One of the most important titles and roles that Jesus has is that He is the Son of David. This title connects Jesus to the promises that God made to David in the Old Testament and it establishes Jesus’ credentials as the Messiah. When the New Testament authors call Jesus the “Son of David,” they are affirming His identity as the long-awaited Messiah that was prophesied in the Old Testament.
There are several key things to understand about what it means that Jesus is the Son of David:
1. It connects Jesus to the Davidic covenant
In the Old Testament, God makes a covenant with David, promising that his throne and kingdom would endure forever (2 Samuel 7:12-16). This promise was called the Davidic covenant. It established David’s descendants as the rightful kings over Israel. As the Son of David, Jesus is a descendant of David and heir to this covenant. The prophets later revealed that the Messiah would sit on the throne of David and rule forever (Isaiah 9:6-7). Jesus’ title as the Son of David connects Him to this covenant and identifies Him as the Messiah who will fulfill the Davidic covenant by ruling on David’s throne eternally.
2. It affirms Jesus’ credential as the Messiah
In several prophecies, the Old Testament states that the Messiah will be a descendant of David (Isaiah 11:1, Jeremiah 23:5-6, Ezekiel 34:23-24). Jesus did not outright claim the title “Messiah” very often in the Gospels, but He did accept the title “Son of David” which affirmed His identity as the Messiah. When people cried out to Jesus as the “Son of David” they were identifying Him as the long-awaited Messiah who would deliver Israel (Matthew 9:27, Matthew 15:22). Jesus never rejected this title and even seems to have preferred it over Messiah because it connected Him to David and the promises God had made.
3. It proves Jesus’ qualification to be king
For Jesus to legally qualify as king of Israel, he had to be a descendant of David according to God’s covenant. Both the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke record the genealogies of Jesus to prove his legal right to the throne as a descendant of David (Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 3:23-38). Jesus often referred to Himself as the Son of Man taken from Daniel 7:13-14 which described the Son of Man as having an everlasting kingdom. As the Son of David, Jesus was fully qualified for this kingship that would never end.
4. Jesus was the “Son of David” before He was the divine Son of God
It is important to note that before Jesus made claims to be the divine Son of God, He was first recognized as the Son of David. This emphasizes Jesus’ humanity and His role as the Messiah of Israel. The title Son of God and Jesus’ deity came later as people realized that while Jesus was the human Messiah, He was much more than that as well.
5. It shows that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises to David
As mentioned already, God had made promises to establish David’s throne forever. Hundreds of years after David lived, his throne did not exist because Israel was under Roman rule. But with Jesus coming as the Son of David, the king of Israel, it signaled that God’s promises to David were coming true at last. Jesus often spoke of the coming of the kingdom of God which would be the fully realized messianic kingdom on earth one day. As the Son of David, Jesus is the heir to this promised messianic kingdom that will fulfill God’s promises to David.
6. Jesus has the authority of the Son of David
Jesus demonstrated His authority as the Son of David in several ways. He claimed to have authority over the temple which infuriated the religious leaders (Matthew 12:1-8). He also claimed authority to forgive sins on earth (Luke 5:20-24). As the Son of David, the king of Israel, Jesus possessed royal authority that angered the religious establishment who saw Him as a threat. This royal authority was given to Jesus because of His identity as the Son of David.
7. The Son of David was a well-known messianic title in Judaism
Calling the Messiah the “Son of David” was very common in first century Judaism. The Qumran community who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls called their expected messiah the “Branch of David.” Recognizing Jesus as the Son of David meant recognizing Him as the Messiah who had the authority and right to rule as king over Israel.
8. Jesus accepted people’s cries of “Son of David”
As mentioned earlier, Jesus readily accepted people calling Him the Son of David as a messianic title. In Matthew 20:29-34 when two blind men cry out “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” Jesus responds compassionately and heals their blindness. And again in Matthew 15:22 a Canaanite woman cries to Jesus “Lord, Son of David; help me.” Though Jesus does not directly help her at first, He affirms the title by doing a miracle for her saying “it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs” showing that as Son of David, His ministry was focused on Israel before all the nations.
9. The Son of David brings salvation
The people crying out to Jesus as the Son of David were often seeking healing, exorcism, or other miracles showing that they believed the Son of David had power to save. This salvation encompasses physical healing and deliverance along with the spiritual salvation Jesus came to bring deliverance from sins through His sacrificial death on the cross. Jesus as the divine Son of God brings spiritual salvation, while Jesus as the human Son of David brings a holistic salvation including physical needs as well.
10. Jesus was crucified under the title “The King of the Jews”
All four gospels record that the plaque placed above Jesus at His crucifixion read “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (Matthew 27:37, Mark 15:26, Luke 23:38, John 19:19). This demonstrates the same understanding of Jesus as the messianic king and heir to David’s throne. Even in His death He was honored with the title that acknowledged Him as the rightful king of Israel as the Son of David. After Jesus rose from the dead, He ascended to heaven where He now rules over all things as the exalted King and Son of David.
Conclusion
Jesus as the Son of David is a vital title and role that Jesus fulfills. It establishes His credentials as the Messiah, the King of Israel, and the heir to the eternal kingdom promised to David’s descendants. While Jesus is also the divine Son of God, His identity as the Son of David anchors Him in His humanity and connects Him to God’s covenants with Israel. Calling Jesus the Son of David affirms that He is exactly the Savior and King that God promised to send to save His people. This salvation is spiritual, physical, and will one day fully establish Jesus as the reigning Messiah over all the nations on David’s eternal throne.
