21 Hahn, " God's chosen and appointed Messiah " ; Meyer, " God's destined and sent Messiah " ; Weiss, " God's anointed and sent Messiah."
no Tlie Designatwtis of Our Lord
describing Him as ' the Son of the Most High God,* to whom should be given the throne of His father David, for an everlasting dominion (i^") ; and as ex- plaining the Divine Sonship of this Holy Child^*^ as due to, or rather as evidenced by. His supernatural birth (i^^). The latter of these two declarations is clearly the explanation of the former. The angel had promised Mary that she should bring forth a son who should rightly bear the great name of the ' Son of the Most High God,' and he now explains that this Holy Son of hers shall be a supernatural product, and should by His supernatural advent be witnessed as rightly bearing the name of ' Son of God.' That the title ' Son of God ' bears in It a Messianic implication is clear from the functions ascribed in verses 33, 34 to the child so designated, but that this Messiah was con- ceived as something more than human appears to be Implied in the connection of His claim upon the title of ' Son of God ' with the supernaturalness of His birth. Perhaps it is not reading too much Into the passage to say that His preexistence and heavenly descent are asserted, — certainly His heavenly, or supernatural, origin Is asserted. This ' Son ' Is not merely to be at- tended with supernatural assistance and so to exhibit supernatural gifts: He is of supernatural origin, and therefore so far of supernatural nature. Already In the opening chapters of his Gospel, devoted to an ac- count of the birth and infancy of Jesus, therefore, Luke makes It plain that the Jesus whose history he Is to recount was first of all the Messiah of God, and as
22 So {not, that which is begotten shall be called holy, the Son of God) Bengel, Bleek, Meyer, Weiss, Iloltzmann, Godet, Hahn.
The Designations in Luke III
such was of supernatural origin and therefore holy, was to establish the throne of David in perpetuity, and was to be recognized as Lord of men and angels.
In accordance with these declarations, recorded In the opening of the Gospel, Luke tells us that the evil spirits knew Jesus to be ' the Christ ' and greeted Him by the title 'Son of God' (4^^), and records Peter's great confession In the form of " Thou art the Christ of God" (9"*^), and Jesus' ready acceptance of It, as also His acquiescence In the ascription of the title of Messiah, ' Christ,' to Him by His enemies (' the Christ,' 22% cf. 23^*^; 'Christ a King,' 23^). Such an ascription of the title ' Christ ' to Him by His ene- mies (22*^^ 23-'^^'^^) Is the best of all proofs that It was commonly employed of Him by His followers. But the significant fact for us Is that In accepting It at their hands Jesus claims It for Himself (22^'^ 23"). We are not surprised, therefore, to find Him using It of Him- self when, after His resurrection. He expounded from Scripture to His followers the doctrine of the Suffering Messiah and applied It to Himself (24^^'*^), even as He had at an earlier point expounded to the scribes (20^^) the doctrine of the Reigning Messiah with an equally clear application of it to Himself. He who was David's ' Lord ' as truly as his ' Son ' was to enter upon His Lordship only through suffering, a suf- fering which should lay the basis of a preachment In His name of repentance and remission of sins (24^'^). Here again Is the Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord: and the Gospel ends much on. the same note on which It began.
The royal dignity of this ' Anointed King' (23^) Is
112 The Designations of Our Lord