Why do we refer to Jesus as the son of David?

April 25, 2017Straight Talk

The Question:

Why do we refer to Jesus as the Son of David?

CB from Jonesboro, AR.

The Answer
Part 1: Establishing the connection

The Connection (Part 1)

The gospel of Matthew starts with a very important sentence: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.” (Matthew 1:1) Matthew is establishing the connection between Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, and the royal line of David and the father of the Jewish race, Abraham. If the Jews were to accept Jesus as the promised one, they needed this information.

Jesus came in keeping with many Old Testament prophecies. The fact that he would be descended from the line of David is prominent among them. For instance, God spoke this promise to David through the prophet Nathan: “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2 Samuel 7:12-13)

Additionally, there are prophetic promises in Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Hosea which speak to this famous descendent of King David. All these prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus.

You have also probably noticed that the people Jesus ministered to often called him “Son of David”. “Two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, ‘Son of David, have mercy on us!'” (Matthew 9:27) They well understood that the coming Messiah would hold the title “Son of David” so by using it to address Jesus they are expressing belief in him that he is that one.

King David established an earthly kingdom but it did not last because the Jews did not remain faithful to God. When Jesus came, he established a heavenly kingdom that would never end. As history continues to unfold we will see the Second Coming of Christ in a fully triumphant state; his one thousand year reign upon the earth, and finally we will all see and know the truth of Revelation 19:16: “And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”


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