What Jesus, descendant of David, promises
The dramatis personae of the biblical story of Christmas are well known — the newborn Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the angels singing Gloria in excelsis Deo, the shepherds hastening to the manger, the wise men bringing gifts from afar, the murderous Herod bringing terror.
There is another figure though, mentioned only in passing, but of critical importance to understanding the identity and mission of Jesus. It is King David. Matthew’s gospel begins with the “genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David.” In Luke’s account, we are told that Joseph went up with Mary to “the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David.” St. Paul in his epistle to the Romans makes clear that he is preaching “the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh.”
David was the great king who ruled first over Judah for seven years with his capital at Hebron. He then united all the tribes of Israel and ruled over a united kingdom with his capital at Jerusalem. In a year when the status of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital returned to the news, it might be thought that King David is relevant again. He is, but for another reason.
David’s great sin was to use his royal power to indulge his l ust. He gazed upon Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, while she was bathing and had his officials bring the woman to him. Having relations with her, he sent her back, only to discover that she was now with child. Faced with the prospect of his adultery being exposed, David then engaged in lies and manipulation, finally taking the decision to order the death of Uriah in battle.
Power used to pursue sexual indulgence. It has been the story of 2017. The year after the curtain came down on the Clinton dynasty it was no longer politically necessary in certain progressive circles to protect sexual malefactors in high places. The curtain was then lifted on a sordid history of harassment, exploitation and assault, centred in the entertainment industry and spreading out from there. The cult of celebrity saw one fallen god after another.
“It began with a news story, and then a tweet, and suddenly i t seemed l i ke everything had changed overnight,” began one Associated Press story. “2017 will forever be known as the Year of the Reckoning.”
A reckoning. King David had his. The prophet Nathan told him to his face that he was a wicked man. David knew what he had done: “I have sinned.” The king re- pented greatly. He would pay dearly for his sin, as would others. And despite his receiving the mercy of forgiveness, he was never quite the same again. The sin could be forgiven, the consequences remained.
What kind of reckoning will be in store for the very rich and famous who have been brought low by their sins and crimes? A loss of money they don’t need, of jobs they enjoyed and the forfeiture of a carefully cultivated reputation.
What will the reckoning bring to the women? Likely a measure of healing, less likely a measure of justice. For many the suffering still continues.
A reckoning is necessary, but reckoning with evil actions is never fully satisfactory. Not all that was lost can be made whole. Reckonings always fall short of restoration.
In t he f ace of t hese and other great evils that abound, what is needed is something beyond a reckoning. What is needed is for the transgression to be redeemed. Without redemption it is difficult to imagine that reconciliation is possible.
That Jesus is of the House of David is usually thought of in relation to sovereign rule, the unity of peoples, the right and proper worship of God in the holy city. But what if we thought instead of David’s guilt and repentance? Then we might think of David’s yearning for a redeemer who can do what even a powerful king cannot do. To restore what has been damaged, to redeem what has been lost, to reconcile what has been estranged.
King David, no matter how profound his repentance, could not bring Uriah back to life, nor could he prevent his son with Bathsheba from dying. Despite his repentance, he remained king. He would go on to marry Bathsheba, and she would have another son, the great king Solomon. It all remains unsatisfactory. Justice was not done.
The good news Christians celebrate at Christmas is that the imperfections of earthly justice are not the last word. There is a more profound justice, accompanied — but not replaced — by mercy, that can truly restore what has been lost, reconcile what has been driven apart. That is what Jesus comes to accomplish, the son of David.
At the National Post, it falls to us to chronicle so much evil that lacks an adequate response. We know better than most the need for something more from someone else. Christmas is the remembrance that there is Someone else, who can do so much more.
To all our readers — Merry Christmas!