In today’s first reading we hear the thanksgiving prayer of King David after the prophet Nathan declares God words of promise to David:
“Moreover, the LORD also declares to you that the LORD will make a house for you: when your days have been completed and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you…and I will establish his kingdom. He it is who shall build a house for my name, and I will establish his royal throne forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. If he does wrong, I will reprove him with a human rod and with human punishments…” (2 Samuel 7:11-14).
Even though David wanted to build a house (temple) for God’s name, Nathan tells David that his offspring (Solomon) will be the one to build this Temple. God promises to “establish his kingdom” this is “his house” or dynasty. The Jewish kings are called sons of God in that they have a special relationship with God but are not divine: “I will establish his royal throne forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.” (2 Samuel 7:14).
The kings of Israel were installed through an anointing ritual: “David also brought up his men with their families, and they dwelt in the towns of Hebron. Then the men of Judah came there and anointed David king over the house of Judah.” (2 Samuel 2:3-4). One who is anointed is call a messiah or “anointed one.”
While David and Solomon were both kings and thus could be called messiahs or anointed ones they were also very human and sinful. Jesus, who is sinless, is also called King and Messiah but in a very special way. The Greek word Christ means the “anointed one” or Messiah. Jesus avoided this title during his earthly life because as he told Pilate:
“My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.” (John 18:36).
Jesus’ Kingdom is wherever God’s will is done: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10). Moreover, Jesus replaces the earthly temple with his own body:
“At this the Jews answered and said to him, ‘What sign can you show us for doing this?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews said, ‘This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking about the temple of his body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.” (John 2:18-22).
Jesus was king but vastly different from King David.
Image: “The Hunterian Psalter: Full Page Miniatures. King David Tuning his Harp” by University of Glasgow Library is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.