Matthew opens his gospel by saying it is “the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David” (Matt. 1:1). John closes his Book of Revelation by quoting Jesus “the offspring of David” (Rev. 22:16). The title “Son of David” is one of the most frequent in the New Testament and is certainly the most Jewish, and the title most rooted in tradition, history, and theology.
David, of course, refers to Israel’s most illustrious king, its great spiritual leader and a man whose biography has made exciting reading for every generation. He has inspired countless generations of people.
After Israel’s decline the Old Testament prophets foretold the coming of a new national leader who would be another David to restore Israel’s glory. He would be of the same bloodline as David. This national leader soon became identified with the Messiah. Isa 9:7, 11:1; Jer. 23:5, 30:9; Amos 9:11; and Ezek 34:23-4 are some of the prophetic messages concerning the new David.
The Romans so feared patriotic uprisings following one of the “sons of David” that in 70 A.D. and in 90 A.D. fierce persecutions executed any possible leader of David’s line.
Jesus was a descendant of David. That was why Joseph took Mary to Bethlehem where Jesus was born. He possibly held shares in ancestral land at Bethlehem which was the usual reasons for taxation enrolment. Luke, conscious of the virgin birth, lists Joseph as “the supposed” father (Lk 3:23), to indicate his legal and prophetic Davidic descent. Paul (Rom. 1:3) links both his physical descent and spiritual origin as son of God and son of David. In Jesus the promise to David about his kingdom being everlasting was fulfilled (2 Sam. 7:16).
Yet Jesus was more than the son of David. The difficult passage (Matt. 22:41-5; Mk 12:35-7) indicates that while He was David’s son He was not the expected nationalistic leader, but rather as the Messiah He was David’s Lord. The use by Jesus of the Psalm of David (Ps 110:1) was to show that He was not dependent upon David’s greatness, but that He transcended it.
The early Church in the gentile world found the title concerning David confusing and it was not used unless properly understood as a Jewish Messianic title.
FOR TODAY
The ordinary people of Palestine used the phrase “Son of David” as the most frequent form of hailing Jesus. “The great throng heard Him gladly” (Mk 12:37). They saw Him as their national leader. The ordinary people always will respond strongly to Jesus and one important task that the Church always has is to stop inhibiting the gospel and to allow Jesus to speak for Himself that they may respond.
But God does not always fit Himself into our neat pigeonholes of conventional ideas and thought. “Son of David” was to be a nationalistic leader but Jesus transcended this. He was Saviour and Lord. We frequently try to make Jesus fit one title: the Army Chaplain’s use of Jesus as protector; the Christian Surfers’ use of Jesus as a long-haired drop-out; the radicals’ use of Jesus as the revolutionary; the effeminate’s use of Jesus as the soft, sympathetic poet – Jesus transcends all of these!
Jesus drew from the heritage that was His in King David, yet He was larger than His heritage. The best part of many a man’s proud family lies under the ground. While we are careful for our heritage we need to learn from it and then grow beyond it and serve God in our own right.