Reflection: Son of David: The name of Jesus as the Son of David is a significant title, that gives us as His followers great confidence not only in what Jesus has done for us, but who He is! In fact, on seventeen occasions in the New Testament, Jesus is described in this way. So why is this significant? At the start of Matthew’s gospel, a significant time is spent stating the genealogy from David to Jesus – some 1000 years. The significance of this line of genealogy is that Jesus was the fulfilment of the prophecy of the seed of David (2 Samuel 7:12-16). The promised Messiah would come from the line of David, and so this is spelt out in Matthew 1 as the genealogical proof that Jesus was a descendant of Abraham and David through His earthly (and legal) father Joseph. The genealogy in Luke 3 traces Jesus’ line through Mary, and so Jesus is a descendent through adoption through Joseph, and blood through Mary. But primarily, the title “Son of David” is more than a statement of his physical genealogy. It is a title that indicates His Messianic standing. When people referred to Jesus as the Son of David, this was an indication that He would be the deliverer they had been waiting for, the ultimate fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies.

Prayer: Father God, your provision is perfect. We thank you for the confidence we can have in you as Jesus came from the line of David so that we know He is the chosen one, the saviour of the world, who was prophesied many generations earlier and did what He said He would. We stand in awe of your provision, and thank you for Jesus. Amen.