Did you ever wonder how it is that Jesus is a Son of David, as Matthew asserts in the first verse of his Gospel? This is important because the Messiah, predicted in the Hebrew Scriptures, was to be a descendant of the great king David.

Matthew gives Joseph’s family tree (1:1-17). So does Luke (3:23-37). Joseph is a son of David (Matthew 1:20), of the tribe of Judah (1:2). However, Joseph is not Jesus’ father (Matthew 1:18-19) and we have no information about Mary’s ancestry other than that her cousin is married to a priest (that is, from the tribe of Levi – not the jeans manufacturer).

Jack Kingsbury (Matthew as Story, Fortress Press, 1988) writes, “Matthew’s answer to this problem is found in 1:18-25; Jesus can legitimately be designated the Son of David because Joseph son of David obeys the instructions he receives from the angel of the Lord and gives Jesus his name (1:20-21, 25). In other words, Jesus, born of Mary but not fathered by Joseph, is legitimately Son of David because Joseph son of David adopts him into his line” (47).

Accordingly, Jesus receives the status of Son of David from His adoptive father, Joseph.

But that’s not the end of it. Richard Gardner writes, “At this point the text in Matthew offers us something of the highest importance. as it unfolds the story of Jesus’ ancestry, it provides us with the possibility of finding roots for ourselves that we never knew about. Those who belong to Jesus’ community become heirs with him of all the promises of God to Abraham and David. And the family history which shaped his identity becomes our family history as well” (Believers Church Bible Commentary: Matthew Herald Press, 1991, 34).

Gardner is likely thinking of verses like Ephesians 1:5: His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure (New Living Translation, 1996). And then there’s John 1:12-13. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan-this rebirth comes from God (New Living Translation, 1996). Everyone is created in God’s image, and in that sense God’s child. But to truly become God’s child requires that I believe and accept Jesus as God in human form (John 1:1-11). Believe Him about the human condition without Him, about the need for rescue from sin, about God’s love that led to Jesus coming to live among us and to die in our place. That belief and acceptance creates a rebirth (John 1:13) or adoption into God’s family (Ephesians 1:5).

And once you’re adopted, you have all the rights of a child of God, and a claim to the family history of Abraham and David, as Gardner says.

Adoption. A very special process, integral to Christmas, essential to salvation. Adoption gets you the best pedigree in the world – child of God.