Another Son of David | Carolyn E. Jacobs

But when he had thought this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. – Matthew 1:20

Today, we start with a different heir to David’s throne. When the angel appeared, he called Joseph the son of David. Although Joseph had no throne, he was the rightful king of Israel. He was a dirt-poor tradesman who should have worn a crown. Herod, an Idumean usurper, held the title “King of the Jews.” Yet the angel made special mention of Joseph’s title. Why?

Every word in Scripture is there for a reason.

The world didn’t recognize Joseph’s importance, but the angel did.

I always thought it sad that Joseph died before Jesus began his public ministry. He had to, though. Because until Joseph died, Jesus was the Son of the son of David. And Jesus couldn’t fulfill his role as Messiah until he held the title “Son of David.”

About a dozen times in the Synoptic Gospels, those seeking Jesus’ help addressed him as the Son of David. From the blind men to the Canaanite woman to the crowds clamoring for Him to shake off the Roman oppression and restore Israel’s glory, they all acknowledged Jesus as the heir to David’s throne.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on what we observe as Palm Sunday, the crowds shouted praise for the Son of David.

Now the crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,
“Hosanna to the Son of David;
Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the LORD;
Hosanna in the highest!” – Matthew 21:9

This didn’t sit well with the chief priests and scribes and Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus
went on the offensive, asking the Pharisees a question and backing them into a corner.

“What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?”
They said to Him, “The son of David.”

(Don’t you know they choked on that answer?!)

He said to them, “Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying,
‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,
“SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,
UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES UNDER YOUR FEET”’?
Therefore, if David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?” No one was able to offer Him a word in answer, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him any more questions. – Matthew 22:42-46

Jesus’s command of the situation is masterful.

Just days before His crucifixion, Jesus left no doubt as to the identity of the One they sent to the cross. Even Pontius Pilate acknowledged it.