By: Elizabeth Haarberg

Son of God

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I’ve been thinking about the term “Son of David” when referring to Jesus. The lineage connection is an easy one to make, but what about his intentions and heart?

“And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will.”
Acts 13:22 King James Version

We see in this verse that David was a “man after” God’s heart. The part about David that is different from Jesus is his humanity, his lack of ability to remain clean and pure.

“The man said, ‘She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.’ Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her.”
2 Samuel 11:3-4 New International Version 

David ruined Bathsheba’s reputation because of his desires. In contrast, Jesus approached the woman at the well, by himself with no one around, no one to check his intentions or motives.

“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I ever did.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.”
John 4:39-40 New International Version

Jesus redeemed this woman in a conversation. The woman that the community may have ostracized due to her decisions or what had been done to her. This is not to take anything away from David but to see David’s humanity, a man who is referred to when people talk about Jesus, is not perfect but remains faithful to God his whole life.

We are called to seek after God with our whole heart and Jesus already knows that we will trip along the way. Just get up, brush off the garbage by repenting, and move toward God again with the help of the Holy Spirit. It is inevitable that we will make mistakes in life; what we do next is important in repairing our relationship with Jesus, just like David.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado