Friday's thoughts

Jesus as the 'son of David'

The implications of this are many. The realization that Jesus was in the lineage of David gives us the benefit of the heroics of those who have gone before us. They are our primary example for how we live a life of courage. David facing down the giant Goliath may have influenced the courage Jesus found to take his stand in Jerusalem. He was, after all, the son of David and David did, after all, stand up to the giant in battle.

Secondly, the sense that those who have gone before us have flaws is not waisted on us. We know our heroes are not perfect, and it is important to understand that while we can find courage to do as they did, we can find the wisdom to avoid making the mistakes that they made. David gave into temptation when he saw Bathsheba on the roof. He arranged for her husband, Uriah, to be killed in battle so he could be with her. It was a national scandal. Jesus was of the 'house of David' and he knew this sad chapter in David's life. When he was tempted in the wilderness he did not give in. He remained faithful to his values; faithful to doing what he thought was right. He rejected the idea of political power, and he turned away from the power of magic. He was to live his life as a suffering servant not a conquoring combatant.

Finally, Jesus was witness to the good that David did and he saw his task to fulfill it in his life. David and Jesus were part of the flow of goodness and mercy that filled their lives and transcended their time on earth.

There are people who have gone before us. We are the following people. They have shown us courage, but they were not perfect. They have given us the sense that something more is being asked of us and we can pick up where they left off and move forward the cause of peace and love and hope.

There are other influences David had on Jesus' life. I submit that it is something we want to pay attention to in order to see how one life influences another, and to look at our own lives to see what has influenced us.

If you have thoughts about this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. I look forward to hearing from you.


Charles