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#2.
The Son of David.
pp. 97 - 100
Let us now gather together the passages in Matthew where Christ is spoken of as the
Son of David. There are nine passages in all. The first is 1: 1, with which the Gospel
opens. The next is found in 9: 27; two blind men follow the Lord crying, "Thou son of
David, have mercy on us". In chapter 20: 30 and 31 another pair of blind men cry out,
"Have mercy upon us, O Lord, Thou Son of David", the one addition to the title being
that of "Lord". The significant fact concerning this is that NO miracle other than these
two is recorded by Matthew as being performed by Christ as the Son of David. Israel
were blind, they did not recognize their long-promised King. Is that suggested by this
strange fact?
The reader may possibly think that the miracle of chapter 15: has been forgotten.
There a Gentile woman approached the Lord with the title of Son of David and with the
plea for mercy upon her lips, but in this instance she was met with silence. In her hearing
the Lord said, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel". David was
the shepherd king, taken by God from minding the sheep to shepherd His people, and
Christ as the Son of David was the Shepherd King of Israel too. When the Canaanite left
the title Son of David for the wider title "Lord" (15: 27), then the Lord granted her
request, recognizing at the same time the greatness of her faith. It is true therefore to say
that the only miracles which Christ performed as the Son of David were those to do with
blindness and with Israel. This is the first miracle possibly that He will perform when He
comes at length to take the Kingdom and reign. He will open their blind eyes that they
may look upon Him Whom they pierced. The fact that in each case there were two blind
men is suggestive, for the prophets make mention many times of the coming together
again of the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Another feature that is associated
with this title is that the Pharisees began to realize that unless they definitely discounted
the notion, the people would receive Christ as King.
As the outcome of a miracle in which a man possessed of a demon, blind and dumb,
was healed, we read, "And all the multitude (ochloi) were amazed, and said, Is not this
the Son of David?" (12: 23). What was the immediate result? "When the Pharisees
heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out demons, but by Beelzebub the prince of
the demons" (12: 24). Christ replied, "If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the
Kingdom of God is come unto you" (12: 28).
This approach to public recognition, and the immediate attempt of the leaders of the
people to discredit Christ, it will be noted is recorded in Matt. 12:, where the rejection of
Christ is clearly indicated. In that chapter He speaks of Himself as "greater than the
temple" (6), "greater than Jonah" (41), and "greater than Solomon" (42), but in each
case and capacity He was rejected. Then comes the chapter of PARABLES and mystery
because Isa. 6: 10 was being fulfilled in Israel. Here comes the rejection of the Son of
David, and for the first time we read of the "Mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens",