One of the greatest strengths a nation or kingdom can have is not merely super weapons or large armies, but a strong, wise, and godly leader. In history, Israel became a stronger nation whenever they had a wise and faithful leader whose strength came from the Lord. In contrast, whenever they had an evil and foolish king, the nation of Israel fell.

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In this chapter, we will see and discuss the greatest, perfect, holy, and righteous King—Jesus Christ. Perhaps some of you reading this are questioning the validity of the kingship of Christ. Just like many of the Jews, they doubted Jesus as their King for several reasons. First, they believed He was only a carpenter’s son (Mark 6:3). Second, they expected a king who would come from the royal offspring of David. Below are the 2 verses in the Old Testament that talks about the coming Messiah.

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2 Samuel 7:12–13 (ESV)

“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall 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.”

Jeremiah 23:5 (ESV)

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.”

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In summary, the Jews were expecting a messianic king who would save them from physical bondage—the enemies of their nation. As Tracey R. Rich explains:

“The mashiach will be a great political leader descended from King David (Jeremiah 23:5). The mashiach is often referred to as ‘mashiach ben David’ (mashiach, son of David). He will be well-versed in Jewish law, and observant of its commandments (Isaiah 11:2–5). He will be a charismatic leader, inspiring others to follow his example. He will be a great military leader, who will win battles for Israel. He will be a great judge, who makes righteous decisions (Jeremiah 33:15). But above all, he will be a human being, not a god, demi-god or other supernatural being.” ¹

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The question is: Is the Messiah they are expecting still yet to come, or has He already come?

The Scripture is very clear: all of these key texts have already been fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ.

There are many reasons why Jesus is the Messiah, the King they were waiting for. But here, I will give just three main reasons:

1. Jesus is a descendant of David.

2. Jesus is now ruling in His Kingdom.

3. Jesus is the righteous Judge who will judge all people.

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This article will focus only on the first point—Jesus as the descendant of David—by discussing His genealogy.

I. Jesus is a Descendant of David

A. Old Testament Prophecy

Below are two Old Testament prophecies that the Jews held as expectations for their Messiah:

Jeremiah 23:5

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.”

Isaiah 11:1

“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.”

It is very clear that the Messiah had to come from the seed of David. David was one of the strongest kings Israel ever had—a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Logically, to be the perfect Messiah, one must legally belong to the royal line of David. The next item will show us how the scripture fulfilled these prophecies.

B. New Testament Fulfillment

Now, what proof do we have that Jesus really came from the lineage of David? There are two genealogical accounts: one in Matthew and one in Luke.

In the Gospel of Matthew, it is shown that His earthly father, Joseph, was a descendant of David. Although Jesus was not biologically Joseph’s son—since He was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18–20)—He was legally recognized as Joseph’s son.

In the Gospel of Luke, however, the genealogy traces back through Mary, the mother of Jesus. Critics often point to a supposed contradiction: in Matthew 1, Joseph is called the son of Jacob, while in Luke 3, Joseph is called the son of Heli. This is resolved by understanding Jewish custom: genealogies were recorded in terms of fathers, but Luke’s account reflects Mary’s lineage, presented under her husband’s name. As John Gill comments:

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“By the horrible malice, in the words, you may know who is meant: however, this we gain by it, that by their own confession, Mary is the daughter of Eli; which accords with this genealogy of the evangelist, who traces it from Mary, under her husband Joseph; though she is not mentioned, because of a rule with the Jews, that ‘the family of the mother is not called a family.’” ²

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C. Comparison of Both New Testament Accounts

If we compare Matthew’s and Luke’s genealogies of Jesus, there are indeed differences. This is because Matthew presents the legal/royal lineage through Joseph, while Luke presents the biological lineage through Mary. As Jeremy Myers explains:

“Matthew wants to show that Jesus is the heir to the Davidic throne. Jesus is the King. Luke, on the other hand, wants to show that Jesus was a man—that He was fully human. And so he can’t draw the royal lineage through Joseph, because Jesus was not the biological son of Joseph. Jesus was, however, the biological son of Mary. And so that is what he does. He draws the physical lineage through Mary, back to David, Abraham, and the first man, Adam.” ³

Therefore, Scripture accurately presents the genealogy of Jesus, showing that He came from the descendants of David both legally and biologically.

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Conclusion

This first part of our study clearly reveals the amazing plan of God. Through His Word, God outlined the lineage of Jesus Christ in detail. From His genealogy alone, we can boldly proclaim that Jesus is the true King. He is greater than David, and anyone who belongs to His Kingdom is eternally secure, for His throne is established forever.

This gives believers confidence and assurance that our hope is secure in our righteous, mighty, and holy King. On the other hand, unbelievers who die without Him face a meaningless and dreadful eternity in hell. Why? Because no power can override the power of this King, and all who oppose Him will ultimately perish.

That is why, my friend, I plead with you: repent of your sins and put your trust in the mighty King—Jesus Christ. He was born of a virgin, died on the cross, rose again on the third day, and is now reigning on His eternal throne.

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References

¹ https://www.jewfaq.org/mashiach by Tracey R Rich

² https://www.christianity.com/.../commentary/john-gill/luke/3

³ https://redeeminggod.com/sermons/luke/luke-3_23-38/