Question:
Answer:
Then he said to them, “How do they claim that the Messiah is the Son of David?” (Luke 20:41).
Context is important to understand this question posed by Jesus. The surrounding dialogue is the chief priests, scribes, and Sadducees questioning the authority and teachings of Jesus. Jesus responds that his teachings and authority are not of earthly origin. He asks them, if the Messiah is the Son of David, why David calls the Messiah “Lord” (Luke 20:42-44). Jesus in this passage is quoting a Psalm, a Psalm which would have been sung in the Temple (the very area in which the conversation is taking place). Jesus was exposing the fact that those who question his teachings and authority do not even understand the very Psalms they are using in their worship.
Jesus was not denying he was Son of David (descended from David in his humanity), he was teaching that he was both Son of David and Lord and thus is really the only one with authority to teach.