The mission, passion and purpose of Ligonier Ministries is to proclaim the holiness of God This is true of Jesus through Mary (the genealogical line of Luke 3). 2215 Jesus Christ, Son of David. With the scars of battle in His hands, feet, and side He ascended. This was scandalous to the Greeks and Romans. And the reason for this term has everything to do with David himself. In this way, the term "Son of David" simply meant that Jesus was a descendant of David's royal line. Paul’s opening statement in his theological treatise to the Romans was far outside of their frame of reference. His slumbers in Joseph’s tomb could never have been broken unless He could thunder with a voice like God, and bear the burden of infinite woe. The gods and goddesses of the ancients underwent neither bloody births nor gory deaths. In fact, there are many times when people use specific titles in reference to Him. In answer to that question the church has sometimes embraced His humanity, excluding His deity. When people referred to Jesus as the Son of David, they meant that He was the long-awaited Deliverer, the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. Joseph, the husband of Mary, is called the "son of David" in Matthew 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. The incarnation is the sine qua non (without which [there is] nothing) of Christianity. The simplistic answer is that King David—one of the most important people in Jewish history—was one of Jesus' ancestors. While David was an earthly king who advanced the kingdom of Israel in his day, the Messiah would rule for all eternity. Even in beautiful and sanitized delivery rooms, the birth of a child is graphically earthy. But again, using the terms "son" and "daughter" to show an ancestral connection was common practice in that day. Taken literally, Jesus was a direct descendant of David, the king of Israel. Sweat, blood, human fluid, placenta, a bloody cord … these are the characteristics of a nativity. Fix that problem! In fact, we can see similar language used to describe Joseph, who was Jesus' earthly father: Neither Joseph nor Jesus was a literal child of David. Donate Now. Other Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament made it clear that the Messiah would heal the sick, help the blind to see, and make the lame walk. Jesus was called the "Son of David" while he was here on the earth. A Messianic title. The carol “Away in a Manger” got one thing wrong: “The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus no crying He makes.” As a baby, Jesus not only cried, He was also subject to colic and diaper rash. The Son of God becoming flesh is an essential truth of the gospel of Jesus the Christ. See All...; 27:11See All...). Your gift enables our worldwide outreach. (Mathew 12:22-23See All...). “[Jesus] … was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead …” (Rom. When Jesus healed a man who was both blind and deaf by casting an unclean spirit out of him, the people said, "Is not this the son of David?" Paul proclaimed an individual person both man and God. There is pain, agonizing pain. Jesus Christ comes as a descendant of David to fulfil God’s promises in the OT of a future king who would establish the kingdom of God on earth. The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. He is a former editor for Christianity Today and LifeWay Christian Resources. Indeed, at that moment Jesus did look pathetically pitiful. The birth of Jesus was just like that — just like your birth. However, the New Testament Jews knew the title, "Son of David," as another title for the Messiah. They sprang forth as fully grown adults. Many Christians today are rightly offended that their particular denomination has approved abortion or the ordination of practicing homosexuals. for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. Then there is the nakedness of mother and child. When Matthew began his gospel, he started with an abbreviated family line of Jesus, noting clearly his connections with both Abraham and David. Sam O'Neal is the co-author of "Bible Stories You May Have Forgotten" and "The Bible Answer Book." Athanasius, the early church father who fought at great cost for the deity of Jesus, also loved His humanity: “The dust of the earth is at the right hand of the Father.” When He returns one day He will be this same Christ, descended from David according to the flesh and the Son of God. Pilate cried, “Behold the man!” And then he asked the crowd the question of the ages: “Shall I crucify your King?” (John 19:15). Dear reader, to deny either the humanity or deity of Jesus attacks the gospel at its core. Twelve of these times, Son is capitalized. Primarily, the title “Son of David” is more than a statement of physical genealogy. Specifically, the blind man's description was a title, which is why the "Son" is capitalized in our modern translations.