This question is almost similar to when the Jews wanted to stone Jesus for making himself equal to God and claiming to be before Abraham and the prophets. They thought it impossible that a man would say that he came before Abraham, and as was their custom, they wanted to stone Jesus to death for blaspheming.
Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
“You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds (John 8:53-59).
In John 10:32-33, Jesus said to them, “‘I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?’ ‘We are not stoning you for any good work,’ they replied, ‘but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.’”
The Lineage of David
Before answering the main question, let us go through some of the prophesies announcing Jesus as the Messiah, descending from the line of David
“In those days and at that time, I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land” (Jeremiah 33:15).
Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:13-14).
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this (Isaiah 9:6-7).
The above scripture clearly shows Christ as the descendant of David forever ruling in righteousness.
His listeners could not understand the light from which Jesus was talking, as applied to our question, how is it possible that Christ is the son of David?
Even David, himself, understood, “I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, ‘You are my son; today I have become your father” (Psalms 2:7).
Jesus understood fully,
While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, “how is it that teachers of the law say that Christ is the son of David? David, himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit declared:
“‘The Lord said to my Lord; sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet’”
David, himself calls him, ‘Lord,’ How then can he be his son” the crowd listened to him with delight (Mark 12:35-37).
The Genealogy of Christ
Looking at the genealogy of Jesus Christ, we can easily see the prophecy that Jesus came from the lineage of David (Matthew 1:1-17).
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his root, a branch will bear fruit (Isaiah 11:1).
The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will lie in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: the Lord our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:5-6).
A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham (Mathew 1:1).
When looking at it, having been born to human flesh, we see the foretelling of Jesus; the house of David is his lineage, with evidence in Matthew chapter 1:1-17. As you and I are from a family line, so was Jesus from the family of David in his human form.
He will be great and he will be called the son of the most high, the Lord God will give him the throne of his Father David (Luke 1:32).
Mary was a descendant of David as was Joseph, so Jesus is rightly the son of David
God, himself, through the spirit of prophecy, spoke through David saying, “For the Lord says to my Lord” (Psalms 110:1).
What Does This Mean?
This shows that the Lord here is sovereign and, therefore, superior to David — the Messiah — Jesus Christ. The Messiah was more than the descendant of David; he was David’s Lord.
Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead he spoke of the resurrection of Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of this fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, The Lord said to my Lord: sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet (Acts 2:29-33).
Acknowledging this, we see Jesus as the Messiah, the Sovereign Lord, and King, the God of David but in the form of a human, he came through the lineage of David.
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Jolaade Olatunbsoun is an experienced Christian writer, having written for clients, local churches, and youth fellowship. Jolaade’s focus is on expounding biblical passages and expressing God’s love through writing. Her writing infuses faith into daily life, helping readers grow in the knowledge and love of God and His words. Desiring to help people understand the Bible, maximize their potential, and have a deeper fellowship with God, Jolaade develops content for Sunday school materials, Christian material for books, devotionals, eBooks, articles, short stories, and poems. Her blog may be found here.
