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Psa. 110: is quoted in Matthew, Mark and Luke in connection with the Saviour's
unique Sonship. It occurs once in the Acts, once in Hebrews and once in I Corinthians.
The references in the Gospels are Matt. 22: 44; Mark 12: 36 and Luke 20: 42. These
three references differ only in their fullness. Mark's account concludes with the
comment "The common people heard Him gladly". Luke's account makes no such
comment, but leads straight on to the Lord's warning concerning the hypocrisy and greed
of the scribes. Matthew's account is the fullest record, and for our present purpose
covers the three quotations of Psa. 110: The Pharisees had previously taken counsel
together how they might entangle Him in His talk, and perceiving their hypocrisy, He put
the question concerning the image and superscription of Caesar. The Sadducees followed
by posing a problem concerning the resurrection, and lastly a lawyer asked the question
as to the great commandment of the law. Before these disgruntled and defeated
antagonists could withdraw, the Saviour using their own methods completely silenced
them, saying:
"What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He?" (Matt. 22: 42).
The Lord did not here specifically refer to Himself. Leaving Himself for the moment
out of the question, He asked them what they thought the Scriptures taught concerning
the Messiah and His Sonship. They replied immediately, "The son of David". With that
answer they were apparently satisfied, but the Saviour's next question revealed the gulf
that yawned between their conception of the Person of the Messiah and the teaching of
the Scriptures. "How then doth David in spirit call Him Lord", and then the Lord Jesus
proceeds to quote Psa. 110: 1, continuing "If David then calls Him Lord, how is He his
son?" "And no man was able to answer Him a word". Christ is not only man, Christ is
not only God, He is the God-Man gloriously and blessedly unique in time and eternity.
The quotation in Acts 2: 34 still refers to the relationship of the Messiah with David, but
this time not so much with His Sonship, but His Resurrection and Ascension.
"Let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried,
and his sepulchre is with us unto this day . . . . . For David is not ascended into the
heavens . . . . ." (Acts 2: 29-34).
But even though David must await the resurrection of the redeemed, his Son and Lord
was raised from the dead, ascended into heaven, sat down on the right hand of God, and
is made "both Lord and Christ". The passage which takes us beyond the limits set in
Heb. 1: 13 is I Cor. 15: 24-28:
"Then cometh the end . . . . . that God may be all in all."
This end is reached by a series of steps and stages:
(1)
"When He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father."
(2)
"When He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power."
(3)
"When all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject
unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all."