does “till I make thine enemies thy footstool” teach?

The phrase “till I make thine enemies thy footstool” pictures enemies being fully defeated and brought under the victor’s feet. In old times a king might put his feet on the necks of his beaten foes. Here God promises the Messiah that every enemy will one day be put under his power. Jesus uses this picture to show that the Christ will finally win over all who oppose him. It points to a complete and certain victory given by God himself.

Why does David call the Messiah “Lord” if he is his son?

In normal family life a father would not call his own son “Lord.” That is why Jesus’ question is so sharp. David calls the coming Christ “my Lord,” which means David saw the Messiah as above him. This shows that the Christ is more than a younger man from David’s family line. He is David’s Lord in a higher sense. The passage leads us to see that the Messiah is both from David’s line in his human birth and David’s Lord in his divine nature.

What was happening when Jesus spoke these words?

Jesus had just been tested by different groups of leaders with hard questions about taxes, the resurrection, and his authority. After answering them so wisely that they stopped asking more, he turned and asked them his own question about the Christ. He did this in the hearing of the crowd in the temple. By using David’s own words, he gently exposed how their view of the Messiah was too small and pointed them to the deeper truth about who the Christ really is.

What does this passage teach about who Jesus is?

This passage shows that Jesus wants people to see the full truth about the Messiah. By quoting David, he hints that the Christ is both David’s son and David’s Lord. Elsewhere he is called the offspring of David in his human birth, yet he also shares God’s rule at the right hand of God. So this passage points to Jesus as both truly human, born in David’s line, and truly divine, worthy to be called Lord even by David himself.

How can this passage shape how I think about Jesus today?

This passage invites you to think of Jesus as more than a good teacher or merely a human leader. If he is both David’s son and David’s Lord, then he has the right to rule your life and deserves your trust and worship. It also reminds you that all who resist him will not win in the end, because God has promised to put every enemy under his feet. Knowing this can give you courage to follow him, even when others do not understand or agree.

Luke.20.41

Luke 20:41

KJV Jesus

And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David’s son?

Whose Son Is the Christ?

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 footstool.

David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son?

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.