When Jesus was born, as "the son of Abraham, the son of David" (Matthew 1 v 1), how many other people in Israel were descended from Abraham, and from King David?
Really interesting article on the BBC website, by a guy with considerably more mathematical skills than me. His (very convincing) answer: everyone!
There were, according to Matthew, 28 generations between David and Jesus (1 v 17); and it appears that by that stage, King David would have almost certainly been an ancestor to everyone who lived in Israel (and a lot of people who didn't), simply because the number of our ancestors doubles with each preceding generation. We have two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, so by the 28th generation there are 265,977,856 (assuming no "inter-breeding"). Since there were only around 1 million people in Jesus' time in Israel, there's a very high chance that David (and, therefore, Abraham) was the ancestor of all of them.
So, how is Jesus any kind of special man simply by being the "son of David", when every man in Israel could claim the same as him?!
First, because Matthew records the royal line from David to the exile (and, presumably, what would have been the royal line subsequently). To be the "son of David", ie: a man who could be the King in David's line who God had promised would rule for ever (2 Samuel 7), a claimant would need to be descended from King Jehoiachin, the last King of Judah (named, confusingly, as "Jeconiah" by Matthew). Even if any of his descendants could be the son of David, assuming that there were two surviving male descendants in each generation, that narrows it down to 8,000 potential men.
Second, because through Haggai God promises that His chosen King will be descended from Zerubbabel, the grandson of Jeconiah. Now, even if the job of "the son of David" is opened up to any male descendant of Zerubbabel, there are only around 2000 candidates.
Third, because no other "son of David" was someone for whom God "establish[ed] the throne of his kingdom for ever", as God had promised He would do for the "son of David" (2 Samuel 7 v 13). Only one of David's descendants rose from death to rule over Israel, the world and the cosmos. So there's really only one candidate, in Jesus' generation and in all generations put together, for the role of "son of Abraham [the blessing-bringer, Genesis 12 v 3], son of David [the ultimate ruler]".
But of course, that's to know the end of Jesus' life-story as we read the beginning of it in Matthew 1. I do sometimes think what a joy and privilege it must be to have the opportunity to read the Bible from Genesis, all the way through, without knowing the end. If you did that, imagine reaching Matthew 1—peering over Jesus' crib and thinking "this baby could be the blessing-bringing King!". Then following His life and ministry and miracles, and becoming more and more excited as you think "this man must be the blessing-bringing King!". Then reading of His crushing death, and of His death-defeating resurrection, and finally that "all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28 v 18), and realising:
"This risen man really is the blessing-bringing King!"
We know the end of the story in our heads whenever we read the beginning of it in the Bible. But it's worth pausing sometimes to just think, meditate on and appreciate the wonderful truth:
This man is THE son of Abraham, THE son of David. I will never find anyone else like Him. Nor will I ever need to.
Carl is Editorial Director at The Good Book Company and is a member of Grace Church Worcester Park, London. He is the best-selling author of The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross and God's Big Promises Bible Storybook, and also serves as series editor of the God's Word for You series. Before joining TGBC, he worked as a journalist and then as a teacher, and pastored a congregation in Hull. Carl is married to Lizzie, and they have two children. He studied history at Oxford University.
